Hello Redbird Nation! The 2021-22 school year has begun, and our teams are thrilled to be doing what they love and competing in front of fans again. We had a standing room only crowd for Family Weekend football, anticipate the same turnout for the Homecoming football game, and our numbers at volleyball, cross country and soccer have been tremendous. The energy at our games has been amazing and our student-athletes are invigorated by all of your support. Your energy, passion and enthusiasm are contagious for our student-athletes and puts us in a position to win. Thank you from all of us here in Redbird Athletics!
It will be a busy year, but there are a few highlights I wanted to share that I am excited about. Â First, we are currently in a yearlong celebration of the 50th anniversary of the passing of Title IX legislation. Our celebration kicked off by placing the banner of former volleyball head coach and athletics administrator, Dr. Linda Herman, in the rafters of Redbird Arena. Â It was a special night where we not only celebrated her many achievements, but also the impact she and Title IX have had on generations of young women to inspire and prepare future leaders. Â We are so proud of Linda and all she has done. We look forward to highlighting the history of women's athletics at Illinois State by capping off our year of celebration with a dinner in June (more details to come). Â
We are also celebrating our University's 100th Homecoming and 125th Football season this year. Our Office of Alumni Engagement led Homecoming is the best in the country and we are excited to have soccer, volleyball, men's and women's basketball and football all home for events that week. We have many special events planned, including the Illinois State Athletics Percy Family Hall of Fame breakfast where we will welcome our new hall of fame class including legendary broadcaster Dan Roan, football standout Stafford Davis, track and field star Sade Sealy, soccer great Rachel Tejada, volleyball standout Andi (Hardwick) Vogel and baseball stalwart Todd Schroeder. We also celebrated head coach Brock Spack becoming the all-time winningest football coach in ISU history, when the team beat Eastern Illinois to keep the Mid-America Classic trophy earlier this season.Â
This past month, we welcomed Chrishaya Dixon as our new Assistant A.D. for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. Â She is in the process of building relationships with our student-athletes and will be instrumental in guiding our student-led Redbirds 4 Change committee, which gives our student-athletes an opportunity to work toward meaningful change in athletics, on campus and in the community. Â We look forward to working side-by-side with Chrishaya to support all our student-athletes and strengthening a climate of inclusivity.
In addition to these celebrations and changes, we are excited to host the Missouri Valley Conference Cross Country and Volleyball Championships this fall. Â This is a point of pride to be selected, as our facilities and event staffs diligently work to provide the best game day experience in the league. Â We look forward to seeing all of you supporting our teams at the championships for Cross Country on October 30 and Volleyball from November 25-27.Â
Finally, we have made much progress on fundraising over the past year and since July have raised nearly a million dollars in gifts and commitments to kick off the new fiscal year. Â As you know, we have many projects in the works such as a new track and locker room for our track and field program, a new pitching and hitting building for baseball and we continue explore the possibility of an Indoor Practice Facility. Â We are so grateful to all of you for your support for these projects and we couldn't have this success without all of your help.
In closing, 2021-22 is off to a great start and we look forward to another year of success and celebration. Â We truly appreciate all your support and are thrilled to be playing games in front of our fans again. Â Go Redbirds!
Kyle Brennan
Director of Athletics
