On May 14, the United States Supreme Court nullified a 1992 federal law that barred individual states for deciding for themselves whether to allow wagering on athletic events. If the old idiom was accurate, it was a day the University of Illinois's "Father of Athletics" George Huff rolled over in his grave.
L. M. "Mike" Tobin, UI's publicity director during Huff's reign as athletics director, chronicled his boss' efforts in a series of notes he wrote to preserve Illini history.
Just a month after the infamous "Black Sox Scandal" at the 1919 World Series, Huff personally witnessed the wagering frenzy when the Illini football team traveled to Columbus for its Nov.