The Chief and a Tradition are Born

Chief Illiniwek did his first Indian dance at Champaign-Urbana's Memorial Stadium on October 30th, 1926.

A co-creator of Chief Illiniwek as a symbol of athletic strength and honor, Lester Leutwiler, was the first 'Chief Illiniwek' and performed his first authentic Indian dance at half time during a U of Illinois vs U of Pennsylvania football game.

A tradition was immediately born and Chief Illiniwek as an inspiring symbol and mascot proudly continued uninterrupted until February of 2007.

Then the wimps at the U of I administration kowtowed to overwhelmingly fictitious and so-called 'politically correct' accusations from outsiders that the Chief was somehow offensive and demands he must be destroyed.

More than 35 different students danced as the Chief (even one young lady danced as "Princess Illiniwek" during WWII)... and after 81 years of Chief Illiniwek's honorable and inspiring traditional dances for the Fighting Illini then became just a memory.