Illinois President Michael Hogan’s football game day begins at the alumni center, featuring pregame celebrations with alumni, donors, administrators and other members of the Illini community. This year, Hogan says he’s started a new tradition of inviting the cheerleaders and a segment of the marching band. “We take it up a notch.”

First-year athletic director Mike Thomas provides a breakdown of the upcoming matchup against Arizona State and offers his predictions for the outcome.

Then it’s on to the suites high up in the west side of Memorial Stadium, where Hogan spends time speaking with guests and “box-hopping.”

Once halftime rolls around, Hogan makes his way to the stands to visit with students for what he calls his favorite part of the game.

The president enters the north end zone amid cheers of “Let’s go Hogan” from members of Block I and jumps in the middle of a group of paint-clad students with “I-L-L-I-N-I” written across their chests, joining in singing along with the Three-In-One.

He then makes his way up and down the north end zone stairs, stopping every few rows to shake hands and bump fists with dozens of students, correcting his name along the way: “Don’t call me ‘sir.’ Call me ‘Mike.’”

He stops again to participate in Block-I’s halftime card stunts, albeit a card behind at times.

On his way back down to the field as the third quarter begins, several fans call out to the president from Block-I, and he returns to the stands for another few minutes. “I have to go see my friends from last week.”

Well into the third quarter and beyond his initial plans of just spending halftime with the students, Hogan leaves Block-I, but not before stealing a fry from a student in the front row on the way out. He then takes photos with the Marching Illini and compliments the Illinettes on their performance, pausing only to comment on a 29-yard punt by freshman Justin DuVernois. When Hogan reaches the field near the conductor’s tower, he shouts, “I’m coming up there,” before climbing the stairs to speak with new Marching Illini assistant director, Barry Houser.

At the end of his extended halftime visit, Hogan’s wave on the way out is greeted with cheers from students, and he hesitates for a few moments in the northwest corner of the end zone to watch a play before heading back to the suites.

“I’m nervous about this game,” he says, with the Illini just three points ahead of nationally ranked Arizona State.

Hogan is a true Illini football fan. His busy schedule just doesn’t always allow him to see much of the action on the field.

“Maybe I’ll see 15 minutes of the game and little snippets here and there,” Hogan said Saturday. “I love football so I really miss seeing it, but I’ve got other things to do and that’s that.”

Hogan said it’s “hard not to love Illini football,” but enjoys other athletic events just as much and tries to get out to as many as his busy schedule permits.

“I’m actually a big sports fan,” he said. “If I had enough time, that’s about all I would do is hop from game to game.”

Jay Libowitz, senior in Business and president of Illini Pride, said it’s good to see the university president interact with students at the various sporting events.

“It’s always great to have obviously the top official make his presence known and kind of not act like a celebrity and get out and meet the students of the university,” Libowitz said.

Thomas said, from an athletic director’s standpoint, he appreciates Hogan’s involvement in athletics.

“He’s a fan and he’s committed to winning. … Certainly coming from someone who not only is the leader of the system, but also knowing what a busy schedule he has, he’s obviously making it a priority to do those type of things,” Thomas said.

In addition to being a spectator sports fan, Hogan played football and ran track at Columbus high school in Waterloo, Iowa, and said he was much better on the track than on the gridiron.

“We lost every game I played in, actually, usually by quite a bit,” he said. “But in spite of that, I set some personal bests that have lasted to this day. I am still the slowest, smallest guy to ever play halfback in high school in Iowa. And those are records I’m very proud of. I don’t think they’ll ever be broken.”

While the president said his football skills left a lot to be desired, it would be more difficult to say that of the current Illini, who advanced to 3-0 on the season Saturday with a win over the Sun Devils.

“I think we’re going to do pretty well,” Hogan said. “We’ve got eight home games, we’ve got a team that can play, I think, and so I’m hoping that we’re going to do very, very well. I’m counting on it as a matter of fact.”