CHAMPAIGN – Playing the role of Madison Avenue pitch man, Illini athletic director Josh Whitman stepped to the microphone with a bit of news Monday morning.

Illini fans had been given a hint there was something positive to surface from Whitman, even if the misguided hope for a return by Chief Illiniwek is remarkably off base from a fan base that’s not yet come to the realization that part of history is gone for good.

After announcing a statue will honor Hall of Famer Dick Butkus near the football performance center expecting to open in 2019 and the resumption of a series with Mizzou nearly a decade down the road, the talk quickly returned to an Illini football program in the midst of a demoralizing nine-game losing streak.

The Illini spent the last 18 months or so laying the groundwork, Whitman said, and it’s no time to show any weakness.

“Building a major-college, Power-5 football program is a test of wills,’’ Whitman said. “It’s a test of internal fortitude. So often, people fail to cross the finish line when they have a particular goal because they stop running. We can’t stop running. We have to continue to believe what’s happening here.’’

As the Illini continue to lay the groundwork for a successful program, the winning is still somewhere off in the distance. It’s easier to build a statue than a big winner in the cut-throat world of college football. Illinois fans have been waiting for years to see a winner. It’s still wait-til-next-year for this team.

But Whitman doesn’t flinch when it comes to backing the most significant hire in his young tenure. With his jaw firm and without a blink of an eye, Whitman stood behind coach Lovie Smith, the surprise hire in Whitman’s first few days on the job. Whitman – the Madison Avenue version – went into a story about how this rebuilding process with the Illini is like running a race. If you’re a back of the pack starter, it takes a while to just reach the starting line.

The Illini, you see, have been back in the pack since that jaw-dropping trip to the Rose Bowl to cap the 2007 season.

“If you’re in a race with 10,000 people, it may take you two, three, four minutes just to get to the start line before it starts to really count,’’ Whitman said. “I think sometimes people think you make a coaching change and the gun sounds and the clock starts. But what they fail to understand is everybody starts at a different place. To carry that race analogy through, some programs start five seconds behind that start line. Some programs start 30 seconds behind that start line. Other programs start three minutes behind that start line.

“Our challenge the last two years has been getting back to that start line. We’ve had a lot of work to do, a lot of heavy lifting in terms of creating a culture, in terms of creating a roster, in getting people in the right places. Obviously, we have some facilities challenges. There have been a lot of hurdles that have been in front of us. The last two years have really been about knocking down those hurdles and putting us in a place to run the race.

“I feel very confident that we’re getting to that place now that we’re starting to see light at the end of the tunnel. We are building something here that is going to incredibly powerful and incredibly exciting. The last thing we need people to do now is to stop running. We have to continue the course. We have to force ourselves to be disciplined in our thinking, to continue to think positive.’’

It’s easier to build a statue than a football program. It’s easier to schedule a game than to win it. But Whitman is showing the toughness to step to the microphone in a battle of wills against a fan base that’s grown listless with years of losing.

A statue for Butkus is the right thing to do. George Lundeen, who created the bronze masterpiece of Red Grange on the front steps of Memorial Stadium, will also work on the Butkus statue.

“As a fan of the history of football, you have to love Dick Butkus,’’ Lovie said. “I got a chance to get to know him in Chicago. I just appreciate everything he’s done for the game and really appreciate what he’s done for the university.’’

Even though the Illini were swept in the most recent four-game series with Missouri -- actually, it was 0-6 against in the Tigers in the St. Louis dome – it took nearly a decade for folks to come to their senses about what a series with Missouri brings to the fan bases for both schools.

The four-game series is set to start in 2026 with games played in September at campus sites. Whitman said the schools still may revisit the idea of playing in St. Louis if a venue still exists. Concerns over the condition of the dome that far down the road and scheduling conflicts with the Cardinals if considering a shift to Busch Stadium make games on campus the best option at this point, Whitman said.

While any payoff with the football program is somewhere on the horizon, Whitman said, he’s continuing to find ways to build the program, even if it’s ancillary ideas such a statue and a home-and-home with a border rival.

“Neither of those is an Earth shattering idea,’’ Whitman said. “The difference is taking an idea and making it reality. That’s something we pride ourselves on. It’s executing those ideas.’’

The national media targeted Lovie as a coach nearing the hot seat, but Whitman once again stepped forward to say he’s in it for the long haul with a coach who posted a 5-8 record overall and 2-15 mark in the Big Ten heading into the season finale against visiting Northwestern Saturday.

“There are a lot of pieces to this puzzle that have fallen in place here over the last 12 months, in particular, that I think we can all feel good about in terms of the future of Illinois football,’’ Whitman said. ““I think the message from me is, ‘Don’t waver. Don’t falter in your belief.’ We have to continue to believe in what’s happening here.’’

Illini fans who wanted to reach the finish line in a rebuild were reminded, once again, that the Illini are just getting closer to the starting line. Another statue and a series with a border rival are two more pieces, even if they’re not Earth-shaking ideas.

John Supinie is a columnist for Orangeandbluenews.com. During the day, he’s an Audi Brand Specialist at Green Audi in Springfield. Call or text him at 217-377-1977 if you’re looking for an Audi, Volkswagen, Toyota or preowned car. Ask for the Illini deal.