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Robert Holcombe Enters Illinois Hall of Fame, Named Honorary Captain for Purdue

Illini all-time rusher returns to Champaign to be honored with a captaincy and a Hall of Fame induction

Owen Lewis

Robert Holcombe (35), who attended the University of Illinois from 1994-97 and ended his career with the Illini football team as its all-time leading rusher (4,105 yards), was inducted into the school's athletics Hall of Fame on Friday and will serve as the football team's honorary captain for Saturday's home game against Purdue.
Robert Holcombe (35), who attended the University of Illinois from 1994-97 and ended his career with the Illini football team as its all-time leading rusher (4,105 yards), was inducted into the school's athletics Hall of Fame on Friday and will serve as the football team's honorary captain for Saturday's home game against Purdue. / University of Illinois
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Twenty-seven years after he last played for Illinois, Robert Holcombe will return to Champaign for Saturday’s game against Purdue. Turns out that 4,105 career rushing yards as an Illini earns you the status of honorary captain nearly three decades later – plus (not for nothing) induction into the university's athletics Hall of Fame.

On Friday, Holcombe joined the other inductees of the Class of 2024 in a ceremony in their honor.

“Definitely very appreciative to the people here at the University of Illinois,” Holcombe told WCIA 3 Sports.

“The University has meant a lot to me, and I can’t say enough about them.”

After four years at Illinois, during which he set new school records in career rushing yards and 100-yard rushing games (16), Holcombe played seven seasons in the NFL. He was the starting fullback for the Super Bowl-winning St. Louis Rams in 1999 and also had stints with the Tennessee Titans and Kansas City Chiefs.

Holcombe, 49, also brings an analytical eye. In 2020, he joined the staff of the Florence High School football team as freshman head coach, returning to the state of Arizona after attending high school there himself.

Holcombe has fond memories of his time at Illinois, as he described in a 2023 YouTube interview: “I met some of my best friends, I met my wife, so I walked away from Champaign with a lot of good things."

The Illini figure to give Holcombe a few more memories – and maybe a win – on Saturday.

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Owen Lewis
OWEN LEWIS

Owen is a former Defector intern and an editor at BoxingScene. He writes about sports and various other things.

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