Episode 54 - Tom Michael

After 12 years as the athletic director at Eastern Illinois University, Tom Michael is back in Champaign as Illinois' new Deputy Director of Athletics. He was EIU's AD when EIU beat Illinois in exhibition basketball in 2017, Brad Underwood's first game as head coach. But before that, Michael was an administrator for Illinois after his standout playing days as a captain for Lou Henson and Illinois basketball, when he set program records that still stand today for career 3-point field goal percentage (.449) and single-season 3-point percentage (.493). And of course, he was a star high school player in Carlyle, Ill. He discusses all of that and more with Scott and Robert from the UI Armory, where he had his first office.

00:00 Intro
04:07 The significance of July 8, leaving early, and field reveals
12:20 I-Lights
18:59 Tom Michael's new job
25:17 High school basketball memories
32:40 Similarities of FCS and EIU to CFP and Illinois
42:06 Memories of the Illinois vs. EIU exhibition game on 11/3/17
45:20 Will Tom's three-point records ever fall?
50:41 The Illinois-Iowa rivalry
56:25 Perspective on Illinois basketball and evolving coaching
1:04:00 The best burger in Clinton county?