Whenever Illinois football hosts a game at Gies Memorial Stadium, Grange Grove comes alive with fans from near and far. Rows of tents line the field, speakers blast all genres of music and the aroma of food wafts from smoking grills.
Even before kickoff, fans gear up for their own event: tailgating.
Ryan Salamon, Block I vice president and senior in LAS, has tailgated throughout his four years at the University. Since his sophomore year, he said he’s attended every Block I tailgate, located in the northeast corner of Grange Grove.
“Tailgating means a lot to me,” Salamon said. “It is more than getting ready for kickoff. To me, tailgating is about spending quality time with people who are special to you … Sometimes, the tailgate can be going so well that you do not want to leave and head in for the game.”
Block I is one of several student spirit organizations at the University and hosts tailgates before each home game. Salamon said the group usually tailgates for around three hours before doors open. However, 11 a.m. kickoff times can change the schedule.
Even Grange Grove has experienced setup changes, with Big Noon Kickoff stopping in Champaign for the first — and second — time this season. Audrey Feagans, junior in Social Work, said the Homcoming tailgate — when Illinois faced off against USC — was one of her favorites.
“The atmosphere was incredible,” Feagans said. “Everyone was so excited, and it was really cool to witness the whole broadcast in person.”
Dino Seferović, Block I member and junior in FAA, also pointed to the Homecoming tailgate as his most memorable experience.
“I put on face paint, and I made a sign that made it on Barstool U’s Instagram,” Seferović said. “Despite the early start time, I really enjoyed the energy and atmosphere that the Illini fans brought, and it kept me going.”
The tailgating atmosphere dates back to ancient Greece and Rome, where fall harvest celebrations consisted of community, music and refreshments as a final feast before winter’s arrival. Tailgating evolved in the ’50s, with the mass production of portable grills and plastic coolers, and further expanded in the ’70s, with the growth of stadium parking lots.
Research by Kyle Townsend, a professor at Georgia State University, found that 35% of people won’t actually enter the stadium, instead opting for “the tailgate and the community around it.”
Tailgating at the University is a tradition that welcomes fans of all ages, and for some current Illini, the experience started before they even set foot in college.
Salamon said his very first Illinois tailgate was in 2016 when the team went head-to-head with Purdue. His family had received tickets from his dad’s boss, whom Salamon described as a “lifelong Illinois football fan.” They set up their tailgate in the grass lots near the baseball field.
“It was not an all-out tailgate that you see alumni doing today, but the experience was incredible,” Salamon said. “I did not know anything about college football up to that point, but the experiences I had with family at this tailgate were memorable. Even the people around our tailgate were friendly, offering us food and drinks. To me, this experience sums up what tailgating is like at Illinois.”
What began as a childhood memory for Salamon has become a routine in his college life — an experience that continues to bring students, alumni and families together before every home game.
Although the 2025 Illinois football season is already more than halfway through, three home games remain against Rutgers, Maryland and Northwestern, meaning fans still have three more opportunities to experience a tailgate this year.
