For low-on-dough undergrads missing mom’s cooking, Fat Don’s day in the residence halls was a five-star dining experience.
Take it from Dr. Christopher Hicks — the popular Bruce Weber Era Illini walk-on turned Chicago physician — who never missed the monthly feast during his two years living in the dorms known as the Six Pack.
“This was a campus area that had six different dorms that all utilized the same lunch halls. These were also the dorm rooms that housed most of the freshman and sophomore athletes,” he says.
“This environment allowed for a lot of fun within that one area. It was almost as if we were in our own little neighborhood.
“One specific event that would attract even off-campus students was Fat Don’s. Fat Don’s was basically a huge outdoor barbecue that the lunch halls would conduct once a month.
“It was a great way to hang out and have great steak, ribs, etcetera, that otherwise college students could not afford at the time. The line was typically down the block but it was well worth it.”
