No. 2 Jack Trudeau
There have been a handful of Illinois quarterbacks who have put up some big numbers throughout the history of the program, and Jack Trudeau goes down as one of the most prolific passers to come through Champaign.
Coming out of Granada High School in California, Trudeau was wanted by many big-time programs. Illinois recruited the talented gunslinger, and we ended up winning out.
Trudeau spent four seasons at Illinois, and his final three campaigns he had a chance to shine. In 1983, Illinois went 10-2 overall and a perfect 9-0 in the Big Ten under Trudeau’s leadership. We won the conference and made the Rose Bowl only to fall short to UCLA.
Illinois would have played in a bowl game in 1984 after going 7-4 overall, but once again, we had a postseason ban due to recruiting. In 1985, Illinois looked good again with Trudeau leading the way. We finished 6-5-1 that year and lost in the Peach Bowl against Army.
For his career, Trudeau threw for 8,725 yards, 51 touchdowns, and 38 interceptions. His 8,725 yards are the most career passing yards by an Illinois quarterback in program history. He also has a litany of other Illinois passing records.
On top of the historic numbers, Trudeau led Illinois to three straight winning seasons, a Rose Bowl appearance, a Big Ten title, and what would have been three straight bowl games if it wasn’t for sanctions. Historically, there is an argument Trudeau should be No. 1, but for now, I have him No. 2 on this list.