<Li> CRCE--Intramural sports </Li> <Li> University of Illinois Ice Arena--Men's and women's club hockey, Synchronized skating </Li> <P> The University of Illinois official team nickname is the Fighting Illini . The earliest reference of Illini appears to be mentioned in January 1874, when the campus weekly newspaper changed its name from The Student to The Illini . An editorial in the first edition of the renamed newspaper indicated that Illini was a new term . During the late 19th century and beginning of the 20th century, it was used to refer to the students, faculty, staff, and alumni of the University, as well as to the campus as a whole . </P> <P> The term Illini referring to the universities athletic teams seems to come from secondhand accounts of the athletic teams . The earliest reference in the Illio yearbook appears to be one mention in the summary of the 1907 football season . The term was more widely used in the 1910s especially during the 1914, 1915, and 1916 football seasons . The Daily Illini and football programs prior to these dates do not extensively cite the term and also used the terms "Indians," "our men," "Orange and Blue," and the "homecomers". </P>

Where did the name fighting illini come from