Thirty-three years ago today —June 24, 1985— longtime University of Illinois faculty representative Leslie Bryan died at the age of 85. From 1959-68, he represented the university and its faculty in the UI's relationships with the NCAA and the Big Ten, and also chaired UI's Athletic Council, the faculty's voice on issues of academic policy related to student-athletes.
In November of 1966, Bryan was called upon to fill in as Illinois' interim Director of Athletics when Doug Mills was forced to give up his post due to the Big Ten investigation known as the "Slush Fund." Bryan yielded the interim A.