Illini football coach Tim Beckman and crew will be looking to stump Big Ten rivals Michigan State on homecoming weekend, and they are looking to the students to bring the necessary support and motivation to get the job done.

Thousands of University students, alumni and fans will flock to the Quad on Friday before the homecoming game to attend the pep rally, hosted by the University of Illinois Alumni Association.

The rally, which will be held at 7 p.m. after the homecoming parade, will feature the Marching Illini, this year’s homecoming court and an appearance by Coach Beckman and the football team. There will also be comeback guests and recipients of the University of Illinois Alumni Association’s Lou Liay Spirit Award. These guests include industrial design pioneer Jeff D. Brewslow; highly decorated military man Colonel Michael S. McBride; and successful businesswoman and president and CEO of advertising firm Energy BBDO, Tonise Paul.

“It’s just important in general to stay connected with alumni in every opportunity we have to be able to invite them back to campus,” said Lynn Chaney, associate director of alumni relations at the alumni association “The (pep rally) has been such a significant part of the homecoming celebration.”

The pep rally has been a staple of homecoming festivities since the University’s storied homecoming inception in 1910.

“The pep rally is probably, along with the parade, the oldest tradition of Homecoming, and Illinois has one of the longest histories of homecoming. It’s kind of a foundation of homecoming,” Chaney said.

Chaney sees Illini fans as the encouragement and motivational support for the Illini to excel. This makes them a critical component to the players’ performance, she said.

“I think that when someone likes what you’re doing and someone supports something that you do, the players work harder,” Chaney said.

Eliseo can be reached at [email protected].