2000 Illinois Fighting Illini football team

2000 Illinois Fighting Illini football
Conference	Big Ten Conference
Record	5–6 (2–6 Big Ten)
Head coach	Ron Turner (4th season)
Offensive coordinator	Ron Turner (2nd season)
Defensive coordinator	Tim Kish (4th season)
MVP	Kurt Kittner
Captains	Ray Redziniak Muhammad Abdullah Bobby Jackson Fred Wakefield
Home stadium	Memorial Stadium
Seasons ←  1999 2001  →

2000 Big Ten Conference football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
No. 13 Purdue $+		6	–	2					8	–	4
Northwestern +		6	–	2					8	–	4
No. 11 Michigan +		6	–	2					9	–	3
Ohio State		5	–	3					8	–	4
No. 23 Wisconsin		4	–	4					9	–	4
Minnesota		4	–	4					6	–	6
Penn State		4	–	4					5	–	7
Iowa		3	–	5					3	–	9
Michigan State		2	–	6					5	–	6
Illinois		2	–	6					5	–	6
Indiana		2	–	6					3	–	8
$ – BCS representative as conference champion + – Conference co-champions Rankings from AP Poll

The 2000 Illinois Fighting Illini football team was an American football team that represented the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign as a member of the Big Ten Conference during the 2000 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their fourth year under head coach Ron Turner, the Fighting Illini compiled a 5–6 record (2–6 in conference games), finished in a three-way tie for ninth place in the Big Ten, and outscored opponents by a total of 294 to 286. ^[1]

The team's statistical leaders included quarterback Kurt Kittner (1,982 passing yards), running back Antoineo Harris (772 rushing yards, 42 points scored), and wide receiver Greg Lewis (40 receptions for 544 yards). ^[2]

The team played its home games at Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Illinois.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 2	2:30 pm	Middle Tennessee *	No. 21	Memorial Stadium Champaign, IL		W 35–6	35,032
September 9	9:00 pm	at San Diego State *	No. 21	Qualcomm Stadium San Diego, CA	ESPN2	W 49–13	26,779
September 16	11:00 am	California *	No. 19	Memorial Stadium Champaign, IL	ESPN	W 17–15	50,181
September 23	6:30 pm	No. 10 Michigan	No. 17	Memorial Stadium Champaign, IL (rivalry)	ESPN	L 31–35	72,524
September 30	11:00 am	at Minnesota	No. 22	Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome Minneapolis, MN	ESPN	L 10–44	44,462
October 14	1:00 pm	Iowa		Memorial Stadium Champaign, IL		W 31–0	62,639
October 21	11:00 am	at Penn State		Beaver Stadium University Park, PA	ESPN2	L 25–39	96,475
October 28	11:00 am	at Michigan State		Spartan Stadium East Lansing, MI	ESPN	L 10–14	73,826
November 4	11:00 am	Indiana		Memorial Stadium Champaign, IL (rivalry)	ESPN Plus	W 42–35	54,283
November 11	3:00 pm	No. 13 Ohio State		Memorial Stadium Champaign, IL (Illibuck)	ESPN	L 21–24	61,207
November 18	11:00 am	at No. 23 Northwestern		Ryan Field Evanston, IL (rivalry)	ESPN2	L 23–61	40,658
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Central time

Rankings

See also: 2000 NCAA Division I-A football rankings

Ranking movements
Legend:██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked

	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	Final
AP	21	21	21	19	19	24	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Coaches Poll	21	20	21	19	17	22	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
BCS	Not released									—	—	—	—	—	—	—	Not released

Roster

2000 Illinois Fighting Illini football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class RB 34 Jameel Cook Sr G 64 David Diehl So QB 15 Kurt Kittner Jr WR 17 Greg Lewis So WR 6 Brandon Lloyd So WR 86 Aaron Moorehead So OT 59 Marques Sullivan Sr TE 87 Josh Whitman Sr	Defense Pos. # Name Class DE 99 Fred Wakefield Sr	Special teams Pos. # Name Class LS 51 Nathan Hodel Sr	Head coach Ron Turner Coordinators/assistant coaches Craig Ver Steeg (QB/RC) Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt Roster

References

1. "2000 Illinois Fighting Illini Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved July 24, 2025.
2. "2000 Illinois Fighting Illini Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved July 24, 2025.