No. 1 Kurt Kittner
It was difficult to determine the best Illinois football quarterback of all time. There are a few great ones who could have donned the No. 1 spot. I believe that Kurt Kittner deserves the top spot on this list.
Coming out of Schaumberg High School in Illinois, Kittner was a die-hard Illinois commit through and through. While pledged to the Orange and Blue, the Illini went 0-11 in 1997. Kittner remained committed and would suit up for the program in 1998.
Illinois went from the bottom of the barrel nationally to a solid team in the late 1990s and early 2000s. In 1999, the first full year Kittner was behind center and two years after going 0-11, the Illini finished 7-4 in the regular season and won the MicronPC.com Bowl over Virginia, 63-21.
The following season was a bit of a letdown, but in 2001, Illinois came storming back led by Kittner. The Illini didn’t start the season ranked, but a win over No. 25 Louisville got us into the top 25. That season, Illinois only lost one game in the regular season, and it was at No. 17 Michigan. We went 10-1 overall and won the Big Ten with a conference record of 7-1.
Kittner’s great performances helped Illinois get into the Sugar Bowl. We were competitive against LSU but fell just short of Nick Saban and the Tigers.
For his career, Kittner threw for 8,722 yards, 70 touchdowns, and 34 interceptions. Kittner had 27 touchdown passes in 2001 and 70 career touchdown passes, both of which are No. 1 in the history of the Illinois program. His 8,722 yards through the air is only second all-time in Illinois history, just three yards short of Jack Trudeau.
You will find Kittner’s name all over the Illinois record book as well. I think what puts him over the top is the fact Illinois was in such a bad spot when Kittner joined the program. Going 0-11 and then coming in and leading the program to two bowl games, one of which was a BCS Bowl, and a Big Ten title is something special. That is why Kittner is the best Illinois quarterback of all time.