On this date 57 years ago — October 14, 1961— Illini senior linebacker Tony Parrilli recorded 22 tackles, but he and his team fell by a score of 44-0 to host Ohio State in both team's Big Ten season opener at Columbus. The Buckeyes went on to an 8-0-1 record and finished second in the national rankings.
Parrilli, a 5-11, 217-pound graduate of Proviso East High School, performed so spectacularly in his final collegiate season that his teammates selected him as the team's Most Valuable Player. United Press International additionally selected him to its 1961 first-team All-Big Ten squad and as an honorable mention member of its All-America unit.