University of Illinois Fighting Illini Athletics

Before launching his career as a successful internal medicine and gastroenterology specialist in San Pedro, California, Dr. Morris Taub received a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Illinois. Widely recognized as one of the finest public institutions in the country in terms of academics, the University of Illinois also possesses a history of success in the field of athletics. Teams at the University of Illinois, most of which belong to the Big Ten Conference of NCAA Division I, compete as the Illinois Fighting Illini.

Although the Fighting Illini football team has not captured a national championship since 1951, the team has nonetheless posted some successful seasons in recent years. In 2008, the football team earned second place in the Big Ten and a final ranking of 13th en route to an appearance in the Rose Bowl against 6th-ranked University of Southern California. Although Illinois lost the game, it represented the team’s first appearance in a Bowl Championship Series (BCS) bowl game since the 2002 Sugar Bowl and only its second BCS appearance ever. In 2010, the Fighting Illini posted its first bowl game win in over a decade with a 38-14 rout of Baylor in the Texas Bowl.

The Fighting Illini men’s basketball team has experienced considerable success in recent years, particularly the 2004-2005 season, in which the team posted a 37-2 record en route to winning the Big Ten title. Led by talented point guard and future NBA All-Star Deron Williams, the Fighting Illini earned a 1-seed and staged a deep tournament run, eventually losing to the North Carolina Tar Heels in the National Championship game. In addition to the memorable 04-05 season, the Fighting Illini reached the Final Four in 1949, 1951, 1952, and 1989.

Although the University of Illinois boasts more than 25 national championships, the school has only captured two national championships since 1958. The men’s gymnastics team, which won nine consecutive national championships in the 1930s and 40s, again captured the title during the 1989 competition. The second championship came in 2003, when the men’s tennis team posted a 64-game unbeaten streak en route to capturing the NCAA team title.

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