On Monday, Jan. 5, Illinois State University went toe-to-toe with Montana State for the National Championship of the FCS (Football Championship Series).

It was an extremely close game coming down to overtime, where Montana State prevailed.

However, even though ISU lost the battle, they had an amazing season where the effects of their success will help the Bloomington-Normal community for years to come.

Illinois State had one of its best seasons in program history, ending with a positive record and a trip to the national championship.

ISU started with a loss at Oklahoma, which made the FBS college football playoffs, but they bounced back quickly with three-straight wins.

They lost to a few teams early in the season, including a North Dakota State team that they would see again in the playoffs.

ISU finished 8-4 in the regular season, but they were still confident heading into the playoffs.

“I just feel that there was a little bit of confidence from coach Spack and in some of the players that were there, like we’re gonna play, let’s just see what happens,” Jeff Lord, aka “The Redbird,” commented.

Lord got his nickname from being a huge Illinois State fan…ever since he started at ISU in 1979, and worked for the baseball team for four years.

He consistently showed up to football games and has even hooked wife, Sra. Shelli Lord. a longtime Spanish teacher at Normal West, to become an ISU fan alongside him.

In 1997, the Lord family started getting season tickets.

During the 2015 season, when ISU went to the national championship, the Lords began the pregame tailgate.

Tailgates happen before every home or milestone game, where people can eat and visit before the game.

ISU went into the playoffs as a huge underdog.

When Lord was asked about it, he said, “It’s quite the accomplishment that they won four games on the road. No teams ever done that in college history.”

The Redbirds started their playoff run with a win at Southeast Louisiana University, who was led by quarterback, Carson Camp, a standout football star for Normal West from 2016-2019.

Normal West graduate, Max Ziebarth (2022), who plays for the Redbirds,

scored a touchdown in this game, as well.

ISU then grabbed road wins at ND State, UC Davis, and Villanova to punch their tickets to the National Championship in Nashville.

ISU traveled a lot during the playoffs.

“It’s quite the accomplishment that we went over 9,500 miles in the playoffs. Round trip, 9,488 to be exact,” Lord added.

Once again, ISU opened as a major underdog against their opponent, Montana State. ISU got off to a rough start, heading into halftime down 28-14.

“The other team had clearly more fans, but I think if you watch the game, you heard us. It was fun. That’s what games should be,” Lord stated.

The Redbird fans surely contributed to the game as ISU came storming back in the second half and took the game to overtime.

Montana St. had nine false start penalties, which came from the Redbird fans’ devoted cheering.

Despite that, ISU couldn’t get the job done as they fell 34-35 to the Bobcats.

Wide Receiver Dylan Lord (no relation) had a huge game, recording 13 receptions, 161 yards, and 2 TDs.

Lord is from Chandler, Arizona, and both of the Lord families sat together during the game.

Back home, the community of Bloomington-Normal has already reaped the benefits of ISU’s successful season.

When the football team has a good season, the businesses and local services all benefit.

“The gas stations and restaurants all see an increase in business. I was just talking to a manager at Qik n EZ. For home games, they always make sure they have more gas and extra employees,” Lord said.

ISU has always helped out the community during the season but hopefully with the success of the football team, the impact will only grow.

Another part of the success is the direct impact on the football program and the college as a whole.

“People want to be involved in programs that are moving forward and showing progress in being competitive. Everybody knows in athletics… you’re not going to be there every year… but being competitive at a higher level is important,” Lord added.

Players as well as money are both huge resources for the program. When the program succeeds, sponsors and parents are more likely to pour money into the university.

Finally, the success of the season strengthens ties between families, specifically those with connections to local high schools like Normal West.

“There have been people from Normal West that have played at ISU before, plus West has produced other athletes that have gone to other schools,” Lord stated.

In all, the success of the season has worked hand-in-hand with our towns community, bolstering businesses, and other organizations, even Normal West.