Illinois’ inaugural appearance in Soldier Field could hardly be called a box-office smash.
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The Illini’s game against Washington State drew 39,472 to the 66,900-seat stadium. The entire south end zone was empty, as was much of the north.
But Illinois Athletic Director Ron Guenther, who pushed to move the game to Chicago from Champaign, looked past the attendance and tried to focus on the enthusiasm generated among local alumni.
“We’ve talked too much about attendance,” Guenther said. “This was a stepping-off game.”
Guenther, who comes from the western suburbs, said he plans to bring Illinois back every three or four years. “I’d like to have every class play at least one game here,” he said.
He blamed the turnout on the timing of the game, on a busy opening weekend of the football season in Chicago and on an unheralded opponent. “Obviously, the Thursday night of a three-game weekend isn’t a tremendous shot,” he said.
Peaceful protest: A small protest over Chief Illiniwek greeted fans arriving in the south end zone.
One banner read: “Native Americans are not mascots. They are living people.”
Chief Illiniwek (John Creech of London, Ky.) performed his customary halftime dance in native costume.
Guenther was unfazed by the protest: “As long as it was peaceful, they have a right to say what they want.”
Hamstrung offense: The Illini sorely missed starting tailback Ty Douthard, who is out with a hamstring injury. Their running backs picked up a total of 13 yards on 11 first-half rushes and one yard on 23 attempts in the third quarter.
Sophomore Damien Platt started at tailback, and Robert Holcombe, a freshman from Arizona, also saw action.
Illinois could have used the services of a couple of ex-backs in the house: radio announcer Jim Grabowski, who was an All-American, and Athletic Development Director Steve Greene, who ran for 80 yards against Washington State back in 1974.
Dirty dozen: The Illinois defense was so aggressive it looked like it had 12 men on the field for much of the night. On one play late in the second half, it actually had that many, but the officials didn’t notice. Washington State picked up a yard on the ground on the play.
Checking it out: It’s never too early to think about the bowls. Representatives of the Citrus Bowl, which takes the No. 2 Big 10 team, attended the game.