Bullion's reference to the Illinois players as "Suckers" was not an insult, but rather a reference to a nickname then commonly used to refer to residents of Illinois. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Illinois was known as the "Sucker State" and its residents as "Suckers." A history of the nickname can be found in Gov. Thomas Ford's "The Winnebago War and why Illinoisans are 'Suckers'.
