The University of Illinois is all about traditions.

Apart from a few exceptions, Illinois football has traditionally been bad. Cheers such as “I-L-L,” “I-N-I” have been around for as long as some can remember.

Chief Illiniwek has been performing during halftime for 80 years.

Lincoln Hall still seems to sport the same paint as it did when it was originally built.

And Jim Sheppard has been the football and basketball public announcer for 22-years worth of Illinois students.

But that tradition will come to an end next year.

On Dec. 7, Illinois’ Division of Intercollegiate Athletics informed Sheppard that they will “go in a different direction” after next year’s football season and Sheppard’s 22-year run will end.

More than a month later, no one seems to know what “go in a different direction” means, except for assistant athletics director Kent Brown and the athletic public relations department.

The Department of Intercollegiate Athletics, though, has officially started its campaign to replace Sheppard, a long-time Illinois fan who has seen the likes of four basketball coaches and five football coaches since he started in the spring of 1985.

Brown said it will be a long process to replace a PA announcer that has seemingly made a big connection with Illinois fans.

It may be possible to fill the position – in a relatively short amount of time, too – but whoever replaces Sheppard certainly will have big shoes to fill.

His voice is synonymous with the Orange and Blue in the same way Ray Clay was with the Chicago Bulls in the mid-90’s. Although nearly every sports fan in the state of Illinois would recognize both men’s voices, few actually know either of their names.

“Over the years, I do think Illini fans have connected with me,” Sheppard said.

His “First and ten for the Illini!” calls kept fans awake the last four years when exciting plays and highlights were few and far between at Memorial Stadium. In fact, first and ten was the highlight.

Sheppard’s influence has stretched to Champaign economics where one of his most trendy sayings, “Deee for Threee!” was made into a popular t-shirt.

Sheppard always seems to pump up a less than energized Assembly Hall crowd at the beginning of each game with his “Are You Ready? It’s time for Fighting Illini basketball,” call seconds before tip-off.

But few know the actual origins of that popular phrase. Because Sheppard had the rare chance to get exceedingly close to the action, Sergio McClain mouthed “are you ready?” to Sheppard one game. The saying stuck.

It’s easy to see why fans have made a connection with Sheppard. While many PA announcers are domineering or hard to listen to, drawing more attention to themselves than they should, Sheppard has been an easy and enjoyable voice.

He also made one of his most memorable blunders when the Illini faced the Duke Blue Devils in 1994 in the United Center’s first college basketball game.

Billy Packer and Jim Nantz called the game for CBS on national television and in the opening announcements, Sheppard called Duke the “Bluke Devils.”

“I can’t describe how I felt,” Sheppard said. “Of course the game had to be on coast to coast. I’ve taken a lot of ripping for that.”

It’s hard not to like this guy. He’s practically been the voice of the Illini for longer than most of Illinois’ undergraduates have been alive and he mistakenly made fun of Duke on one of his only slip-ups.

That’s reason enough to allow Sheppard to keep his job.

Although his work as public address announcer is on a part-time basis only and he never actually attended the university, Sheppard still promotes Illinois athletics all the same.

His answering machine even ends with “Go Illini!”

Through his 22 seasons, he has seen two Final Four teams and nine bowl games.

“There’s been so many great games,” Sheppard said, “But for some reason I always remember a basketball game in 1987 when we beat Indiana. They had Steve Alford and went on to win the NCAA Championship. We were the last team to beat Indiana that year. That was Bobby Knight’s last NCAA Championship.”

One might think that Sheppard would be able to choose when he left his job after 22 loyal years, but that was far from the case.

Although some are bitter after getting fired, Sheppard holds no grudges, staying true to his team and his background.

“I’m still a fan at heart,” Sheppard said. “I’ll continue to support the Illini. I grew up an Illini fan and I’ll always be a fan.”

Troy Murray is a junior in Communications. He can be reached at [email protected].