CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — For Illinois fans, some teams become family. The 2004–05 Illini did that by winning together, playing with joy and capturing the hearts of fans who still talk about them two decades later.
This weekend, that family came home.
The Return
Before Illinois football’s opener Friday night, Memorial Stadium erupted as the core five from the 2004–05 Illini returned to the field. Deron Williams, Dee Brown, Luther Head, James Augustine and Roger Powell all made the trip back, greeted by a roar that showed
how much that group still means in Champaign.
The celebration stretched beyond the game, with the team joining fans at Grange Grove, sounding the air raid siren, touring the renovated Ubben facility and closing the weekend with a Saturday luncheon honoring their back-to-back Big Ten titles.
Still Stings, Still Special
Ask Deron Williams, and he’ll tell you that not even being a top-10 NBA pick matched the pure fun of his Champaign years.
“These are some of the funnest years of my life,” Williams told reporters before the Illini football game. “The friendships, the camaraderie we had here … it’s hard to top those years.”
Brown kept it simple:
“Win at Illinois, and you become a rock star.”
Powell, now Valpo’s head coach, reflected on why fans still care:
“We all stuck together, and we did something special. If you grind together and win, fans appreciate you. That’s what we did.”
The reunion also reopened old wounds.
Augustine admitted he’s never re-watched the national championship loss to North Carolina. Weber even shared a fan letter that came with a photo of a toilet, the refs’ names engraved on a plaque.
Two decades later, the emotions still feel raw. But that’s why this team resonates. Fans remember the iconic record, sure. What they’ll never forget is the heart: the rally past Arizona, the national spotlight and the way Illinois basketball captured the country’s attention.
Then and Now
Brad Underwood watched from the sideline Friday and couldn’t help but draw a line from the past to today.
“Greatness is back,” Underwood said. “They formed a bond that was so special. That’s forever teammate stuff.”
Williams also noted how much the sport has changed in the NIL era.
“Some of these guys now are making more than I did in my rookie season,” he said.
Different times, same love.
Twenty years later, that team’s impact is still felt. The ovation inside Memorial Stadium showed how much Illini fans cherish what the 2004–05 squad accomplished and how their legacy still connects across generations.
Because for Illini fans, that squad will always be the standard. Champions or not, their run is etched into program history.
