CHAMPAIGN, Ill. --Â When Tim King received a call on Friday afternoon, he never could have expected who was on the other end of the line. Opting to purchase season tickets for Illinois football's 2023 campaign, King was stunned to learn that he was the Illini's 10,000th new season ticket holder.
And it was head coach Bret Bielema and the entire Illinois football team who made sure to thank and congratulate him on joining the famILLy.
"I was shocked," King said. "This all happened very quickly. On Thursday, I just gave a call to buy season tickets and next thing I know, the coach is FaceTiming me, and the team is all there."
King has attended games for years, and his son, Nick, is a senior at UI and a member of the Marching Illini. He says he is "very proud" to be able to get season tickets, which became incredibly important this year.
He looks forward to the entire game day experience, from the Illini Walk, to the pregame tailgating, to the Marching Illini and director Barry Houser, to the game. King realized he needed to prioritize getting season tickets ahead of the 2023 campaign and ensure a seat in Memorial Stadium for all seven Illini home games.
"Coming out of COVID, I realized the here and now and things like that are important," King said. "I'm able to go forward with this kind of a commitment and was willing to do it, and I'm glad I did."
Illinois has now exceeded 10,000 new season tickets for the 2023 season, the most on record since 2007 when 11,653 new season tickets were purchased. Tickets are still available, and Illini fans are encouraged to act quickly to secure season tickets ahead of the team's season opener against Toledo on Sept. 2.
"To have 10,000 new season ticket holders, it's truly just incredible," Bielema said. "Obviously, hats off to Josh and his crew and all the people with the FamILLY First campaign. I knew there'd be a lot of excitement with the way things unfolded. I couldn't be more excited about that. For me, as a head coach, we actually called the individual that was the 10,000th purchase last night, and the whole team greeted him.
"To see our guys react to the news that that had happened, it was pretty cool. I really want to thank them for everything in that regard, especially the fans that have made that happen."
