Illinois Fighting Illini football

Illinois Fighting Illini football
2026 Illinois Fighting Illini football team
First season1890; 136 years ago
Athletic directorJosh Whitman
General managerPatrick Embleton
Head coachBret Bielema
5th season, 37–26 (.587)
LocationChampaign, Illinois
StadiumGies Memorial Stadium
(capacity: 60,670, record: 78,297)
NCAA divisionDivision I FBS
ConferenceBig Ten
ColorsOrange and blue
   
All-time record650–627–50 (.509)
Bowl record10–12 (.455)
National championships
Claimed1914, 1919, 1923, 1927, 1951
Conference championships
Big Ten: 1910, 1914, 1915, 1918, 1919, 1923, 1927, 1928, 1946, 1951, 1953, 1963, 1983, 1990, 2001
Consensus All-Americans27
RivalriesNorthwestern (rivalry)
Purdue (rivalry)
Ohio State (rivalry)
Missouri (rivalry)
Indiana (rivalry)
Iowa (rivalry)
Michigan (rivalry)
Uniforms
Fight songIllinois Loyalty and Oskee Wow Wow
Marching bandMarching Illini
OutfitterNike
Websitefightingillini.com

The Illinois Fighting Illini football program represents the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division I-A) level. The Fighting Illini are a founding member of the Big Ten Conference, and have played their home games at Gies Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Illinois since 1923. The Fighting Illini are currently led by head coach Bret Bielema.

Illinois claims 15 Big Ten championships, ranking 4th-most among conference members, and 5 national championships, ranking 13th-most among NCAA Division 1 programs. Illinois has had 27 Consensus All-Americans, and 15 former Illini have been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame; in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, 6 former Illini have been inducted. Illinois has three trophy rivalries against Northwestern, Purdue, and Ohio State.