The Chief was originally created by two eagle scout students, Lester Leutwiler and Ralph Hubbard. The Chief was not intended to portray a real person, but rather it was intended to be a symbol of Honor and Bravery for the University. The Chief was intended to be a symbolic leader for all of Illini tribes and was intended to represent the universities diversity. The primary that the Chief was intended to portray the diversity was by allowing people from any culture have the role of the Chief.

The Chief has been portrayed officially by 32 students within the 82-year span that it was the official mascot for Illinois. Among these students there was only one women (due to the shortage of male students at the time), and none of them where of Native American descent.

The dance that is performed is based off Indian Lore which the two creators of the mascot studied during their time at Illinois. The dance derives from the Plains Indians style of dancing called “Fancy Dance”.

Throughout the lifespan of the Chief as an official mascot the dance that is performed was changed. The very first dance was much different from the very last because each student that played the role as the Chief added their own moves or style to the dance.

The Chief as a mascot was surrounded with much controversy and protest and in the early 2000s when the NCAA banned schools that used Native American imagery from hosting post-season competition, the University of Illinois finally gave into the protests and policies and in 2007 the Chief was officially retired as the universities mascot.