CHAMPAIGN, IL (Chambana Today) – Illinois football has announced the plans for the upcoming Memorial Stadium Rededication weekend, which begins Thursday, October 17 through Saturday, October 19. The athletic department is in the middle of a season-long celebration of the Memorial Stadium’s 100th Anniversary. The Fighting Illini host Purdue on October 12 then turn their attention on Michigan for the Rededication Game on October 19.

On Oct. 18, 1924, Red Grange put together one of the greatest performances ever in college football. It was the day of Memorial Stadium’s Dedication Game against Michigan, who showed up on a 20-game unbeaten streak. Grange had a 95-yard return on the opening kickoff. Five minutes later, he scored again, this time on a 67-yard rush. Within 12 minutes of play, he earned four touchdowns, and he finished the game with six total scores and over 400 total yards of offense. In the Illini’s 39-14 win over Michigan, Red Grange tallied 36 points on his own.

Some of the events to celebrate the rededication:

Symposium: “Ghost Stories at Memorial Stadium” – Red Grange & the Game of the Century: Memorial Stadium 77 Club
Thursday, October 17 at 6:30 p.m.
Illinois will host a symposium on Red Grange and his impact to football and Illinois on Thursday, October 17. The weekend honors the Anniversary of his legendary performance against Michigan. The event will take place in the 77 Club, named after Grange’s #77, inside of Memorial Stadium.

Chris Willis, author of “Red Grange – the Galloping Ghost” (2019), will be a special guest at the event. The event is free and open to the public.

Rededication Ceremony: Grange Grove
Friday, October 18 at 11 a.m.
Exactly 100 years after Red Grange’s historic performance in the Memorial Stadium Dedication Game against Michigan on Oct. 18, 1924, the University of Illinois will host the Memorial Stadium Rededication on Friday, Oct. 18, 2024.

Illinois’ Rededication Ceremony will be free and open to the public inside Grange Grove. After previously being announced as an afternoon start, the event is now scheduled to commence at 11 a.m. The ceremony will feature a program that honors the many uses of Memorial Stadium over the last century and an unveiling of new historic features around the stadium.

100th Anniversary Gala: Memorial Stadium Colonnades Club
Friday, October 18 at 5:30 p.m.

A 100th-anniversary gala will be hosted inside the Colonnades Club at Memorial Stadium at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, October 18. The event, themed “The Story of the Stadium”, will feature some of Illinois football’s greatest players in history.

Illinois vs. Michigan: Memorial Stadium
Saturday, Oct. 19 (Time TBA)
100 years and one day after Red Grange’s historic performance against Michigan in the Memorial Stadium Dedication Game, Illinois hosts Michigan for the Memorial Stadium Re-dedication Game on Saturday, October 19.

Special ceremonies and performances will be featured inside Memorial Stadium throughout pregame and during the game. There will be a special game-ball presentation by some of Illinois’ former players, a 3-in-1 performance that will involve family members of Illinois’ past key contributors – Athletic Director George Huff, Head Football Coach Robert Zuppke and Red Grange. The kickoff time remains unannounced at this time.