Thirty-nine years ago today, at the 58th annual men's basketball Banquet, junior forward Eddie Johnson was named Most Valuable Player of the Illini.
Of the 39 players who preceded him as MVPs, he was only the 15th underclassman to be honored. Johnson's 610 points during the 1979-80 campaign were the second highest ever by an Illinois player and his 310 rebounds were third highest. He was a repeat MVP the following season (1980-81) as a senior.
Other trivia about Illini men's basketball MVPs:
UI's first official basketball MVP was senior Bob Richmond in 1941.
Seniors James Griffin and Perry Range were the first to share the award (1982).