Jeff Thorne

Last updated
Jeff Thorne
Playing career
1990–1993 Eastern Illinois
Position(s) Quarterback
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1994–2001 Wheaton Warrenville South HS (IL) (OC/QB)
2002–2014 North Central (IL) (OC)
2015–2021 North Central (IL)
2022 Western Michigan (OC/QB)
Head coaching record
Overall66–10
Tournaments12–4 (NCAA D-III playoffs)
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
1 NCAA Division III (2019)
4 CCIW (2016–2018, 2021)
Awards
CCIW Coach of the Year (2016)
D3football.com National Coach of the Year (2019)

Jeff Thorne is an American football coach and former player. He was the offensive coordinator at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Michigan in 2022. Thorne served as the head football coach at North Central College from 2015 to 2021. He succeeded his father, John Thorne, and led the 2019 team to an NCAA Division III national title. [1] Thorne played college football at Eastern Illinois University, starting at quarterback in the early 1990s. [2] His son, Payton, is currently (2023) the starting quarterback at Auburn University .

Contents

Playing career

Thorne attended Wheaton Central High School in Wheaton, Illinois where he played under his father, head coach John Thorne. He set the state record for career touchdown passes with 57. [3] He started as a sophomore and threw for over 1,000 yards. [4] His senior season, he led the team to a 5A state semifinal appearance and was named all-state. [5] [6] He played in the Illinois High School All-Star game and was named MVP. [3] He also played baseball and was an all-conference selection in basketball. [7] [8]

Thorne then enrolled at Eastern Illinois University and was a four year starter. He was selected all-Gateway Conference honorable mention after his junior season in 1992 after throwing for 1944 yards and 10 touchdowns. His senior season he earned 2nd team all-conference honors. He holds the school record for most interceptions thrown in a game with seven in a 7-49 loss to McNeese State. He ranks in the top ten in school history in season pass efficiency, touchdown passes, and interceptions. Thorne ranks fourth in career total offense, passing yardage, passing attempts, and completions categories behind Jimmy Garoppolo, Sean Payton, and Tony Romo. [9]

Coaching career

Assistant coaching

After graduation, Thorne became an assistant coach at his former high school under his father coaching during three state championship seasons. Thorne became offensive coordinator for Division III North Central College in 2002, the same year his father became head coach. He was a finalist for coordinator of the year in 2013 after his offense average over 45 points per game on route to a National Championship appearance. [5] [10]

North Central

After his father's retirement, Thorne was named head coach for the 2015 season. After the 2016 season, Thorne was named College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin coach of the year and AFCA Region Coach of the Year. [5] He was named D3football.com Coach of the Year after his 2019 National Championship. [5] Thorne coached the 2019 Gagliardi Trophy winner Broc Rutter. [11]

Western Michigan

On February 1, 2022, Thorne was named the offensive coordinator for Western Michigan under head coach Tim Lester. [11] Under Thorne, the offense averaged 301.9 yards per game during the 2022 season, last in the MAC. Western Michigan finished the year 5-7, including 4-4 in conference, good for third place in the MAC West. Thorne, along with most of the coaching staff, was let go when Lester was fired on November 28. [12]

Head coaching record

YearTeamOverallConferenceStandingBowl/playoffs AFCA#D3°
North Central Cardinals (College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin)(2015–2021)
2015 North Central7–36–12nd
2016 North Central11–18–01stL NCAA Division III Second Round 10
2017 North Central10–27–1T–1stL NCAA Division III Second Round 8
2018 North Central10–28–1T–1stL NCAA Division III Second Round 8
2019 North Central 14–18–12ndW NCAA Division III Championship 1
2020–21 No team
2021 North Central14–19–01stL NCAA Division III Championship 22
North Central:66–1046–4
Total:66–10
      National championship        Conference title        Conference division title or championship game berth

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matt Nagy</span> American football coach and player (born 1978)

Matthew Nagy is an American football coach and former quarterback, who is the offensive coordinator for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL). He was the head coach of the Chicago Bears from 2018 to 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ron Turner (American football)</span> American football player and coach (born 1953)

Ronald David Turner is an American football coach and former player.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Doug Nussmeier</span> American football player and coach (born 1970)

Douglas Keith Nussmeier is an American football coach and former quarterback who is the current quarterbacks coach for the Los Angeles Chargers of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as an assistant coach at Florida, Michigan, Alabama, Washington, Fresno State and Michigan State. Nussmeier has also previously served as quarterbacks coach for the St. Louis Rams, Dallas Cowboys, Ottawa Renegades and BC Lions.

William John Cubit is an American football coach and former player. Cubit was the head football coach at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, first on an interim basis in the 2015 season and then promoted to the post full-time before his dismissal on March 5, 2016. Cubit served as the head football coach at Widener University from 1992 to 1996, and Western Michigan University from 2005 to 2012. Most recently, in 2019, he served as assistant head coach and running backs coach at his alma mater, the University of Delaware.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jim Colletto</span> American football player and coach (born 1944)

Jim Colletto is a former American football player and coach. He attended Monterey High School (1958–1962) where he was an all conference baseball and football player and starter on the varsity basketball team. At UCLA Colletto was all conference in baseball and football; where he led the team in rushing as a sophomore and as a senior defensive end was captain of the UCLA team that beat Michigan State in the 1966 Rose Bowl.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeff Brohm</span> American football player and coach (born 1971)

Jeffrey Scott Brohm is an American football coach and former quarterback. He is the head football coach at his alma mater, the University of Louisville, a position he has held since the 2023 season. Brohm played college football for the Louisville Cardinals under coach Howard Schnellenberger from 1989 to 1993. He played professionally in the National Football League (NFL) for seven seasons from 1994 to 2000 and the XFL in 2001. Brohm served as the head football coach at Western Kentucky University from 2014 to 2016 and Purdue University from 2017 to 2022.

Troy Scott Taylor is an American football coach and former player who is currently the head coach of the Stanford Cardinal. Previously, he served as co-head football coach at Folsom High School in Folsom, California, from 2012 to 2015; co-offensive coordinator at Eastern Washington University in 2016; offensive coordinator at the University of Utah from 2017 to 2018; and as head coach at Sacramento State from 2019 to 2022.

George McDonald is an American football coach. He currently is the wide receivers coach for the Illinois team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1974 Michigan Wolverines football team</span> American college football season

The 1974 Michigan Wolverines football team was an American football team that represented the University of Michigan in the 1974 Big Ten Conference football season. In their sixth year under head coach Bo Schembechler, the Wolverines compiled a 10–1 record, outscored opponents 324 to 75, and were ranked #3 in final AP Poll. Michigan won the first ten games of the 1974 season in convincing fashion, including blowout victories over Colorado (31-0), Navy (52-0), Minnesota (49-0), and Purdue (51-0). In the final game of the season, #2 Michigan faced #3 Ohio State. The Wolverines lost by a score of 12-10, as place-kicker Mike Lantry missed a last-minute field goal that would have given Michigan a victory.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1968 Michigan Wolverines football team</span> American college football season

The 1968 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 1968 Big Ten Conference football season. In their tenth and final season under head coach Bump Elliott, the Wolverines compiled an 8–2 record, outscored opponents 277 to 155, and finished the season in second place in the Big Ten Conference and ranked No. 12 in the final AP Poll. After losing the season opener to California, the Wolverines won their next eight games by a combined score of 256 to 84. The team rose to No. 4 in the AP poll before losing to Ohio State by a 50–14 score in the final game of the season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dennis Brown (quarterback)</span> American football player and coach

Dennis M. Brown is a former American football player and coach. He played at the quarterback position for the University of Michigan from 1966 to 1968, the final three years of Bump Elliott's tenure as the school's head football coach. In his first start at quarterback, Brown broke two Big Ten Conference single-game records with 338 yards of total offense and 61 plays. At the end of his playing career at Michigan, he held most of the school's career passing records, including passing yards (2,534), pass attempts (388), and touchdown passes (20). He later served as an assistant football coach at Michigan (1972–1979), West Virginia University (1980–1987), and Arizona State University (1988–1990).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Millikin Big Blue</span> Athletic programs of Millikin University

The Millikin Big Blue are the intercollegiate athletic programs of Millikin University (MU) located in Decatur, Illinois, United States. The Big Blue athletic program is a member of the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) and competes at the NCAA Division III level.

Charley Molnar Jr. is an American football coach. Molnar served head football coach at the University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass), for two seasons, from 2012 to 2013, compiling a record of 2–22. Molnar had previously been the offensive coordinator at the University of Notre Dame.

Jeff Hecklinski is an American football coach and former player. He was most recently the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at San Diego State University from 2020–2022.

Timothy Frederick Lester is an American football coach who is the senior analyst for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). He most recently was the head football coach at Western Michigan University, a position he held from 2017 to 2022. Lester played quarterback at Western Michigan for coaches Al Molde and Gary Darnell from 1996 to 1999 and professionally for the Chicago Enforcers of the XFL in 2001. He then served as the head football coach at Saint Joseph's College in Rensselaer, Indiana in 2004 and at Elmhurst College from 2008 to 2012.

Barry Lunney Jr. is an American football coach. He is the offensive coordinator at the University of Illinois. Lunney served as the interim head football coach at the University of Arkansas for the final two games of the 2019 season.

Rod Smith is an American football coach and former player who is currently the offensive coordinator at Jacksonville State University. Prior to that, he was an offensive analyst at the University of Virginia. Smith has also served as the interim head coach, offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Payton Thorne</span> American football player (born 2001)

Payton Thorne is an American football quarterback for the Auburn Tigers. Thorne played for the Michigan State Spartans from 2019 to 2022.

The 2022 North Central Cardinals football team represented North Central College as a member of the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) during the 2022 NCAA Division III football season. In their first year under head coach Brad Spencer, the Cardinals compiled a 14–0 record and won the CCIW championship.

The 2023 North Central Cardinals football team was an American football team that represented North Central College of Naperville, Illinois, as a member of the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) during the 2023 NCAA Division III football season. In their second year under head coach Brad Spencer, the Cardinals compiled a 14–1 record, won the CCIW championship, and were ranked No. 1 in Division III at the end of the regular season.

References

  1. ↑ "Jeff Thorne". North Central Cardinals football . Retrieved December 30, 2018.
  2. ↑ Minnis, Glenn (September 20, 1992). "QB Has Learned To Pass on Pressure". Chicago Tribune . Chicago, Illinois . Retrieved December 30, 2018.
  3. 1 2 "EIU recruit gets award, Keller gets some catches". Journal Gazette. 1990-07-30. p. 11. Retrieved 2022-05-19.
  4. ↑ "Father, son are living a football dream". Chicago Tribune. 1989-09-08. p. 63. Retrieved 2022-05-19.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Jeff Thorne - Football Coach". North Central College Athletics. Retrieved 2022-05-19.
  6. ↑ "Records & History". www.ihsa.org. Retrieved 2022-05-19.
  7. ↑ "No. 1 Carmel clobbers Zion-Benton". Chicago Tribune. 1990-04-10. p. 44. Retrieved 2022-05-19.
  8. ↑ "Basketball". Chicago Tribune. 1990-03-23. p. 55. Retrieved 2022-05-19.
  9. ↑ "EIU Football Online Guide 2019" (PDF). 2019.
  10. ↑ "2013 North Central Football Schedule - CCIW". cciw.org. Retrieved 2022-05-19.
  11. 1 2 "WMU football names Jeff Thorne, father of Michigan State QB, new offensive coordinator". mlive. 2022-01-31. Retrieved 2022-05-19.
  12. ↑ "Western Michigan fires coach Tim Lester after 5-7 season". ESPN. 2022-11-28. Retrieved 2022-05-19.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.