1999 rolled around, and I was just about done with Illinois football.
I hadn't seen good football in almost a decade (including Ron Turner's first 0-fer season) and the most recent teams hadn't instilled me with a lot of confidence going forward.
So 1999 starts, and I'm feeling OK about this team. The defense hadn't meshed quite yet, but the offense seemed plenty capable in the hands of Kurt Kittner and Walter Young. Then we lost three in a row, including Homecoming against Minnesota in what can only be described as a dud for Illini fans.
‘Here we go again’ was what my 14-year-old brain thought.