For 21 months there had been no Chief. No feathers. No music. No dancing. Students no longer stood up in anticipation to watch the Chief rushing onto the field, and his traditional music never resonated from stadium speakers. But for Chief supporters, Christmas came a bit early.

This year the Students for Chief Illiniwek, a Registered Student Organization, hosted the unofficial return of the Chief for the first time since his retirement.

“While the University of Illinois officially retired the Chief as a symbol of the University in February of 2007, it can never retire the values for which it stands,” said Roberto Martell, president of the RSO, at the event. “This is not the end; it is only the beginning.”

Launching his dancing career in 1926, Chief Illiniwek was the mascot and official symbol of the University. A white student dressed in regalia usually portrayed his performances during halftime of the football, basketball and women’s volleyball matches.

Chief opponents protested during the November event, asserting that the Chief promotes racist stereotypes of Native Americans.

But on Feb. 16, 2007, Lawrence Eppley, chair of the board of trustees, issued a ruling to retire Chief Illiniwek, and five days later the Chief put down his feathers after his last dance at a men’s basketball game. On March 13, 2007, the University board of trustees voted to retiree Illiniwek’s name, image and regalia.

Nearly a year after the Chief had officially been retired, the “Council of Chiefs,” a group of former Chief Illiniwek portrayers, met to select the next portrayer of the Chief.

“We came to a point where we traditionally would have conducted tryouts and asked, well, what are we waiting for?” said Paul Schmitt, president of Students for Chief Illiniwek, in January 2008.

The University will not recognize the Chief as its mascot. However, through a decision handed down by the University’s office of the chancellor, but it will continue to own its trademark and sell Chief products thanks to the Collegiate Licensing Company’s Vault.

What to look for next semester:

Chancellor Richard Herman has insisted that the University will not reinstate the Chief Illiniwek tradition. There have been protests about the Chief, most prominently during his dance at Assembly Hall in November. Keep an eye out to see if Students for Chief Illiniwek continue to hold events, and if the Chief will dance again.