Background
Chief Illiniwek and the Chief Illiniwek logo—a stylized front view of an American Indian face and headdress—are trademarks of the University of Illinois. Licensed use of the logo by the university has been increasingly restrictive as a result of the ongoing controversy. Chief Illiniwek is not based on an actual American Indian chief, nor did a historical figure with this name ever exist.
Since he performed many of the functions of other schools’ mascots, Chief Illiniwek is generally referred to as the university’s mascot. The use of Chief Illiniwek predates the use of mascots in most sports teams and he was never on the sidelines with the cheerleaders during games, as is typical for university sports mascots. In recent years he did not perform at road games, although this practice was initiated because other Big Ten universities would not permit the character to perform at their home games, citing him as offensive.
During sporting events, the Chief was portrayed by a student selected via audition and wearing traditional Lakota (Sioux) regalia sold to the University marching band by Chief Frank Fools Crow. The portrayal also included a dance of unknown origins, possibly adapted from early 20th century fancy dancing via the Boy Scouts (see History, below). His dance corresponded to the music and lyrics of the "Three in One" performed by the university band, which is an arrangement of three original songs entitled "The March of the Illini", "Hail to the Orange", and "Pride of the Illini". The Chief performed only at major sporting events hosted by the university. The stated intent of the Chief was to celebrate the Native American heritage of the state of Illinois.
Chief Illiniwek's final official appearance was at an Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball game on February 21, 2007. The Chief received a long standing ovation, and his departure was described by many in attendance as a very sad day for some Illini fans. In protest and mourning, hundreds of students donned black shirts for the second half of the game. The student portraying the Chief, Dan Maloney, strayed from tradition to return to center court and acknowledge the fans.
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