The Chief Returns!!!!!!

For the first time since February 2007, Chief Illiniwek made another appearance in Champaign. He even showed up in the horseshoe during halftime. During the band's traditional 3-in-1 performance, I heard cheering to my right and saw the Chief walking from one side to the other of the horseshoe stands. He stood at the other side with his arms raised until the end of would have been his normal performance and then disappeared back under the stands. After the football game on this very cold and windy Saturday, they had the Chief's "Next Dance" at the Assembly Hall. The student organization, Students for Chief Illiniwek, rented out the Assembly Hall and sold tickets to a tribute to the Chief. They had ten former Chiefs present, a video tribute of the Chief and its honored history, and a few people that spoke. After that, Chief Illiniwek performed his traditional dance while an alumni band played the 3-in-1. It was truly a great event. I videotaped the performance on my camera:

Chief Illiniwek's Next Dance from Brian Turner on Vimeo.

UPDATE: There is also a good version of the dance and video presentation on YouTube here.

Here's a panoramic picture that I took of Assembly Hall with everyone leaving after Chief's performance.