Illini Cheerleaders Looking Forward to Continuing 122-Year Tradition

Having been sidelined by the pandemic last season, you'll probably see an extra bit of enthusiasm from an especially large 2021 Fighting Illini cheerleading team at the upcoming Illinois-Nebraska game.

"We've been talking all summer about this coming year, so we're all really excited," said senior captain Haley Eder.

The team, which typically includes 36 members, will grow to 45 this coming season, according to head varsity cheerleading coach Stephanie Record. Now entering her 28th year in that role, Record cheered from 1990-93 at the University of Illinois.

Last year, she says, was highly abnormal.

"Once the University cancelled fans and band and cheer at games, we were really limited at what we could do, even just to practice," said Record. "We had four or five total practices last Fall, then four or five more practices in the Spring. We weren't allowed to be in the weight room and didn't get much hand-on experience. Pretty much, we had the whole year off."

Personally, Eder concurred that the layoff was a huge adjustment for her.

"We we were used to being so busy all of the time … practicing three times a week, lifting twice a week, doing a bunch of (public relations) events," she said. "It was weird having nothing to do. Then, when the football team started to play, that was also weird because we were usually there. It was sad … missing games, missing football."

Record says there's never been a need to recruit prospective Illini cheerleaders. Individuals submit a video of themselves prior to the tryout period, then she selects who will actually go through the in-person process.

This year's team first met on Aug. 13^th and will be practicing two to three times a day up until the season opener.

"We'll do a variety of things, including general team building, running the flags, and practicing the fight song and cheers," Record said. "They're really excited to be back in uniform, to be on the field and interacting with fans."

This season, all 45 members will cheer at football, then about half that number will share time cheering at the remaining men's and women's sports.

Eder views this year's bigger Illini cheer squad as a huge plus.

"It's a lot more fun because there are more people, more faces," she said. "Everyone adds more personality to the team.

The 2021-22 team will be led by team captains Eder (Lake Zurich), Brianna Avila Murphy (Sr., Chicago), Cameron Conklin (Sr., Chillicothe), Graci Leineberg (Jr., Antioch), Rylie Matchett (Sr., Lake Villa) and Jada Thomas (Jr., South Holland).

Robert Clayton "Red" Matthews served as the University of Illinois' first cheerleader from 1899 to 1900. 

Robert Ripley's widely syndicated "Believe It or Not!" cartoon featured Matthews in 1956, crediting him with being the first cheerleader in college sports. He always downplayed the accolade as an exaggeration, saying "I wasn't the first, but I was sure the most exuberant."

Born in Monmouth, Ill. in 1878, he attended Monmouth College for a year before transferring to the University of Illinois, from which he received a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering in 1902. 

Matthews, with his red hair, white sweater and dark trousers, became notably popular at Illini football games because of his acrobatic prowess, performing cartwheels and handstands for the fans in attendance.

Said Matthews, "I just busted out on the sidelines like the measles, and started hollering with my head up, my arms waving, and my legs jumping. The more gyrations you did, the louder you could get the fans to yell." 

In 1907, Matthews joined the University of Tennessee's Department of Mechanical Engineering, teaching drawing to thousands of UT students over the next 40 years. Shortly after his arrival in Knoxville, he was drafted to initiate UT's first cheerleading program and actually served as a cheerleader while he was a faculty member. Matthews' last appearance as a Vols cheerleader came at the age of 37.

In 1973, traveling from his retirement home in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., the then 95-year-old Matthews attended Illinois' Homecoming game and joined the Illini cheerleading squad on the sidelines. 

He died in 1978 at age 99.