Five True Facts about … Southern Illinois football
Matt Marton, AP Photo
Southern Illinois head football coach Nick Hill, right, celebrates against Northwestern, during the second half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 17, 2022, in Evanston, Ill.Each week the Daily Herald will provide five true facts about BYU’s latest football opponent for your enjoyment. This week, Southern Illinois University.
One
Southern Illinois University is in Carbondale, Ill., and was founded in 1869.
Two
Southern Illinois won the Division I-AA national championship in 1983, finishing with a 13-1 record. The Salukis won their three playoff games by an average of 23 points, capped by a 43-7 thrashing of Western Carolina for the title.
Three
Famous SIU alumni include former NBA star Walt Frazier, former major league All-Stars Dave Stieb and Steve Finley, actors Bob Odenkirk, Jim Belushi, Dennis Franz and Richard Roundtree and actresses Jenny and Melissa McCarthy.
Four
The Southern Illinois region is informally known as “Little Egypt,” hence the adoption of the Saluki (an Egyptian hunting dog) as the school mascot. The school athletic teams were known as the “Maroons” (their colors are maroon and white) until 1951, when “Salukis” won in a student body vote over Rebels, Knights, Flyers, Marauders and Maroons.
Five
King Tut was the school’s first live Saluki mascot. He died in an accident after being struck by a car in 1954. A concrete pyramid was placed in his honor at McAndrew Stadium. The marker was moved to its current spot outside Saluki Stadium in 2010. Before each home game, the Salukis walk from their locker room and pat Tut’s marker for good luck.
