July 15, 2008

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - University of Illinois Division of Intercollegiate Athletics officials announced Tuesday that Fighting Illini great Dana Howard will return to Champaign-Urbana for the Illinois Renaissance Celebration Game against Eastern Illinois on Sept. 6. Howard leads off a long list of legendary Illinois players who will be on hand for the 2008 home opener, when fans will get their first look at the newly finished stadium.

"It's great to be coming back and be a part of the celebration," Howard said. "It's not often at any university that a guy's in the same company as Dick Butkus, Kevin Hardy and John Holocek. Those are some of the best of the best linebackers."

Howard was selected as one of the 10 greatest linebackers in Memorial Stadium history and is the first player on those lists of Illini greats to have his attendance at the Sept. 6 game revealed. A large number of the Fighting Illini greats already have indicated they will be returning to campus for the event and their names will be announced as the game draws near.

Howard was Illinois' first Butkus Award winner and was a consensus All-American in 1994. He set the Big Ten record for career tackles with 595 and was a fifth-round NFL draft pick in 1995. He was a three-time All-American, also earning first-team accolades in 1993 and honorable-mention status in 1992. Howard, along with Kevin Hardy, John Holocek and Simeon Rice, earned Illinois the nickname "Linebacker U" in the mid-1990s.

"One, I'm looking forward to a victory, but besides that just being able to sit down and talk to the guys and see how their families are doing," Howard said. "Just being able to see them again and find out what's going on in their lives and making sure everybody's doing OK."

The Illinois Renaissance Celebration will be highlighted by the return of a multitude of former Fighting Illini players, with the list of 10 Greatest Illini in Memorial Stadium history at each position being honored during eight timeouts throughout the game. The current team also will honor past greats by donning throwback uniforms modeled in the style of the Butkus era. Illinois will take on Eastern Illinois Sept. 6 at 11 a.m. The game will be nationally televised by the Big Ten Network.