List of Illinois Fighting Illini head football coaches

Last updated

Bret Bielema is the current head coach at Illinois Bielema-2021-Illinois.jpg
Bret Bielema is the current head coach at Illinois

The Illinois Fighting Illini college football team represents the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in the West Division of the Big Ten Conference (Big 10). The Fighting Illini compete as part of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Football Bowl Subdivision. The program has had 27 head coaches, and two interim head coaches, since it began play during the 1890 season. Since December 2020, Bret Bielema has served as head coach at Illinois. [1]

Contents

Eleven coaches have led Illinois in postseason bowl games: Ray Eliot, Pete Elliott, Mike White, John Mackovic, Lou Tepper, Ron Turner, Ron Zook, Vic Koenning, Tim Beckman, Lovie Smith, and Bielema. Seven of coaches also won conference championships: Arthur R. Hall, Robert Zuppke, Eliot, Elliott, White, Mackovic, and Turner a member of the Big 10. Zuppke won four and Eliot one national championships as head coach of the Fighting Illini.

Zuppke is the leader in seasons coached, with 29 years as head coach, games coached with 224, and games won with 131. Robert Lackey has the highest winning percentage of those who have coached more than one game at 0.833. Scott Williams has the lowest winning percentage of those who have coached more than one game, with 0.333. Of the 27 different head coaches who have led Illinois, Edward K. Hall, George Washington Woodruff, Zuppke, Elliott, and Bob Blackman have been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.

Key

Key to symbols in coaches list
GeneralOverallConferencePostseason [A 1]
No.Order of coaches [A 2] GCGames coachedCWConference winsPWPostseason wins
DCDivision championshipsOWOverall winsCLConference lossesPLPostseason losses
CCConference championshipsOLOverall lossesCTConference tiesPTPostseason ties
NCNational championshipsOTOverall ties [A 3] C%Conference winning percentage
†Elected to the College Football Hall of Fame O%Overall winning percentage [A 4]

Coaches

List of head football coaches showing season(s) coached, overall records, conference records, postseason records, championships and selected awards [A 5]
No.NameTermGCOWOLOTO%CWCLCTC%PWPLPTDC
[A 6] 		CCNCAwards
1 Scott Williams 189031200.3330
2 Robert Lackey 189165100.8330
3 Edward K. Hall † [5] 1892–18932212640.6360
4 Louis Vail 189484400.5000
5 George Huff 1895–189940211630.5632710.25000
6 Fred L. Smith 1900127320.6671320.33300
7 Edgar Holt 1901–19022318410.8048400.66700
8 George Washington Woodruff † [6] 1903148610.5711500.16700
9 Clyde Matthews
[A 7] 		1904129210.7923110.70000
10 Fred Lowenthal
[A 8] 		1904–19052114610.6903410.43800
11 Justa Lindgren
[A 9] 		1904, 19061710520.6474410.50000
12 Arthur R. Hall
[A 10] 		1904, 1907–191252361240.731201030.65210
13 Robert Zuppke † [7] 1913–194122413181120.612766680.53374 – 1914, 1919, 1923, 1927
14 Ray Eliot 1942–19591678373110.530545570.49620031 – 1951
15 Pete Elliott † [8] 1960–196666313410.477222610.45910010
16 Jim Valek 1967–19704083200.20052300.17900000
17 Bob Blackman † [9] 1971–197666293610.447242310.51000000
18 Gary Moeller 1977–19793362430.22731830.18800000
19 Mike White 1980–198791474130.533402620.60303010
20 John Mackovic 1988–199147301610.64922910.70312010
21 Lou Tepper 1991–199658253120.448172120.45012000
22 Ron Turner 1997–20049235570.38020440.3131110
23 Ron Zook 2005–20118534510.40018380.32111000
Int. Vic Koenning 20111101.00000–10000
24 Tim Beckman 2012–20143712250.3244200.16710000
25 Bill Cubit 201512570.417260.25000000
26 Lovie Smith 2016–20205617390.30410330.23301000
Int. Rod Smith 2020101.00001.00000000
27 Bret Bielema 2021–present3718190.48612150.44401000

Notes

  1. ↑ Although the first Rose Bowl Game was played in 1902, it has been continuously played since the 1916 game, and is recognized as the oldest bowl game by the NCAA. "—" indicates any season prior to 1916 when postseason games were not played. [2]
  2. ↑ A running total of the number of head coaches, with coaches who served separate tenures being counted only once. Interim head coaches are represented with "Int" and are not counted in the running total. "—" indicates the team played but either without a coach or no coach is on record. "X" indicates an interim year without play.
  3. ↑ Overtime rules in college football were introduced in 1996, making ties impossible in the period since. [3]
  4. ↑ When computing the win–loss percentage, a tie counts as half a win and half a loss. [4]
  5. ↑ Statistics correct as of the end of the 2023 NCAA Division I FBS football season.
  6. ↑ Divisional champions have advanced to the Big Ten Football Championship Game since the institution of divisional play beginning in the 2011 season. Since that time, Illinois has competed as a member of the West Division.
  7. ↑ Matthews shared the title of "Head Coach" with Hall, Lindgren, and Lowenthal for the 1904 season.
  8. ↑ Lowenthal shared the title of "Head Coach" with Hall, Lindgren, and Matthews for the 1904 season.
  9. ↑ Lindgren shared the title of "Head Coach" with Hall, Lowenthal, and Matthews for the 1904 season.
  10. ↑ Hall shared the title of "Head Coach" with Lindgren, Lowenthal, and Matthews for the 1904 season.

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References

  1. ↑ Rittenberg, Adam (December 19, 2020). "Bret Bielema named head coach of Illinois Fighting Illini". ESPN.com. Retrieved March 15, 2024.
  2. ↑ National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) (2011). Bowl/All-Star Game Records (PDF). Indianapolis, Indiana: NCAA. pp. 5–10. Archived from the original on August 22, 2011. Retrieved August 21, 2011.
  3. ↑ Whiteside, Kelly (August 25, 2006). "Overtime system still excites coaches". USA Today. McLean, Virginia. Archived from the original on November 24, 2009. Retrieved September 25, 2009.
  4. ↑ Finder, Chuck (September 6, 1987). "Big plays help Paterno to 200th". The New York Times. New York City. Archived from the original on October 22, 2009. Retrieved October 22, 2009.
  5. ↑ Ed Hall at the College Football Hall of Fame
  6. ↑ George Washington Woodruff at the College Football Hall of Fame
  7. ↑ Robert Zuppke at the College Football Hall of Fame
  8. ↑ Pete Elliott at the College Football Hall of Fame
  9. ↑ Bob Blackman at the College Football Hall of Fame
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