FOOTBALL • 1953-54

J.C. Caroline played just two seasons of football for the Fighting Illini, but led the nation and set the Big Ten record in rushing with 1,256 yards as a sophomore in 1953. He earned consensus All-America and First-Team All-Big Ten honors in 1953 while leading the Fighting Illini to a share of the Big Ten title. Caroline finished seventh in voting for the Heisman Trophy in 1953. After battling through injuries as a junior in 1954, he went on to the Canadian Football League before a 10-year career as a defensive back with the Chicago Bears from 1956-65 and joining the Illinois coaching staff as an assistant from 1967-76. Caroline was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1980. Caroline died in 2017 at the age of 84.