01/30/2018 - Chief Illiniwek was the official mascot of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign but was retired in 2007 after controversy involving the NCAA and several Native American groups
Mascot News
01/29/2018 - The Cleveland Indians will phase out the Chief Wahoo logo. But other teams continue to face controversy for the use of Native American imagery that is considered racist by many.
02/23/2016 - The Navajo Nation has filed a brief in support of upholding the cancellation of the Washington Redskins trademark held by Pro-Football Inc.
02/18/2016 - Chief Illiniwek was banned by the NCAA in 2007 -- but people attending the university's sporting events might be forgiven for not knowing this.
11/01/2015 - The chief local critic of many Illini fans' most cherished symbol says it's not enough that Chief Illiniwek has been banished.
10/28/2014 - Members of a fraternity are expected to meet soon with University of Illinois officials following its posting of a sign that depicted a knife-wielding American Indian posed over a gopher.
05/07/2013 - The head of the Peoria tribe says he doesn't support a proposal from former Chief Illiniwek portrayers to bring back the Chief.
01/01/2010 - A timeline to the vandalism of the "Beyond the Chief" exhibit
10/16/2009 - American Indian Studies and the Native American House joined a National Congress of American Indian (NCAI)-Tribal Amicus Brief that was filed Friday, October 16, 2009.
05/20/2009 - On May 20, 2009, three items from the Beyond the Chief art exhibit, created by Cheyenne-Arapaho artistEdgar Heap of Birds, were vandalized for the fifth time.
01/18/2007 - On January 17, 2007, the Oglala Sioux Tribal Nation submitted a resolution to UIUC demanding the return of the Lakota regalia used in the portrayal of the school's mascot.
03/30/2006 - Programs commend the NCAA for its commitment to "promote an atmosphere of respect for and sensitivity to the dignity of every person."
02/03/2006 - Programs are disappointed by Illinois' Board of Trustees' decision to file a second appeal that rejects the NCAA ruling concerning the mascot, 'chief illiniwek.'
05/05/2005 - Response to the NCAA’s request to perform an "Institutional Self Evaluation Examining the Use of American Indian Mascots, Nicknames and Logos" is no response at all
03/17/2005 - Dr. Joseph Gone (Gros Ventre), a graduate of UIUC, recounted his first-hand experience in the collective efforts of local Native American activists to retire the mascot
