All these years later, Lloyd still grabbing headlines
- Story byThe News-Gazette, Champaign-Urbana, Ill.
- All these years later, Lloyd still grabbing headlines
May 1—If you ever have a secret you want to keep, you can trust Brandon Lloyd not to spill the beans.
Months ago, the former Illinois receiver great was told he would become part of the school's 2026 Athletics Hall of Fame class. As promised, he kept it to himself.
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"The basketball team went on that run and they were holding it off," Lloyd told me Thursday.
So, no X or Facebook posts from Lloyd. But ...
"I secretly told my family members about it because they needed to start planning the trip," he said. "One of my brothers is like, 'When it's official, then I'll make my plans.' I said, 'It's official, it just hasn't been announced yet.'"
Now, it has. The Hall of Fame Gala is scheduled for Sept. 11 at State Farm Center in Champaign. Bret Bielema's football team hosts Duke the following day on Sept. 12.
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This will be the first-ever Hall of Fame induction for the 44-year-old Lloyd.
"The sentiment for me right away is excitement," Lloyd said. "Being away from sports and not having that attention on me, for it to be back on me for my sports achievements is exciting."
His quarterback at Illinois, Kurt Kittner, made the Illinois Athletics Hall of Fame in 2025.
"I saw it play out with Kurt," Lloyd said.
Time was right
Lloyd came to Illinois in 1999, joining Ron Turner's team as a highly-touted recruit from Blue Springs, Mo., a Kansas City suburb.
Lloyd was considered a strong candidate for the secondary, but early in his first training camp, he was tried at receiver. It took, as he became one of the top receivers in school history.
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Lloyd finished No. 2 on the Illinois career lists for receiving yards, receiving touchdowns and 100-yard games. Only College Football Hall of Famer David Williams had better numbers.
Like Williams, Lloyd played a vital role in an Illinois football turnaround. The team went 3-8 in 1998, the year before Lloyd arrived.
With the freshman contributing 501 yards and two touchdowns, Illinois went 8-4 in 1999, beating Michigan and Ohio State on the road.
Lloyd even threw a touchdown pass to quarterback Kittner in the 1999 Bowl, a 63-21 Illinois victory against Virginia.
Lloyd missed the 2000 season because of a broken leg, but returned in 2001 and had a monstrous season, gaining 1,062 yards and scoring 10 touchdowns. He had another 1,000-yard season in 2002.
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Lloyd could have returned in 2003, but went to the NFL instead. Another good move. He spent 11 years as a pro, catching 399 passes for 5,989 yards and 36 touchdowns. He led the NFL in receiving yards in 2010 while with Denver.
Happy anniversaries
This will be the 10th class of the Illinois Athletics Hall of Fame. And it has been 25 years since Lloyd and friends won the 2001 Big Ten title, the last Illini football team to do so.
"That's a really big deal," Lloyd said. "We want to get people back to celebrate that."
It was a tight-knit group with oodles of talent. One of the best set of receivers and running backs in program history . But it was not a team full of blue-chippers.
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"They had something to prove," Lloyd said. "That's immediately the character I took on, and that's what was important for my development."
Lloyd hopes to see many of his teammates at the Gala, and he will have family support at the Hall of Fame induction. His sons, Brevin and Elvis, plan to attend.
Brevin is in art school at Drexel. Elvis is a freshman basketball player at Hobart College. Five of Lloyd's brothers and sisters plan to attend the ceremony along with friends and other relatives.
Lloyd, who spent most of his post-NFL life in the Denver area, has relocated to Florida. He now works in employing benefits consulting for HUB International, and is thrilled to be part of a hall class that features basketball stars Ayo Dosunmu, James Augustine and Tauja Catchings.
Others in the class include football's Howard Griffith, golfer D.A. Points, volleyball star Jordyn Poulter and soccer standout Ella Masar.
"Holy smokes," Lloyd said.
