Rutgers football: Illinois coach Lovie Smith's white beard, an appreciation

Josh Newman | Asbury Park Press

Show Caption Hide Caption New Rutgers Athletic Center New Rutgers Athletic Center on Thursday, September 12, 2019.

PISCATAWAY - First things first. I cannot grow a beard.

In fairness, I could grow a beard, but my facial hair doesn't grow that fast, so it would take forever. Once I have something respectable going, I'd have to factor in maintenance, and the itching, and maybe food getting caught in there, and my wife likes me clean-shaven, so I'm just not going to bother.

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With that out of the way, a story. I remember being tired at the start of Big Ten Media Days in 2018. So-so flight, iffy hotel sleep, early alarm, etc. At a still-early hour that morning at the Chicago Marriott Downtown, Illinois head coach Lovie Smith stepped to the podium, and things turned for the awesome. Smith had everyone's attention for a very specific reason.

Smith was growing a beard, and not just any beard, but a gray beard.

I’m in on Lovie Smith’s gray beard pic.twitter.com/ZvMjdNV8sX — Josh Newman (@Joshua_Newman) July 24, 2018

The photos from that day went viral. All in good fun, and why not? Media days are monotonous and full of canned, vanilla answers, so at least Smith gave people something to discuss. The Urban Meyer-Zach Smith firestorm unfolded later that day in Chicago, but I digress.

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Credit to Smith. He stayed committed to the beard. When the former Chicago Bears head coach showed up at Big Ten Media Days in July, the beard was noticeably longer, fuller and whiter than it had been a year earlier. Again, the whole thing went viral, ascending to the No. 1 trending topic on Twitter in the United States that afternoon.

Just look at that thing. It is majestic, I am completely jealous, and I hope he never shaves again. I know I wouldn't.

In fairness, part of the reason everyone went nuts over Smith's beard is because there hadn't been much else to talk about pertaining to Illinois football. Coming into this season, the Fighting Illini were 9-27 overall and 4-23 in the Big Ten.

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Things have shifted in Champaign recently. Illinois was 2-4, but has since registered a titanic win over No. 6 Wisconsin and another over Purdue, putting it in reasonable position to finish bowl-eligible at 6-6.

Here's hoping Illinois gets to a bowl game, simply some media that don't normally cover Illinois or the Big Ten can have access to Smith's glorious facial hair.

Josh Newman is currently the beat reporter for Rutgers University sports. He's a native of Commack, New York, on the north shore of Long Island, and is almost entirely free of his New York accent. Contact him at jnewman4@gannettnj.com