At the FCS level, you never know where the next great powerhouse program is going to come from. In recent years, the Illinois State Redbirds have made a fast ascent up the hierarchy and become a serious football powerhouse. While traditionally, cheap Illinois State football tickets have been easy to find, that’s quickly changing. The Redbirds have found consistency and become one of the top teams in the Missouri Valley Conference year after year, increasing the demand for last-minute Illinois State football tickets.

Back in the Day

The history of Illinois State football can be traced all the way back to 1887. Of course, most of the program’s history has been largely unspectacular. However, stadium namesake Howard Hancock helped the Redbirds find success for the first time, winning three conference titles between 1937 and 1941. Unfortunately for Illinois State, the football program failed to pick up much momentum after that until the end of the 20th century when the Redbirds made the FCS Playoffs for the first time.

Learning to Fly

The trajectory of Illinois State football changed forever in 2009 when the Redbirds hired Brock Spack as the head coach. By 2011, Spack turned the Redbirds into a top-25 program, and in 2012 he led Illinois State to the quarterfinals of the FCS Playoffs. In 2014, the Redbirds reached new heights, winning the Missouri Valley Conference championship for just the second time in program history and the first time in 15 years. Illinois State made it all the way to the FCS Championship Game that year, losing in heartbreaking fashion to North Dakota State 29-27. Despite the loss, that magical season was a game-changer for the Redbirds. It made them a noteworthy program at the FCS level and showed what Illinois State football is capable of achieving.