Illini
Interim Urbana Chancellor Barbara Wilson announces that Athletic Director Mike Thomas has been fired.
Senait Gebregiorgis/Illinois Public Media

U of I Athletic Director Mike Thomas Fired

The University of Illinois has fired Athletic Director Mike Thomas. Barbara Wilson, the Interim Chancellor on the Urbana campus, said in a Monday morning news conference that a change in leadership was necessary. She said that "distractions" led to the decision after a law firm's findings brought on the firing of former football coach Tim Beckman at the start of the season. 

Illinois head coach Tim Beckman shouts at the referees during a game against Minnesota at Memorial Stadium.
(AP Photo/Bradley Leeb)

The Changing Culture Of College Sports

Tim Beckman's firing is just the latest crisis to affect University of Illinois athletics. The university faces lawsuits and allegations of mistreatment in two other sports on the Urbana campus. Murray Sperber teaches in the Cultural Studies of Sport in Education program at U-C Berkley. In this encore report, he tells Illinois Public Media's Scott Cameron that going public with complaints of abuse are often a first step toward changing the culture of big time college sports..

An illustration of the new basketball court featuring images of Henson's traditional orange blazer and a pair of wings that will represent the 1989 Flyin' Illini team on both ends of the court

U Of I Announces Lou Henson Court At State Farm Center

The University of Illinois will name the new court at the State Farm Center after longtime Illini coach Lou Henson. The university announced the move Monday, saying the Lou Henson Court will bear the 83-year-old former coach's signature.

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