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Illinois has reportedly retired ‘War Chant’

Dustin Schutte

By Dustin Schutte

Published:

The famous “War Chant” that the Illinois band blared during football games over the years has officially been retired, according to reports.

Jeremy Werner of the Illini Inquirer tweeted the news on Friday morning:

According to Werner, phasing out the “War Chant” has been a slow and long process for Illinois administration, with it actually making fewer appearances during game days. He also reported that the university wanted to be as inclusive as possible and that the chant did not add much to the football experience.

The “War Chant” joins retirement with Chief Illiniwek, who was officially retired as the school’s mascot in 2007. There are no plans to bring the mascot back to represent the Illini.

Dustin Schutte

Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB