For people who are willing to think about a mascot for the
University of Illinois, what about the Galloping Ghost? The term refers to the
Illini’s legendary football player, Red Grange, who “vaulted to national
prominence as a result of his performance in the October 18, 1924 game against
Michigan in the grand opening game of the new Memorial Stadium, built as a
memorial to University of Illinois students and alumni who had served in World
War I. Grange returned the opening kickoff for a 95-yard touchdown and scored
three more touchdowns on runs of 67, 56, and 44 yards in the first 12 minutes. He
scored six touchdowns in all. Illinois won the game by a lopsided score of 39
to 14." Credit: Wikipedia.
The game inspired Grantland Rice to write this poetic
description:
A streak of fire, a breath of flame
Eluding all who reach and clutch;
A gray ghost thrown into the game
That rival hands may never touch;
A rubber bounding, blasting soul
Whose destination is the goal — Red Grange of Illinois!
Can you imagine a gray riderless horse galloping through the Marching Illini band at halftime? Personally,
the image gives me goosebumps.
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