Ron Zook
Named the 2007 National and Big Ten Coach of the Year, Ron Zook begins his sixth season at the helm of the Illinois football program. Known as a tireless worker and recruiter, Zook led Illinois to the biggest turnaround in college football in 2007 and looks to reestablish the Illini among the elite in the nation.
|
|
In five years, at the helm the Illini offense has led the conference in rushing twice (2006, 2007) and passing in 2008. Additionally, the rushing offense has finished in the NCAA top-20 three times during his tenure. Zook also has produced two first-round NFL draft picks in the past two seasons — RB Rashard Mendenhall in 2008 and DB Vontae Davis in 2009.
In 2009, Illinois quarterback Juice Williams set numerous milestone records, including career total offense where he surpassed the 10,000-yard mark, becoming only the sixth player in Big Ten history to do so. The Illini finished second in the league in rushing and 17th in the nation.
During the 2008 season, the Illini offense continued to rank among the top in the conference. After leading the Big Ten in rushing for two seasons, the squad posted the league's best passing numbers in 2008. Not only did the team lead the Big Ten in passing, but Williams was the leader in passing and total offense. On the flipside, defensively, the squad led the Big Ten in quarterback sacks and tackles for loss and middle linebacker Brit Miller was tops in tackles.
In 2007, Zook led the Illini back to the national scene with a nine-win season (the eighth in school history), a second-place finish in the Big Ten and a trip to the Rose Bowl. The seven-win turnaround from the 2006 season also is the best ever in the Illinois record books, earning him numerous national Coach of the Year finalist honors and the title of Liberty Mutual 2007 National Coach of the Year.
Zook has now logged 32 years of coaching experience at the collegiate, professional and high school level, including two stints as a head coach. He led the University of Florida program for three years, 2002-2004. Posting an overall mark of 23-14 and 16-8 in Southeastern Conference action, Zook led UF to three consecutive bowl appearances and a share of the 2003 SEC East Division title. Zook's 12-3 record vs. the SEC Eastern Division during his three years tied for the best in the league during that time. He tallied six wins against ranked teams away from Gainesville, the best in the nation in his three-year stretch, and he became only the third coach in the 70-year history of the SEC to lead his teams to January bowl games in his first two years.