Chambana Sun

Illinois will rewind to the early days of Fighting Illini football when it takes the field against Michigan on Oct. 19, marking 100 years and one day after Red Grange’s historic six-touchdown performance against the Wolverines during the Memorial Stadium Dedication Game in 1924.

The Illini will don 1920s-themed uniforms to commemorate the 100th anniversary of that game, with helmets, jerseys, and pants designed to mirror the attire worn by Grange and the Fighting Illini football teams from that era.

“The program has done some throwbacks in the past, but it was really important to be more accurate to the time the stadium opened,” said Jake Rosch, director of football equipment operations. “We kicked around some ideas, but we ultimately settled on recreating Red Grange's uniform from 1924."

Rosch expressed satisfaction with the final product: "The end product came out just as good, if not better, than what we envisioned. I think the helmets, coupled with the uniform, are a really classic look. I think they will impress a lot of people with the way everything turned out."

The jerseys feature a blue base with tannish-gold stripes forming a pyramid shape running from bottom to top. White numbers with blue outlines complete the jersey design. The only orange feature is a Memorial Stadium 100th Anniversary patch that will be worn on all Illini uniforms throughout the season.

The tannish-gold hue seen in the stripes is reflected in custom pants paired with blue socks for a classic look.

“The jerseys are pretty simplistic,” Rosch noted. “It was designed 100 years ago, so they were limited in their manufacturing capabilities at that time. We were able to match the jersey design, which is really cool because we wanted to be as historically accurate from 100 years ago as we could possibly make it.”

Recreating helmets required more time and attention. After considering decals or different shell colors, Illinois decided on modeling them after leather helmets used in that period.

To achieve this look, Illinois reached out to Armando Villarreal, an airbrushing specialist based in southern Nebraska who hand-paints each helmet individually. Villarreal is one of only two artists nationwide specializing in airbrushing football helmets.

The process involves sanding down helmets before spraying them with sealer and adding a base coat. Villarreal then sprays them dark brown and uses stencils for an authentic leather appearance before airbrushing straps, stitching, and holes for added detail.

“100 years ago, jerseys had very similar designs," Rosch explained. "So we knew what would set us apart was a leather helmet and creating that textured look... Armando has done a really great job and been a really good partner in this whole process.”

The entire uniform design process began nearly two years ago. After spending roughly six to eight months developing concepts and initial designs, Illinois worked heavily with Nike to finalize their look following conference approval.

Director of Athletics Josh Whitman played a key role throughout this process due to his experience as both an administrator and alum of Illinois' football program.

“He has a little extra tie to the project as a whole because it represents something really personal to him,” Rosch said. “We tweaked many small things ensuring everything aligned with his vision.”

Illinois plans to sell game-worn hand-painted helmets along with other styles – Block I; Four Stars; Arched Illini; Underlined Illinois; Military Appreciation – during Memorial Stadium’s 100th Anniversary season.

Following exclusive sales periods for I FUND members and Varsity I football members starting Aug. 26 if supplies remain available; general public sales will follow thereafter.