Once upon a time, Alpha Zeta Delta used to host alumni reunion weekends during the first few weeks of the Fall semester in order to provide Alumni with an opportunity to come down to the Lodge, reunite with Brothers and get to know the Undergraduates without having to deal with the hassle and congestion of Homecoming weekend.
We are bringing that tradition back this year and inviting all Alumni down to the new Lodge (located at 606 West Ohio Street in Urbana) for an Alumni Weekend on September 8, 2018.
The Illini will take on the Leathernecks of Western Illinois University under the lights, with kickoff at 6:30 p.m. We anticipate the Undergraduates hosting a pre-game BBQ at the Lodge. After that, Brothers can either socialize at the Lodge, go check out the newly rebuilt Illini Inn or tailgate at Grange Grove (where a Jimmy Buffett cover band will be playing as well).
Lovie Smith just announced that senior transfer A.J. Bush will be the starting quarterback for the Fighting Illini to start the season. Bush started training camp as an unknown, coming from Virginia Tech, but quickly asserted himself as the team’s best quarterback, supplanting Cam Thomas on the first team. Bush is a natural leader in addition to being a talented quarterback. Although he wasn’t officially added to the Illini roster until August 3, he has been spending time with new offensive coordinator Rod Smith every day since June to watch film and learn Smith’s spread offense.
Bush also organized mini-practices with Illini players without any coaching input or oversight. His leadership, preparation and overwhelming enthusiasm have taken teammates and coaches by storm, and are cause for all of us to be just a little excited to watch this team play this year.
For more information or details about the September 8 Alumni Weekend, please contact Cameron Wall at [email protected]
