CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — National hero and former Fighting Illini football player Tim McCarthy will serve as the honorary captain when Illinois hosts Iowa on Saturday night. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CT on Big Ten Network.

McCarthy was a four-year member of the Illini football team and two-year letterwinner in 1969 and 1970. After a season on the scout team, McCarthy excelled as a sophomore at strong safety and was awarded a scholarship by head coach Jim Valek and eventually became a starter.

McCarthy's success story was just beginning when he became a starter for the Illini. He would later become a Secret Service agent and an American hero by taking a bullet for President Ronald Reagan.

McCarthy, who has remained an Illini football fan throughout his life, has left an incredible mark on his alma mater and the Illinois football program, embodying what it means to be an Illini. The Tim McCarthy Scholarship was announced last season and Michael Marchese was the first ever recipient.