URBANA — Yes, linebacker is an important position at Illinois. Don't believe it? Check out the school's career tackles list.
The top seven players are all linebackers, led by College Football Hall of Famer Dana Howard, who had a ridiculous 595 tackles with the Illini in the early 1990s.
Unless they change the way tackles are counted, Howard's record is safe, well, forever.
The Illini tackles chart includes stars John Sullivan, Darrick Brownlow, John Holecek and J Leman. The ninth guy on the list — Dick Butkus — is considered the best to ever play the position.