Whitman after Saturday's run posed with many of his fellow runners under the Wrigley marquee JOSH WHITMAN
Since his hiring in '16, Illinois AD JOSH WHITMAN has "run a few miles with fans" before every football game, and Saturday's matchup against USF at Soldier Field was "no exception," according to Shannon Ryan of the CHICAGO TRIBUNE. Roughly 50 fans "gathered in shorts and sneakers in front of Wrigley Field early Saturday morning." With many ADs "removed from fans or available only at high-priced donor functions, Whitman's informal runs also offer rare accessibility for fans." Before home games, Whitman usually "loads cases of water into his trunk and picks up some donuts to offer as post-run refreshments as he chats with fans." He "rarely has staff members with him -- unless they're game for a run too." In Champaign, his runs "wind through campus at an 8- to 9-minute-mile pace through tailgaters as revelers often pass a few footballs to the group." After Saturday's run, he "posed with runners under the Wrigley marquee and chatted with them about their love for the Illini and running" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 9/16). Check out Whitman's profile from this year's SBJ "Forty Under 40" class (THE DAILY).
