Former Illini Bob Richards, above, won the gold medal in the pole vault at the 1952 Summer Olympic Games in Helsinki, while teammate Don Laz, right, took silver. Both qualified for the Olympic team on June 28, 1952, at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
Photos provided
For only the third time in history, Wednesday night’s NBA draft saw two Illinois basketball players drafted in the first round. Kasparas Jakucionis was chosen with the 20th pick by the Miami Heat, while Will Riley was selected 21st overall by the Utah Jazz (later traded to the Washington Wizards).
It was the first time that had happened for a pair of University of Illinois athletes since June 28, 2005. That evening, at New York’s Madison Square Garden, junior guard Deron Williams got tabbed with the third overall pick by the Utah Jazz. Twenty-one picks later, the Houston Rockets selected senior Luther Head.
Among other significant events that have taken place on June 28:
* June 28, 1941: The Daily Illini, the UI’s student newspaper, called on veteran head football coach Bob Zuppke to resign. Its front-page editorial declared that the majority of students, alumni and faculty agreed with athletics director Wendell “Weenie” Wilson
* that Zuppke should step down. Said Zuppke from his Lake Michigan summer home, “I’d rather starve than resign.” On Nov. 18, 1941, Zuppke officially stepped down after 29 years as Illinois’ coach.
* June 28, 1952: At the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, UI track and field alumni Bob Richards and Don Laz both qualified for the United States Olympic squad with respective pole vault leaps of 14 feet, 83/8 inches and 14-53/8
* . Three weeks later, at the 1952 Summer Olympic Games in Helsinki, Richards won the gold medal and Laz took silver.
* June 28, 2005: Illinois hired Brad Dancer
* as head coach of men’s tennis team 20 years ago this week. In March, Dancer signed a contract extension to keep him in that role through the 2030-31 season.
* June 28, 2012: The Portland Trail Blazers selected Illini center Meyers Leonard
* with the No. 11 pick at the NBA draft in Newark, N.J.
* June 28, 2012:
* The University of Illinois finished 21st in the final Directors’ Cup standings. It was UI’s best showing since 2008-09 when the school placed 20th.
* June 28, 2022: Basketball center Kofi Cockburn and women’s track and field miler Olivia Howell
* were named as winners of the Dike Eddleman Award.
* June 28, 2022: Illini men’s gymnastics head coach Justin Spring announced that he was moving to become the University of Alabama’s assistant coach. Daniel Ribeiro
* — Spring’s assistant — was named as UI’s interim head coach.
### Illini Birthdays
* Saturday:
* Mike Bellamy, football (59)
* Sunday:
* Bucky Godbolt, football coach (70)
* Monday:
* Simon Cvijanovic, football (33)
* Tuesday:
* Steve Lanter, basketball (67)
* Wednesday:
* Dennis Bishop, football (66)
* Thursday:
* Luke Joyce, baseball (34)
* Friday:
* Michael Hoomanawanui, football (37)
_By Mike Pearson, author of ‘Illinois Legends, Lists & Lore’_
(third edition available online). Get more Illini birthdays, trivia and historical tidbits daily on Twitter (@IlliniLegends), on Facebook
(@SportsLegendsListsLore) and on LinkedIn. His website is www.
[SportsLLL.com](http://SportsLLL.com).