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Illinois Football: Illini Backing Program With "Next Phase"
With the hype of hiring Lovie Smith come expectations of making the Illinois football program great once again.
This isn’t an easy task, especially considering how anxious the Illinois Fighting Illini fanbase truly is. But, the new Illini administration continues to make strides in the right direction.
Athletic Director Josh Whitman announced the “next phase” in the Illinois Renaissance project to build this program into an elite contender.
In a letter to Illini Nation, Whitman described what he wants in the Illinois football program. He laid it out in such an elegant way that made me motivated for the future.
The letter goes on to talk about the resurgence of the program and upgrades to the building to keep up with a sweeping trend that is flowing over the college football landscape.
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But, there was one paragraph in this letter to the Illini Nation that really hit me hard.
Whitman writes the following in his letter.
The game (referring to the North Carolina loss) was an important reminder that successful programs are not built with one bold step. They are built with thousands of such steps, made steadily by countless people united in pursuit of a consistent and unflinching vision. We must stay the course and continue our ascent.
This statement by Whitman is great and it gives me confidence in what is happening with the program right now.
There is only so much a coach can do with a team if he doesn’t have the backing of the administration around him.
A program has to provide the proper facilities and resources to enable a team to progress on and off the field.
As the time’s change, the program needs to change and keep up with what needs to be done to keep up with the rest of the nation.
With the renovations that are going on with the State Farm Center and now a massive, over $130 million, renovation about to start with Memorial Stadium, Illinois clearly has their head in the right place.
The current administration, led by Whitman, supports all sports programs. They are providing the resources for success on and off the field.
Give the process a year or so to start really getting off the ground. I am behind what is happening with the University of Illinois and We Will Win.
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