A funny thing happened on the way to Illinois cleansing and ridding itself of the Ron Zook era. Honestly, as someone who has written numerous pieces for The Sports Bank about how much Zook needed to be fired over the years, I just didn't see it coming. I felt bad. I really did. (guest post from Paul Schmidt) There's a fundamental problem with dancing on the grave … [Read more...] about So Where Does Ron Zook, a True Nice Guy, Go From Here?
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Ron Zook Fired! Illini A.D. Addresses Media (Video)
You look at the pic above and think "what does a celebration from the Illinois Fighting Illini 2004-05 college basketball season have to do with this?" The long overdue firing of the school's college football coach Ron Zook. Well, when I searched for google images of "Illini celebration," it was all hoops images. (which says something about why the Zooker is being … [Read more...] about Ron Zook Fired! Illini A.D. Addresses Media (Video)
Which Illini Coordinator Gets Ron Zook’s (Interim) Job?
In 2009, a very underachieving Illini football team finished 3-9. Picked as high as third by some Big Ten and college football pundits, the horrible record was nothing short of a catastrophe for the resume of Ron Zook and the Illinois program. Or so I thought. Logic dictated then Illinois Athletic Director Ron Guenther can Zook then and there. Unfortunately, Guenther had … [Read more...] about Which Illini Coordinator Gets Ron Zook’s (Interim) Job?
5 Biggest Reasons Illinois Should Fire Ron Zook Next Sunday
The main story surrounding the Illinois Fighting Illini losing 28-17 to the Wisconsin Badgers today is the fact that Illini Head Coach Ron Zook is a "dead man walking." New Illinois Athletic Director Mike Thomas said he won't make a decision until after the season is over, so I wouldn't expect to hear anything concrete until after the season's final game- next Saturday at … [Read more...] about 5 Biggest Reasons Illinois Should Fire Ron Zook Next Sunday
Ron Zook Asked About Job Security; Walks Out of Media Session
Sometimes I forget that Illini football coach Ron Zook means something different to me than he does to the rest of the nation. I regard him as the college football coach at my alma mater, the University of Illinois. Sure, I take issue with a lot of his play-calling, and the way he defends his play-calling to the media (especially after the Western Michigan game, when his bad … [Read more...] about Ron Zook Asked About Job Security; Walks Out of Media Session
Illinois Football Announces 2011 Recruiting Class
University of Illinois head coach Ron Zook announced Wednesday the signing of 27 student-athletes to National Letters of Intent to play football for the Fighting Illini in 2011. The class is made up of 15 skill players, 11 linemen and a punter. Twelve of the 27 players rank in their state's Top 30, including five of the top 26 from Illinois. The group features players from 11 … [Read more...] about Illinois Football Announces 2011 Recruiting Class
Mikel Leshoure to Rashard Mendenhall Comparisons Running Wild Now
Given that they are/were both Illinois Fighting Illini, wore the same jersey number, played the same position, and didn't break out until their junior year (and when they broke out, they really did it in style) it's inevitable to compare current Illini tailback Mikel Leshoure to current Pittsbrugh Steelers star running back Rashard Mendenhall. Heck, I wrote a column about it … [Read more...] about Mikel Leshoure to Rashard Mendenhall Comparisons Running Wild Now
Texas Bowl Sees Illinois and Baylor Break Numerous Records
Last night's college football match-up won38-14 by the Illinois Fighting Illini over Baylor broke a bunch of Texas Bowl, bowl history in the city of Houston, as well as Illinois and Baylor records. Seriously, there were a ton, but here are some of the most notable. -The Illini tied the Texas Bowl record for most points scored 38 and most net yards gained at 533. -Leshoure … [Read more...] about Texas Bowl Sees Illinois and Baylor Break Numerous Records
Scheelhaase, Illini Put Texas (Bowl) Sized Whooping on Baylor
It was exactly like the first (and only) time Chicago and Houston met in a major postseason sporting event. Granted the stakes in the college football Texas Bowl were much lower than that of the 2005 MLB World Series between the Chicago White Sox and Houston Astros; and Baylor University is about as geographically far from Houston as the University of Illinois is from … [Read more...] about Scheelhaase, Illini Put Texas (Bowl) Sized Whooping on Baylor
Ron Zook Delivers Jim Mora Style Mini-Rant (Video)
Last week the Illini football team imploded and lost at home to the Minnesota Golden Gophers, one of the worst teams in recent Big Ten football history. Words can't really express a college football let-down of this proportion, although we tried to do so here. Now a really promising 5-3 team that many pundits believed would finish 8-4 or even 9-3 doesn't even look like a … [Read more...] about Ron Zook Delivers Jim Mora Style Mini-Rant (Video)