Edited by Blazer on November 28, 2025, 20:04:39 2011
Wore these for one year--black band on the shoulder for Lou Henson's son dying that year.
1995-1996
The hideous two-toned shorts with a slant Illinois ON THE LEG. Only positive here is we wore these in the 1995 win over Duke at Cameron. Nearly impossible to find pictures of these--almost as if they have been scrubbed from the internet. Good riddance.
1997:
Had these for one year before the Nike contract. Solid, if uninspired and forgettable.
1998-2000
First set from the Nike contract. Ok--the weird triangle on the short is off, but the glossy texture is awesome. Some nostalgia for the first Nike unis:
2000-2006
Love this set for the white and orange unis, but the blues were a miss. This also started years of a black panel on the side of the road blues, which absolutely never made sense. RIP Arch:
Road blue alternates with the silver shoulder panels. Worn just once at UNC in 2005:
2006-2009
Ugh, the dreaded "horns" design. Probably my least favorite Illini uniform set ever (probably because of the teams that wore it). The Charlie Brown waistband is just hideous, plus whatever is going on at the base of the short leg. Just atrocious design:
2009-2011
These roads were solid, until you look at the whatever is going on on the back with the tri-colored shoulders and the weird bell pattern on the shorts..
Had this set for just a half season with the two-toned Illinois before adjusting the next season
MOOOOOVEEE:
2011-2013
Relatively solid, though the arrows on the short was always weird.
2013-2018
Ugh, the "zig zag" set after the 2013 rebrand. Hate these uniforms, and another black panel on the side of the blues.
2018-2019
Just one season with these--similar to the 1997 set--solid all around, but forgettable. And another black panel! Why, Nike, why?
2019-2025
I don't hate these like others do, but this set is pretty well reviled by the fan base, largely because of poor record when wearing them. But I'll always associate them with some of the big wins during the turnaround, especially at Wisconsin.
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Ever since the 2000-2006 set, the road blues have never been right. AND nobody never talks about how bad ass the Flyin Illini blues were.
These will be the best road blues since:
140
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