CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- One of the most influential Fighting Illini, Stu Levenick, will serve as Honorary Captain when Illinois takes on Penn State on Saturday at Memorial Stadium. The game is set for an 11 a.m. CT kickoff on FOX.Â
Levenick joined the Illini as a walk-on in 1972 before becoming a two-year starter. He was named Illinois' team captain, offensive MVP, and an All-Big Ten second-team selection in 1975.
Levenick was a ninth-round pick in the 1976 NFL Draft, but instead decided to start a career at Caterpillar. He rose through the ranks and eventually held the position of Group President before retiring from Caterpillar in 2015 after 37 years.
Levenick gave a $5 million gift toward the Henry Dale and Betty Smith Football Performance Center in 2018. The team auditorium where all team meetings occur is named the Levenick Auditorium in his honor.
"Stu and Nancy represent everything you ask for in alumni," Whitman said following Levenick's 2018 donation. "They believe wholeheartedly in the value of a University of Illinois education and specifically how the student-athlete experience provides a positive impact on their future. Stu epitomizes the character we instill in our student-athletes. He arrived on this campus as a walk-on, and his drive and determination developed him into the team's offensive MVP. I think he will be the first to tell you that his time as a student-athlete shaped his future success, and paying it forward to future classes of students is a big motivator in their gift to this project. We are so incredibly thankful to them for sharing in our vision for this program."
In 2017, Levenick received the College of Agriculture, Consumer and Environmental Sciences' Career Achievement Award. Levenick and his wife, Nancy, are now part-time residents of Naples, Florida.
