Chief Illiniwek was retired in 2007 under pressure from the NCAA. (Photo courtesy of Flickr/Creative Commons/soundwayout)

By The Associated Press

CHAMPAIGN - He might not be coming back, but it is clear Chief Illiniwek still has strong support among University of Illinois students.

Almost 80 percent of the more than 11,500 students who voted in a recent campus referendum said they believed the American Indian mascot should be the symbol of the university's Urbana-Champaign campus. The News-Gazette in Champaign reported the ballot results were released Wednesday after a delay caused by a student court review of a related student mascot-design competition.

The university dropped the Chief mascot in 2007 under pressure from the NCAA. Opponents argued the mascot demeaned American Indians. Supporters maintain Illiniwek is a respectful symbol.

University leaders have said the Chief mascot isn't coming back. The mascot-design competition isn't sanctioned by the university.