CHICAGO _ Since hired as the Illinois coach in March, Lovie Smith has been on a campaign to help sell the program to fans and re-engage Illini fans who became disillusioned over the years of losing seasons.
"You are an ambassador for the university. And why wouldn't you want to be?" said Smith, the former Bears and Buccaneers coach, Tuesday at Big Ten media day in Chicago. "It has a lot to offer. ... Every function we've been to _ and we've been through a lot _ have been that way. It's the same message from our players: 'Coach, what do we need to do?' For our fans, the message is, 'Come back.'
"There's nothing like student excitement in Memorial Stadium. We need their energy in the stadium wearing orange and blue. University of Illinois bumper stickers. Whatever it is, let people know who you believe in. Don't worry about what's happened in the past. It's about today."
Illinois fans are eager to move on from the past. It includes not winning more than four Big Ten games in a season since the 2007 Rose Bowl season, allegations of player mistreatment by coach Tim Beckman that ultimately led to his firing, and trying to rebuild from a 5-7 overall, 2-6 Big Ten season.
Smith passed the test at Big Ten media by presenting a solid message unlike Beckman, who notoriously flubbed the event by coming up with unusual analogies and annually giving his mom a birthday shout out.
Bringing respectability to the program is just one important goal for the Illini. More of that will come with victories.
"(When) you never lost a game at a place, normally it's pretty positive," Smith said.
Smith has made some interesting decisions early on, including nixing the annual preseason camp in Rantoul to stay on campus. He's noted that he does not feel out of his element since being out of college coaching for more than 20 years, but he noted he watched running back Ke'Shawn Vaughn's high school film to help him identify superb high school talent while recruiting.
Smith praised quarterback Wes Lunt, Vaughn and defensive end Dawuane Smoot, who represented the Illini at the annual event in Chicago.
Smith noted that Lunt brings stability to the offense. "You want a stable voice," Smith said. "You want a consistent player, a guy who's been through it. It's your last year. It's like the fourth quarter. You want to do it now. I was excited about Wes before I got here. I'm looking forward to being around him a lot more. He is a leader."
So far, that's how Smith is being viewed around Champaign, Ill.
"This is a new era for our athletic program," athletic director Josh Whitman said. "We want them to be positive. We want them to be confident. We talk a lot about the 'We Will Win' idea. It implies we are done hoping, we are done aspiring, we are done wanting. We are in a phase now where we are going to start doing."
