Today is former Illini quarterback Charles Carroll "Tony" Eason's 58th birthday.
Illinois's Most Valuable Player in each of his two seasons, he broke nearly every passing mark in UI's record book.
As a junior in 1981, Eason connected on 61.1 percent of his passes for 3,360 yards and 20 touchdowns. He tossed for more than 300 yards seven times, earning first-team All-Big Ten honors.
Eason sparkled again during his final season in '82, adding 3,248 yards and 17 TDs to his statistics, and repeating as the conference's top QB.
His 6,608 career passing yards nearly doubled Illinois' previous record and his 37 career touchdowns were 16 more than the previous Illini mark.