No. 30 Jack Trudeau
There have been some gunslingers who have donned the Orange and Blue. Some of these great quarterbacks have put up numbers while with the Illini. Jack Trudeau’s talent is up there with the best of the best to come through the program.
Trudeau is one of the best passers that Illinois has ever had. His abilities landed him on multiple record lists for the Illini. During his career, Trudeau threw for 8,725 yards, which currently ranks No. 1 all-time in the history of the program. His 1985 season, in which he threw for 3,339 yards, ranks No. 3 all-time in single-season passing yardage.
There were a lot of touchdowns thrown in Trudeau’s career as well. He currently ranks No. 3 all-time in career touchdown passes with 55 touchdowns in the four years he was with the program. The 1983 campaign was his best in the touchdown department, as Trudeau threw for 19 touchdowns, which ranks No. 8 all-time for single-season touchdown passes.
Trudeau was the quarterback for some great Illini teams as well. He helped lead Illinois to the 1984 Rose Bowl against UCLA. While the result wasn’t good, the team was still able to get there. The Illini then made the 1985 Peach Bowl.
Overall, Trudeau put up some big numbers while with the Orange and Blue. He was a big part of the Illini's success, getting to two bowl games, one of which was the Rose Bowl. He was one of the best to ever do it.