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THE COACHINGSTAFF

THE COACHINGSTAFF

T H E C O A C H I N G S T A F F

T H E R O N Z O O K E R A B E G I N S- 5 4 -

OnDecember 7,2004, theUniversity ofIllinois namedRon Zook the22nd headfootball coachin school his-tory.

Zookcomes toIllinois with 29 years of coaching experi-ence at the collegiate, professional andhigh school level. This season marks thebeginning of his second stint as a headcoach after serving at the helm of theUniversity of Florida program for threeyears, 2002-2004. Posting an overall markof 23-14 and 16-8 in SoutheasternConference action, Zook led UF to threeconsecutive bowl appearances and a shareof the 2003 SEC East Division title.Zook's 12-3 record vs. the SEC EasternDivision during his three years tied for thebest in the league during that time. He tal-lied six wins against ranked teams awayfrom Gainesville, the best in the nation inhis three-year stretch, and he became onlythe third coach in the 70-year history ofthe Southeastern Conference to lead histeams to January bowl games in his firsttwo years. Zook's 23 wins at Floridaranked second among active coachesnationally completing their third year oftheir program.

Zook's 2004 squad featured just eightreturning starters, the fifth lowest totalamong the 117 Division I teams and fea-tured the youngest defense in the SECwith eight freshmen or sophomore starters.Despite having three games affected byhurricanes and playing 11 consecutiveweeks of football, the Gators secured their17th consecutive season of winning foot-ball, the longest active streak in the SEC.Florida saved its best for last in 2004,defeating No. 8 Florida State, 20-13, tobecome the first UF team to win inTallahassee since 1986. Florida finished theregular season leading the SEC in six teamcategories, including the top scoringoffense, the top passing offense and thetop team in total offense. Florida becameonly the second team in SEC history tohave the top rusher in the league, the top

HEAD COACH RON ZOOKTHE ZOOK FILEZOOK’S COACHING EXPERIENCE 2002-04 Florida (head coach)2000-01 New Orleans Saints (defensive coordinator)1999 Kansas City Chiefs (defensive backs)1996-98 Pittsburgh Steelers (special teams)1995 Florida (associate head coach/special teamscoordinator/nickelbackers and strong safeties)1994 Florida (special teams coordinator/nickelbackers)1991-93 Florida (defensive coordinator/defensive backs)1988-90 Ohio State (defensive backs)1987 Virginia Tech (defensive coordinator/assistant head coach)1984-86 Tennessee (defensive backs)1983 Kansas (defensive coordinator)1981-82 Cincinnati (defensive coordinator)1978-80 Murray State (defensive backs)1976-77 Orrville High School

RON ZOOK'S HEAD COACHING RECORDYear School Overall Conf. Bowl Final Polls2002 Florida 8-5 6-2 Outback NR/24th2003 Florida 8-5 6-2(T1st E) Outback 24/252004 Florida 7-4 4-4 Peach** NR/25Total 3 years 23-14 16-8 3 BowlsPolls listed as AP/Coaches**Led Gators to Peach bowl berth PERSONAL INFORMATIONDate of Birth: April 28, 1954Hometown: Loudonville, OhioFamily: Wife: Denise; Daughters: Jacquelyn and CaseyEducation: B.S. comprehensive science Miami (OH), 1976Playing Experience: Miami University (OH) (1973-75)COLLEGIATE COACHING CAREER (1978-95, 2002-04)• 21 years of collegiate coaching experience (Florida, Ohio State, Virginia Tech, Tennessee, Kansas,Cincinnati, Murray State)• Participated in 15 bowl games (three as a player, 12 as a coach)• Coached on five SEC Championship teams (four at Florida, one at Tennessee)• Coached at four schools that are members of college football's premier conferences (SEC, BigTen, Big 12, Big East)“WHEN SOMEONE CAME UP WITH THE STATEMENT ‘HE HAS

THE FIRE IN HIS BELLY‚ TO BE A GREAT COACH,’ I THINK HE

WAS EVALUATING COACHES THAT FIT RON ZOOK’S PROFILE.

I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO GET TO KNOW RON AS WELL

AS WATCH HIM COACH WHILE HE WAS AT OHIO STATE AND

FLORIDA. I RECOGNIZED A COACH WITH TREMENDOUS PAS-

SION FOR WHAT HE DOES AND A REAL COMPASSION FOR

THOSE HE WORKS WITH AND COACHES.”

- DICK VERMEIL, HEAD COACH, KANSAS CITY CHIEFS

Zook throws outthe first pitch at

a St. LouisCardinals game.

2 0 0 5 F I G H T I N G I L L I N I F O O T B A L L- 5 5 -


passer, the leading receiver and the leadingscorer.

In 2003, his squad captured a share ofthe Southeastern Conference East Divisionand defeated three ranked opponents inconsecutive games for the first time inschool history. Florida owned wins overtwo of the top 12 teams in the BCSChampionship, defeated both teams thatplayed for the SEC Championship anddowned eventual national champion LSU.Florida's schedule, which ranked secondtoughest in the nation, included a school-record tying seven ranked opponents.With a squad featuring 45 players seeingaction in their first collegiate game andutilizing 14 true freshmen, Zook's teamplayed in a January bowl game and fin-ished the season ranked 24th in the finalAssociated Press Poll (25th in theESPN/USA Today Coaches' Poll).

Zook's first season in Gainesville pro-duced wins over Tennessee, Auburn andGeorgia and a perfect record in the SECEastern Division. Zook became the onlyfirst-year coach in Gator history to defeattwo top-five teams in his first season in

Gainesville with a win over fourth-rankedTennessee and fifth-ranked Georgia.Against a schedule that ranked sixthtoughest in the nation, the Gators ranked24th in the final ESPN/USA Today Polland extended their school record of con-secutive January bowl appearances to 10.The 2002 Gator offense, which led theSoutheastern Conference in total offenseand passing, set school records for mostoffensive plays, passing attempts and com-pletions. Florida's pass defense ranked sev-enth-best in the nation, while just twoopposing quarterbacks totaled more than200 yards passing during the regular sea-son.

Zook's tireless efforts began on therecruiting front at Florida. In just threeyears, Zook signed 10 Parade All-Americans after Florida had inked 20 inthe previous 12 years. He signed six in the2003 class, just one shy of the schoolrecord set by the 1987 class. The 2003class ranked among the top three national-ly.

He came to the Gators from a posi-tion as defensive coordinator for the New

Orleans Saints, where his units led theNFL in quarterback sacks over the 2000-2001 period with 119, and ranked third inthe NFC in total defense in 2000. Hecoached for three NFL franchises(Pittsburgh, Kansas City and NewOrleans), including division championshipteams with the Steelers in l996-l997 andthe Saints in 2000.

On the collegiate level, Zook coachedon five SEC championship teams (four atFlorida and one at Tennessee), at fourschools that are members of college foot-ball's BCS conferences (SEC, Big Ten, Big12, Big East) and has participated in 15bowl games (three as a player, 12 as acoach). During his five years as an assistantat Florida (1991-95), the Gators won fourSEC titles, played in the 1996 nationalchampionship game and finished each yearranked in the nation's top 10.

Zook was born on April 28, 1954, inLoundonville, Ohio. He is a 1976 gradu-ate of Miami of Ohio, earning a Bachelorof Science degree in comprehensive sci-ence. He was a three-year letter winningdefensive back from 1973-75 and was cap-tain of the 1975 team. Miami posted a 32-1-1 record during that period, winningthree straight Mid-American Conferencetitles and posting three consecutiveTangerine Bowl victories.

Zook is married to the former DeniseBaugh, and the couple has two daughters,Jacquelyn and Casey.

RON ZOOK’S WINS VS. RANKED OPPONENTSat No. 4 Tennessee, 9/21/02 . . . . . . . . .30-13vs. No. 5 Georgia, 11/2/02 . . . . . . . . . . .20-13at No. 6 LSU, 10/11/03 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19-7at No. 11 Arkansas, 10/18/03 . . . . . . . .33-28vs. No. 4 Georgia, 11/1/03 . . . . . . . . . . . .16-13at No. 8 Florida State, 11/20/04 . . . . . .20-13

HEAD COACH RON ZOOK“RON WORKS ATONE SPEED —100 MILES ANHOUR AND HEGOES AT THATSPEED ALL THETIME. FROMTHE TIME THATHE WAKES UPTO THE TIMETHAT HE GOESTO SLEEP, IF HEGOES TO SLEEP,HE IS GOING TOBE DOING ANYTHING HECAN TO MAKEHIS PLAYERSAND FOOTBALLTEAM BETTER.”- MIKE GOTTFRIED,ESPN ANALYST


“Ron Zook has all the talent, all the experience and the leadership skills tobecome a very successful head footballcoach at the University of Illinois. All heneeded was an opportunity and I think theadministration made a very good decisionproviding that opportunity.”

- Dick Vermeil, Head CoachKansas City Chiefs

“The first things I noticed when I first metRon Zook was his character, his attitude,and his passion for the game of football.He has a lot of pride in what he does andhe always wanted to do the job at handand do it well. Ron is a great team person.He is not a big ego guy and it's neverabout Ron Zook. It's about the team andthe program and that's the way it waswhen he was a player and it certainly is theway he is as a coach. He is a tremendouslyhard worker and he just puts everythinginto his job.”

- Bill Malloryformer Indiana, Colorado, Miami (OH)

and Northern Illinois head coach (Ron Zook’s college coach)

“Coach Zook is one of the hardest work-

ing guys I have ever been around. He wasalways focused, always doing extra work,and was always doing everything he couldto improve as a football coach. He raisesthe intensity level around the office,because his energy and enthusiasm is infec-tious. He has an incredible sense ofurgency and he has the same sense ofurgency every day that someone wouldhave if they were playing for the national championship. He is a great recruiter andis exceptional at building relationships. Hisplayers love him, because they know thathe is caring, he is honest, and he is inter-ested in them.”

- ESPN analyst Mike Gottfried

“The best attribute that Ron Zook canbring to any football program is his pas-sion. He is one of the most passionate andmost talented coaches that I have everbeen associated with in this profession.Whether as a recruiter, a motivator or ateacher, Ron possesses an unmatched fireand a tireless work ethic.

“When Ron came to Kansas City in 1999as our defensive backs coach, he made animmediate and very positive impact on our


HEAD COACH RON ZOOKRON ZOOK-COACHED PLAYERS IN THE NFL DRAFTName, Round (School) . . . . . . .NFL Team (Pos) . . . . . .YearEphesians Bartley, 9th (Florida) . . . . . . . . .Eagles (LB) . . . . . . . .1992Michael Brandon, 12th (Florida) . . . . . . . . . .Colts (DE) . . . . . . . .1992Vinny Clark, 1st (Ohio State) . . . .Packers (DB) . . . . . .1991Channing Crowder, 3rd (Florida) . . . . .Dolphins (LB) . . . . . . .2005Brad Culpepper, 10th (Florida) . . . . . . . . .Vikings (DT) . . . . . . . .1992Ciatrick Faison, 4th (Florida) . . . . . . . . . . .Vikings (RB) . . . . . . .2005William Gaines, 6th (Florida) . . . . . . . . .Dolphins (DT) . . . . . . . .1994Rex Grossman, 1st ( Florida) . . . . . .Bears (QB) . . . . . .2003Lawrence Hatch, 6th (Florida) . . . . . . . . .Patriots (DB) . . . . . . . .1993Reynaldo Hill, 7th (Florida) . . . . . . . . . . . . .Titans (DB) . . . . . . .2005Taylor Jacobs, 2nd (Florida) . . . . . . . . .Redskins (WR) . . . . . . .2003Todd Johnson, 4th (Florida) . . . . . . . . . . . . .Bears (DB) . . . . . . .2003Victor Jones, 12th (Virginia Tech) . . .Buccaneers (LB) . . . . . . . .1988Tron LaFavor, 5th (Florida) . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Bears (DT) . . . . . . .2003Tony McCoy, 4th (Florida) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Colts (DT) . . . . . . . .1992Bobby McCray, 7th (Florida) . . . . . . . . . . .Jaguars (DE) . . . . . . .2004Darren Mickell, SD (Florida) . . . . . . . . . . . .Chiefs (DE) . . . . . . . .1994Clint Mitchell, 7th (Florida) . . . . . . . . . . .Broncos (DE) . . . . . . .2003Mike Nattiel, 6th (Florida) . . . . . . . . . . . . .Vikings (LB) . . . . . . .2003Tim Paulk, 7th (Florida) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Falcons (LB) . . . . . . . .1992Keiwan Ratliff, 2nd (Florida) . . . . . . . . . .Bengals (DB) . . . . . . .2004Guss Scott, 3rd (Florida) . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Patriots (DB) . . . . . . .2004Ian Scott, 4th (Florida) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Bears (DT) . . . . . . .2003Tommy Sims, 7th (Tennessee) . . . . . . . . . . . .Colts (DB) . . . . . . . .1986Max Starks, 3rd (Florida) . . . . . . . . . . . . .Steelers (OL) . . . . . . .2004Ben Troupe, 2nd (Florida) . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Titans (TE) . . . . . . .2004Aaron Walker, 5th (Florida) . . . . . . . . . . . . .49ers (TE) . . . . . . .2003Will White, 7th (Florida) . . . . . . . . . . . . .Cardinals (FS) . . . . . . . .1993Carter Wiley, 12th (Virginia Tech) . . . . . .Falcons (DB) . . . . . . . .1988

RON ZOOK: THE TIRELESS WORKER

❑ When RON ZOOK was hired atIllinois, Chicago Tribune columnistRick Morrissey wrote “What Illinoisgot was a man with enough energyto power a few windmills and per-haps tilt a few in the process. This is aman who needs to stay busy.”❑ RON ZOOK calls sleep overrated.He also finds eating can be a nuisanceto getting the job done. He is so driv-en he once said, “Can you imaginehow much you could get done if youdidn’t have to sleep or eat? (excerptfrom an article by Ed Sherman,Chicago Tribune)❑ When RON ZOOK was on JohnCooper’s Ohio State coaching staff,they were on the road recruitingwhen Cooper wanted to stop forseafood. Zook zipped through aShoney’s drive-thru for clam chow-der.❑ RON ZOOK is a man who believesthat no time should be wasted. Oncewhen a fire alarm went off in theFlorida coaches offices, everybodybut Zook evacuated. “If there reallyhad been a fire, I could haveescaped,” Zook said. “It’s not that farof a jump.”❑ While an assistant at Tennesseefrom 1984-86, RON ZOOK once calleda defensive backs meeting in thehotel room of one of his players,Charles Davis. When he realized hehad forgotten to bring a pad ofpaper, Zook ripped off the bedsheetand scrawled plays on them. “I wentto bed with two- and three-deep cov-erages underneath me,” Davis said.❑ RON ZOOK says one of his biggestfears in life is retirement. His wife,Denise, agrees, “He is the person heis. I married that person. He madesure I knew what he was like. He hasbeen like this since the day I met him.I just happened to fall in love withhim. I wouldn’t change him one bit.”


team. Both our players and our coachingstaff fed off his enthusiasm. It didn’t takeme long to figure out that with his leader-ship skills, Ron was a guy who was rapidlyascending in the coaching profession. Myonly regret is that we only spent one sea-son coaching together with the Chiefs.

“I have followed Ron’s career closely sincehe left Kansas City. I particularly admiredthe toughness, determination and persever-ance he, his coaching staff and players dis-played under incredibly difficult circum-stances last season at the University ofFlorida. Winning his last three games atFlorida was a testament to the dedicationand devotion he brings to a football pro-gram.

“If you saw his players carry him off thefield after their win at Florida State, thattells you all you need to know about RonZook. In my book, that win alone morethan qualifies him for any head coachingjob in America. I have tremendous respectfor Ron Zook both as a person and as afootball coach. I look forward to seeinghim lead another team in 2005.”

- Guenther Cunninghamdefensive coordinator, Kansas City Chiefs

“Ron has tremendous energy, commitmentand drive to be successful. He understandsthe game very well and can communicateto players on every level. He has workedon all levels and has coached many areas.

Players respond to Ron, they respect Ronand it is clear that his path has beenone of success.”

- Jim Haslett, head coach, New Orleans Saints

“Coach Zook is one of the hardest work-ing coaches I have ever seen and he is such an intense and exciteable guy. Butwhat stood out the most to me was that hewas a coach that knew what we were goingthrough, he had been there before, and hewants the best out of you and the best foryou. His players absolutely love him andhe is always there to talk to you. He wantsto know how your day is going, he wantsto know if anything is bothering you, andhe always has his door open to come andtalk to him. He is going to be the first onerunning out of the tunnel and the last oneto leave the field. He believes in the phi-losophy that you have to work extremelyhard seven days a week. Coach Zook isgoing to give you 110 percent all the timeand he wants his players to give him 110percent right back.

“I think Coach Zook and staff are going todo great things at the University of Illinois.With his personality, his philosophy, andwith the groundwork that he is going tolay down, I think Illinois is going to bevery successful in a few years.”

- Max Starks, former Florida and current

Pittsburgh Steeler offensive lineman

“He's a real high energy guy and he'sgoing to get the players to play fast. He'llrun a little no-huddle offense and try tospeed the game up in the Big Ten a littlebit. I think it will help them give peopletrouble in the Big Ten. I know he is goingto do great.”

- Rex Grossman, former Florida and current Chicago Bear quarterback

“Ron's passion for the game is unmatchedin my 20 years in the NFL. He lives,breaths, sleeps football. I'd want my kid toplay for him.”

- Randy Muellercurrent Miami Dolphins and former

New Orleans Saints General Manager


ABOUT RON ZOOK

❑ When RON ZOOK didn’t receiveany scholarship offers out of highschool, Zook decided to walk-on tothe team at Miami University of Ohioafter a local dentist, Dave Mallory,introduced him to his brother, BillMallory, the head coach at Miami.When he walked off three years later,he was the team’s captain. In thethree seasons Zook played, Miamionly lost one game.❑ How does RON ZOOK describe hisstyle of coaching? “Wide open, puffo’smoke come out of your tail andgo, man, go. We’re gonna play allthem games, play them hard andhave a good time doing it. When(fans) leave the stadium, I want themturning around saying ‘Those guysare having fun.’”❑ As children, RON ZOOK’S brother,Bob,would stand at the top of a hillbehind their home and roll an old tiredown to Ron, who was standing atthe bottom of the hill in shoulderpads and a helmet. Zook was smallgrowing up, but the drill taught himtoughness. He either made a greatstop or got knocked to the ground.Afterwards he would get up andpush the tire back up the hill and pre-pare for another shot. “It was atoughness drill, teaching me to runthrough things when I tackled,” Zooksaid. “You had to hit it hard, becauseit was a moving object and it’d rollright over you.”❑ RON ZOOK’S favorite way to relaxis water skiing … He started flyingplanes when he was 13 and had hisfirst solo flight when he was 16 … Hebegins every morning with a three-mile run. He benches 350 pounds andsquats 500 pounds.❑ RON ZOOK’S grandfather, Peter,came to America from Russia. Whenhe arrived at Ellis Island, immigrationofficials looked at his 26-letter lastname and shortened it to simplyZook.

HEAD COACH RON ZOOK



MIKE LOCKSLEYMike Locksley joins the Illinois coaching stafffor his first season as Illinois' offensive coordi-nator, brining over 12 years of collegiate experi-ence to the job.

Locksley worked for Zook for two seasonsat the University of Florida as running backscoach and recruiting coordinator, following sixyears on the University of Maryland staff.While on the Gators staff, Locksley was praisedfor his recruiting abilities, which earned himthe recognition of one of the Top-25 recruiterswhen the 2003 class was rated seventh in thenation. He also earned the same honors fromScout.com this season with his work on boththe Illinois and Florida signing classes. Last sea-son, UF running back Ciatrick Fason led theSEC and was 19th in the NCAA in rushingyards, earning second-team All-SEC honors.Overall, the Florida offense ranked first in totalyards and second in scoring. In 2003, threeGator rushers logged over 500 yards on theground and each averaged 5.5 yards per carry.

As a Terp for five years, Locksley worked asthe Maryland running backs coach as well asrecruiting coordinator for five of those seasons.While at Maryland, three different runningbacks, Chris Downs, Bruce Perry and LamontJordan rushed for over 1,000 yards and werenamed first-team All-ACC. In 1999, the Terpsled the ACC in rushing yards with 234.1 yardsand ranked 12th in the nation behind the run-ning of All-American Jordan. Jordan, who wasthe ACC's 1997 Rookie of the Year, also fin-ished as a Doak Walker semifinalist and first-team All-ACC performer. Perry was the 2001ACC Offensive Player of the Year, a first for aTerp running back, while also earning All-America honors.

Locksley actually began his coaching careeron the defensive side of the ball with stops athis alma mater Towson University as the defen-sive backs coach, U.S. Navy Prep School as thedefensive coordiantor and as linebackers coachat Pacific.

A three-year starter at Towson University inMaryland, Locksley played safety and wasnamed the team's MVP in 1991 as a senior. Hefinished his career ranked 19th on the school'sall-time tackles list. He graduated from Towsonin 1992 with a bachelor's degree in businessadministration and marketing. Locksley and hiswife, Kia, have four children, three sons Mike,Jr., Meiko and Kai and a daughter, Kori.

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING ABOUTCOACH LOCKSLEY ...Former Maryland and current Oakland Raiderrunning back Lamont Jordan“Coach Locksley is the biggest reason why I amin the NFL today and words can’t describe howappreciative I am that I had an opportunity toplay for him. I had a chance to leave for the

NFL after my junior year of college and themain reason that I came back was to play onemore year for Coach Locksley. When I firstarrived in the NFL my coaches told me that Iwas very prepared to play and I owe most ofthat to Coach Locks. As a player if you trusthim, if you do what he says and buy into hisprogram you are going to be very successful. Ihave the utmost respect and love for CoachLocksley and his family and words can’tdescribe how much he means to me.”

Former Florida and current Minnesota Vikingsrunning back Ciatrick Fason“Before Coach Locksley got to Florida, we did-

n’t really look at the fundamentals of the posi-tion but once he arrived he taught us how toread different defenses, how to read the holeand how to pick your blocks. When we were onthe field under Coach Locksley we would bustour butts every day, but off the field we had funand he treated us just like we were his ownkids. There is no doubt he made me a betterrunning back and a better person in my twoyears under him.”

LOCKSLEY’S AWARDS• 2003 Top-25 Recruiters by Rivals.com• 2005 Top-25 Recruiters by Rivals.com

MIKE LOCKSLEYOffensive Coordinator/Tight EndsTowson University, 1992 • First SeasonTHE LOCKSLEY FILE 2003-04 University of Florida (running backs/recruiting coordinator)1998-2002 University of Maryland (running backs/recruiting coordinator)1997 University of Maryland (running backs)1996 Army (receivers/tight ends)1995 Pacific (outside linebackers)1994 U.S. Naval Prep School (defensive coordinator/defensive line)1993 U.S. Naval Prep School (defensive coordinator/defensive backs)1992 Towson University (defensive backs/special teams)

“COACHLOCKSLEY IS THEBIGGEST REASONWHY I AM IN THENFL TODAY AND

WORDS CAN’TDESCRIBE HOW

APPRECIATIVE IAM THAT I HAD

AN OPPORTUNITYTO PLAY FOR

HIM. AS A PLAYER IF YOUTRUST HIM, IF

YOU DO WHAT HESAYS AND BUY

INTO HIS PROGRAM YOU

ARE GOING TO BEVERY

SUCCESSFUL.”- LAMONT JORDAN



MIKE MALLORYA member of one of the most respected coach-ing families in college football, Mike Mallorybegins his fifth season at Illinois and second asthe Illini defensive coordinator.

Mallory began coaching the linebackers in2003 after spending the previous two yearswith the safeties. The move was a natural one,giving him a chance to work with the positionthat earned him All-America honors as a playerat Michigan. In 2003, he coached middle line-backer Matt Sinclair to honorable mention All-Big Ten honors.

During his first two years at Illinois,Mallory was responsible for the tutelage of thesafeties. In 2001, Mallory worked with the sen-ior safety duo of Bobby Jackson andMuhammad Abdullah, who both earned All-Big Ten honors. Jackson and Abdullah respond-ed to a new defensive scheme that allowedthem to challenge the run (10 TFL and threesacks combined) and drop back in pass cover-age (5 interceptions and 20 passes broken up).

Mallory, son of former Indiana, Colorado,Northern Illinois and Miami (OH) head coachBill Mallory, came to Illinois following one sea-son as linebackers coach with the MarylandTerrapins. Prior to his stint at Maryland,Mallory was the defensive coordinator and line-backers coach at Northern Illinois. In 1999, heguided the Huskies to a 5-6 record, their bestsince 1992, while posting the Mid-AmericanConference’s third-best pass efficiency defense.

In addition to defensive coordinator experi-ence at NIU, Mallory also held the same posi-tion at the University of Rhode Island from1993-95. With 19 years of experience in collegecoaching, Mallory began his career as a gradu-ate assistant at Indiana in 1986-87 assisting inthe Hoosiers back-to-back bowl appearances.He then went on to Kent State where he wasthe linebackers and defensive line coach forthree seasons. In 1991, Mallory became thelinebackers coach at Eastern Illinois.

Mallory was a four-year letterwinner at line-backer for the University of Michigan from1982-85, where he played in four bowl gamesincluding the 1983 Rose Bowl and 1986 FiestaBowl. He was also a two-year captain, the 1984team MVP and 1985 Butkus Award finalist. Hegraduated from Michigan in 1985 with a bach-elor’s degree in sports administration and beganpursuing graduate work in sports managementat Indiana University in 1986-87.

Mallory is a graduate of Delkalb HighSchool in Illinois, where he was an all-state per-former in 1980. Mallory and his wife, Kim,have a daughter, Kathryn and a son, WilliamMichael.

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING ABOUTCOACH MALLORYFormer Illinois and current Baltimore Raven linebacker Matt Sinclair“Coach Mallory is a great football coach and hepays attention to detail more than any coach Ihave ever had. He makes sure every base is cov-ered and makes sure that no stone is leftunturned and that attention to detail makesyou a better football player. On game day he isso intense that you would think he was outthere playing with you and there were times itseemed like he was more intense than some of the players. All he asks out of you as a playeris that you give everything you have becausethat's what he did when he was a player.

Off the field he is a great family man and acharacter guy and that's what he looks for inhis players more than anything. It was a privi-lege to play for Coach Mallory."

MIKE MALLORYDefensive Coordinator/LinebackersMichigan, 1985 • Fifth SeasonTHE MALLORY FILE2004- University of Illinois (defensive coordinator/linebackers)2001-03 University of Illinois (secondary/safeties/linebackers)2000 University of Maryland (inside linebackers)1996-99 Northern Illinois (defensive coordinator/linebackers)1993-95 Rhode Island (defensive coordinator/linebackers)1991-92 Eastern Illinois (linebackers)1988-90 Kent State (linebackers/defensive line)1986-87 Indiana University (graduate assistant)

“COACH MALLORYIS A GREAT

FOOTBALL COACHAND HE PAYS

ATTENTION TODETAIL MORE

THAN ANY COACHI HAVE EVER

HAD. HE MAKESSURE EVERY BASE

IS COVERED ANDTHAT NO STONE

IS LEFTUNTURNED. THAT

ATTENTION TODETAIL MAKESYOU A BETTER

PLAYER. ONGAME DAY HE ISSO INTENSE YOU

WOULD THINK HEWAS OUT THERE

PLAYING WITHYOU.”

- MATT SINCLAIR



REGGIE MITCHELLReggie Mitchell begins his first season as anassistant coach and recruiting coordinator onthe University of Illinois staff, following nearly20 years of collegiate coaching experience. AMidwesterner hailing from Flint, Mich.,Mitchell comes to Illinois after six seasons atMichigan State and two years at Minnesota.

Much of Mitchell's experience has come onthe offensive side of the ball as primarily a run-ning backs and wide receivers coach. In his sixyears at MSU, he tutored two NFL first-rounddraft picks in running back T.J. Duckett andreceiver Plaxico Burress. The 2003 No. 2 pickreceiver Charles Rogers was also a prized recruitfor Mitchell. In 2001, Duckett rushed for1,420 yards, totaling 3,379 in his career, whileBurress set the MSU single-season receivingrecord in 1999 with 66 catches, 1,142 yardsand 12 touchdowns.

Mitchell, 43, went to MSU following 12seasons with head coach Glen Mason atMinnesota, Kansas and Kent State. During histime with the Jayhawks, Kansas won 29 gamesduring a four-year stretch, the best total in 85seasons. The 1995 team went 10-2 and finishedninth in the final AP poll after a 51-30 winover UCLA in the Aloha Bowl. During thattime, Mitchell tutored KU's all-time leadingrusher June Henley (3,841 yards).

A four-year starter as a running back atCentral Michigan (1978-81), Mitchell rushedfor 2,394 career yards and helped theChippewas win back-to-back Mid-AmericanConference titles in 1979 and 1980. He earnedMVP honors in 1981 after gaining 1,068 yards.He received his bachelor's degree from CMU inparks and recreation in 1984. Mitchell was anall-state running back at Flint's SouthwesternHigh School. He and his wife, Andrea, havetwo children, a son, Kaeman, and a daughter,Karena.

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING ABOUTCOACH MITCHELL ...Former Michigan State and current Detroit Lionswide receiver Charles Rogers“Reggie is the type of coach you know willalways be in your life. He recruited me toMichigan State and is one of the main reasons Ifeel East Lansing is my second home. He is agenuine person, who is always there for youthrough any situation. Reggie knows his foot-ball and is a tremendous teacher and rolemodel.”

REGGIE MITCHELLAssistant Head Coach/Recruiting Coordinator/Running BacksCentral Michigan, 1981 • First SeasonTHE MITCHELL FILE2000-04 Michigan State University (running backs/recruiting coordinator)1999 Michigan State University (wide receivers)1997-98 University of Minnesota (running backs)1995-96 Kansas University (running backs)1991-94 Kansas University (defensive ends)1988-90 Kansas University (defensive line)1987 Kent State (wide receivers)1986 Western Michigan (running backs)1985 University of Michigan (graduate assistant)1984 Ferris State (wide receivers)1983 Central Michigan (student assistant)

“REGGIE IS THETYPE OF COACH

YOU KNOW WILLALWAYS BE INYOUR LIFE. HERECRUITED ME

TO MICHIGANSTATE AND IS

ONE OF THE REA-SONS I FEEL EAST

LANSING IS MYSECOND HOME.

HE IS A GENUINEPERSON, WHO ISALWAYS THERE

FOR YOUTHROUGH ANY

SITUATION.REGGIE KNOWSHIS FOOTBALL

AND IS ATREMENDOUSTEACHER ANDROLE MODEL.”- CHARLES ROGERS



DINO DAWSONDino Dawson enters his first season at Illinoiswith 13 years of previous collegiate footballcoaching experience. Most recently, Dawsonwas the secondary coach at Tuskegee University,which went 10-2 last season, while making atrip to the 2004 Pioneer Bowl.

In 2002-03, Dawson served as defensivebacks coach at the University of Cincinnatiwhere the defense ranked in the top-25 eachseason. The Bearcats won the Conference USAtitle and went to the New Orleans Bowl in2002. Prior to his time at UC, Dawsoncoached the wide receivers at Toledo where theoffense ranked 13th nationally and won theMAC championship with an 11-2 record, and aMotor City Bowl victory over Cincinnati.

Dawson also worked for seven years atBowling Green, performing a wide variety ofcoaching duties, including quarterbacks, run-ning backs and wide receivers. He also workedfor a single season at both Illinois State andWayne State. In addition to his coaching expe-rience, Dawson participated in the NFL’sMinority Internship Program in 1998, underDetroit Lions head coach Bobby Ross.

In 1991, Dawson received his Bachelor ofScience degree in criminal justice from WayneState University. Before transferring to finishhis degree, Dawson was a wide receiver andkick returner at the Ohio State University(1984-87), lettering as a freshman on the 1985Rose Bowl team. He later transferred to KentState (1988-89) where he led the team in recep-tions.

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING ABOUTCOACH DAWSON ...Former Cincinnati cornerback and currentBaltimore Raven Zach Norton“Coach Dawson was a coach that demandedperfection. He stresses technique and disci-pline, 24/7. He treats his players like men andhe expects them to act like men on and off thefield. Although he is demanding during prac-tice, he lets the hard work turn into fun ongameday.”

DINO DAWSONWide ReceiversWayne State, 1991 • First SeasonTHE DAWSON FILE2004 Tuskegee University (defensive backs)2002-03 University of Cincinnati (defensive backs)2001 University of Toledo (wide receivers)2000 Bowling Green State University (offensive coordinator/quarterbacks/wide receivers)1996-99 Bowling Green State University (wide receivers)1994-95 Bowling Green State University (running backs)1993 Illinois State University (defensive backs)1992 Wayne State University (wide receivers)“COACH DAWSON

WAS A COACHTHAT DEMANDEDPERFECTION. HE

STRESSES TECHNIQUE ANDDISCIPLINE, 24/7.COACH DAWSON

TREATS HISPLAYERS LIKEMEN AND HE

EXPECTS THEMTO ACT LIKE MENON AND OFF THEFIELD. ALTHOUGHHE IS DEMANDING

DURING PRACTICE, HE

LETS THE HARDWORK TURN INTO

FUN ON GAME-DAY.”

- ZACH NORTON



DAN DISCHAfter one season serving as the secondary coachat the University of Florida, Dan Disch willbegin his first season on the Illini staff as thespecial teams/outside linebackers coach.

In 2004, Disch rebuilt a secondary that lostall four defensive starters from the previousyear, his new group still recorded 16 intercep-tions. The production came from a group thatentered the season with just four career picks.Safety Jarvis Herring ranked third in the SECin interceptions per game, while corner DeeWebb was fourth in passes defended.

Prior to entering the collegiate ranks, Dischspent 22 years coaching high school football inthe Jacksonville area, including 16 seasons asthe head coach of Ed White High School,where he posted a record of 122-55 to becomethe school’s all-time winningest coach. Whileunder Disch’s lead, Ed White made 11 playoffappearances, won seven district and six confer-ence championships and reached the state quar-terfinals four times. Ed White also was rankedin the Top-10 of the state’s final football polleight times. Additionally, five of Disch’s highschool assistant coaches went on to land headcoaching jobs.

Disch is a 1981 graduate of Florida StateUniversity. He was born in Jacksonville, Fla.and is married to the former Janet Johnson.The couple has three daughters: Chandler,Erica and Virginia.

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING ABOUTCOACH DISCHFormer Florida cornerback and current TennesseeTitan Reynaldo Hill“The first thing that always struck me aboutCoach Disch is that he is a people person. He isthe kind of coach that can get the best out ofyou, because you can tell that he cares for youas a person and you respect him both on andoff the field. He taught me and my teammatesa lot about the technical aspect of the game offootball. I honed a lot of the skills that I havetoday in my years under Coach Disch. He isalso an extremely down-to-earth coach who wealways knew was going to be successful at thecollege level. I expect him to be a part of a great staff out there at Illinois and I know the playerswill enjoy playing for him as much as I did.”

Former Ed White High School linebacker andcurrent Detroit Lion Johnathan Goddard“Coach Disch is a great coach and without hiscoaching ability and guidance, I wouldn’t bewhere I am today. He is a players coach and aguy who is always having a good time, butwhen you get on that field you have to be readyto work hard for him. His motto is ‘Do it rightdo it light, do it wrong do it long’ and I stillthink about that advice in my everyday life

today. We always knew he was going to succeedon the college level and I know the players atIllinois are going to love him.”

DAN DISCHSpecial Teams/Outside LinebackersFlorida State, 1981 • First SeasonTHE DISCH FILE2004 University of Florida (secondary)1988-2003 Ed White High School (head football coach)1986-87 Terry Parker High School (assistant football coach)1981-84 Forrest High School (assistant football coach)

“COACH DISCH ISTHE KIND OF

COACH THAT CANGET THE BEST

OUT OF YOU,BECAUSE YOU

CAN TELL THATHE CARES FOR

YOU AS A PERSON AND YOU

RESPECT HIMBOTH ON AND

OFF THE FIELD.HE TAUGHT ME

AND MY TEAMMATES A

LOT ABOUT THETECHNICAL

ASPECT OF THEGAME OF

FOOTBALL.”- REYNALDO HILL



CURT MALLORYCurt Mallory joins his older brother, Mike, ashe begins his first season at the University ofIllinois. Mallory, who comes to the Illini with12 years of collegiate coaching experience, willtake over the responsibility of coaching thedefensive secondary.

In 2004, Mallory completed his third sea-son at Indiana University where he served assecondary coach for the Hoosiers. During thattime, safety Herana-Daze Jones earned second-team All-Big Ten honors in 2004 and was anhonorable mention selection in 2003. He alsocoached strong safety Will Meyers to freshmanAll-America honors by the Sporting News. Hissecondary in 2002 ranked 33rd nationally inpass defense.

Prior to joining the Hoosier staff, Mallorycoached the defensive backs at CentralMichigan in 2001 and at Ball State in 2000.He was the linebackers coach at Ball State forfour seasons from 1995-99, when the defenseranked among the top three in the Mid-American Conference in four of the five years.In 1995 and 1996 the Ball State teams postedwinning records, which led to a berth in the1996 Las Vegas Bowl.

Mallory began his career as a student assis-tant at his alma mater, Michigan in 1992, butthen coached under his father, the legendaryBill Mallory, as a graduate assistant at Indiana1993-94. During his first stint as a Hoosier, hegained experience working with both the line-backers and defensive backs on two Indianasquads posting winning records.

Mallory was a two-year letterwinner (1989-90) at the University of Michigan, and was partof five Big Ten Championships teams (four as aplayer, one as a student assistant in 1992). In1989, the Wolverines posted a 10-2 record andearned a trip to the Rose Bowl. The 1990 teamdefeated Mississippi in the Gator Bowl, a gamein which Mallory recorded a key interception.

He earned his bachelor’s degree in sportmanagement/communications from UM in1992 and earned a master’s degree in outdoorrecreation from Indiana University in 1999.Mallory and his wife, Lori, have two sons,James and Sam.

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING ABOUTCOACH MALLORY ...Former Indiana tight end and current HoustonTexan Aaron Halterman“Coach Mallory is a family guy who is verydedicated to football. He works harder thananybody else. He tries to relate to players andwhat they need. He’s a solid guy, I consider him a good friend and someone I could call if Iever needed anything.”

Former Indiana and current Cincinnati Bengaldefensive back Herana Daze-Jones"He's a great, great person. Anything you need,anytime you ask him for something, anytimeyou need help, he's there for you. And he's agreat coach - the best coach I had in college.We were good friends, and we'll stay friends forthe rest of our lives."

CURT MALLORYDefensive SecondaryMichigan, 1992 • First SeasonTHE MALLORY FILE2002-04 Indiana University (defensive secondary)2001 Central Michigan (defensive secondary)2000 Ball State (defensive secondary)1995-99 Ball State (linebackers)1993-94 Indiana University (graduate assistant)1992 University of Michigan (student assistant)

“HE'S A GREAT,

GREAT PERSON.

ANYTHING YOU

NEED, ANYTIME

YOU ASK HIM FOR

SOMETHING,

ANYTIME YOU

NEED HELP, HE'S

THERE FOR YOU.

AND HE'S A

GREAT COACH -

THE BEST COACH

I HAD IN

COLLEGE. WE

WERE GOOD

FRIENDS, AND

WE'LL STAY

FRIENDS FOR THE

REST OF OUR

LIVES.”-HERANA DAZE-JONES



TOM SIMSFormer NFL standout Tom Sims brings nineyears of collegiate coaching to the University ofIllinois, where he will begin his first year as thedefensive line coach.

Sims spent four seasons at the University ofMinnesota as the defensive line coach. In hislast two seasons with the Gophers, the rundefense held offenses to under 130 yards pergame. The Gophers made vast improvementsunder Sims, pressuring the quarterback for 31sacks in 2002 after only 14 the previous season.In 2003, his lineman didn’t allow a single 100-yard rusher.

Prior to beginning his coaching career, Simsspent seven years in the NFL as a defensivelineman for the Kansas City Chiefs,Indianapolis Colts and Minnesota Vikings. Healso participated in the NFL’s MinorityInternship Program in 2004, where he workedwith the defensive lineman of the Kansas CityChiefs.

He started his coaching career at WesternKentucky in 1997, spending three seasons lead-ing the defensive line. He then held the sameposition at Eastern Michigan in 2000.

Sims is a native of Detroit and was a four-year starter in college. He began his career atWestern Michigan University, where he playedfrom 1985-86, but transferred to Pittsburghwhere he helped lead his team to a Sun Bowlappearance. In two years, he recorded 142 tack-les and 12.5 sacks. He graduated from Pitt in1990 with a B.S. in Business.

Sims and his wife, Rene, have two children,Sydney and Zoe.

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING ABOUTCOACH SIMSFormer Minnesota defensive end and currentIndianapolis Colt Darrell Reid"To me Coach Sims was always more than justa football coach. I grew up without a father forthe most part and he was always like a fatherfigure to me. When I switched positions and hewas no longer my position coach he still stayedwith me, stayed on me and was still someone Ialways looked up to and respected. As a defen-sive lineman coming to play for Coach Simsyou know you are going to get better as a per-son and as a player on and off the field. Youalso know that if you bring your "A" game, youare going to play, because he shows nofavoritism to anyone. The guy who is takingcare of business and making plays is going to beout on the field. He taught me the basic funda-mentals of the position and really instilled theminto my game and I don't think I would be inthe NFL today if it wasn't for his guidance andteaching."

TOM SIMSDefensive LinePittsburgh, 1990 • First SeasonTHE SIMS’ FILE2001-04 University of Minnesota (defensive line)2000 Eastern Michigan (defensive line)1997-99 Western Kentucky (defensive line)

“AS A DEFENSIVELINEMAN COMING

TO PLAY FORCOACH SIMS YOUKNOW YOU ARE

GOING TO GETBETTER AS A

PERSON AND ASA PLAYER. HE

TAUGHT ME THEBASIC FUNDA-

MENTALS OF THEPOSITION AND

REALLYINSTILLED THEM

INTO MY GAMEAND I DON'T

THINK I WOULDBE IN THE NFL

TODAY IF IT WASN'T FOR HIS

GUIDANCE ANDTEACHING.”

- DARRELL REID



ED WARINNEREd Warinner, who has 21 years of college foot-ball coaching experience, enters his first yearwith the Illini as run game coordinator andoffensive line coach.

Most recently, Warinner’s coaching effortswere evident in his stint with Kansas. Duringhis first year, the KU offense improved it’s rush-ing average by nearly 40 total yards per gameand by 1.2 yards per rushing attempt. In addi-tion, the Jayhawks scored nearly 10 morepoints per game while allowing 14 fewer sacks.

Before heading to KU he spent three sea-sons at the Air Force Academy. While at AirForce, the team took home the national rushingtitle in 2002, averaging 307.8 yards per gameon the ground. That year the Falcons were also8-5 and participated in the San Francisco Bowl.Additionally, the 2000 and 2001 Air Forceteams led the Mountain West Conference andranked third in the nation in rushing (2001 –273.5 ypg; 2000 – 294.9 ypg).

During his 13-year stint at Army (1987-99), the Black Knights led the nation in rush-ing several times, including in 1993 whenArmy averaged 298.5 rushing yards per game,and in 1996 when they averaged 346.5 yards.During the 1998 season, his first as offensivecoordinator, Army again took home the nation-al rushing title, averaging 293.8 yards per con-test.

As a collegiate athlete, Warinner was astandout football and baseball player at MountUnion College (1980-84). In 1983, he was theschool’s leading rusher, scorer and receiver whileearning his fourth letter in football. He earnedhis Bachelor’s degree from Mount UnionCollege in 1984 and his Master’s from Akron in1985.

Warinner was born in Strasburg, Ohio.Warinner and his wife, Mary Beth, have threechildren: Madisyn, Merideth and Edward.

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING ABOUTCOACH WARINNERFormer Air Force running back and currentCleveland Brown Ben Miller"I had the opportunity to play for Ed Warinnerfor two years at the Air Force Academy. He isby far the best coach that I have ever played for.During my junior and senior years, he taughtme more about the game than I thought Icould ever know. I learned the fundamentals offootball, but more importantly, he taught methe essentials to success, hard work and consis-tency. Day in and day out, he made me a bet-ter football player and a better person, on andoff the football field. Any young athlete luckyenough to play for Coach Warinner and theUniversity of Illinois will thrive on the chal-lenges and successes that are sure to come."

Air Force head coach Fisher DeBerry"Ed Warinner is a tireless worker and a verygood football coach. He really knows the gameand really cares for his players. He is a greatrole model for his players and a great husbandand father."

WARINNER’S FIVE NCAA RUSHING TITLESIllinois offensive line coach Ed Warinner has ledfive teams to NCAA rushing titles, four withArmy and one with Air Force:1988: This Army team won the first rushingtitle of “The Wishbone Era.” Averaging 317.9yards per game, the Black Knights finished theseason with a 9-3 record and put up 350 yards

on Alabama at the Sun Bowl — the sameAlabama team that ranked fifth in the nation inrushing defense … 1993: The Black Knightsrushed for 3,284 yards on 660 carries, averag-ing nearly five yards an attempt and 300 yardsper game … 1996: Army posted its first andonly 10-win season in school history behind3,812 yards rushing (5.2 yards per carry and317.7 yards per contest) … 1998: The BlackKnights recorded the nation’s best rushingnumbers for the third time in six years with293 yards per game, also a per carry average of5.3 … 2002: Warinner’s fifth title came at AirForce as the Falcons topped the 4,000-yardmark in 13 games. The team scored 41 rushingtowndowns on 307 yards per contest.

ED WARINNERRun Game Coordinator/Offensive LineMount Union College, 1984 • First SeasonTHE WARINNER FILE2003-04 Kansas (offensive line/run-game coordinator)2000-02 Air Force (offensive line)1998-99 Army (offensive coordinator/quarterbacks)1987-97 Army (offensive line/football operations/defensive line)1985-86 Michigan State (linebackers/defensive backs)1984 Akron (running backs)

“COACH WARINNER IS BY

FAR THE BESTCOACH THAT I

HAVE EVERPLAYED FOR. HE

TAUGHT MEMORE ABOUT THE

GAME THAN ITHOUGHT I

COULD EVERKNOW. I

LEARNED THEFUNDAMENTALS

OF FOOTBALL,BUT MORE

IMPORTANTLY, HETAUGHT ME THEESSENTIALS TO

SUCCESS. DAY INAND DAY OUT, HE

MADE ME A BETTER FOOT-BALL PLAYER

AND A BETTERPERSON.”

- BEN MILLER



ED ZAUNBRECHEREd Zaunbrecher begins his fourth year underCoach Zook after following him from theUniversity of Florida, where he coached quar-terbacks since 2002. He brings 30 years of col-legiate coaching experience, including five sea-sons as head coach at Louisiana-Monroe.

In 2004, Zaunbrecher coached the Gatoroffense to first in the SEC in many categories:passing offense (271.1 ypg), total offense(426.9 ypg), third-down conversions (47.9),touchdown passes (29), pass attempts (407)and pass completions (243).

Zaunbrecher also coached quarterbackChris Leak to a great success in his two years asa starter. In 2004, Leak led the SEC in passingyards per game (266.4), total offense (273 ypg),touchdown passes (29), while also ranking 16thnationally in pass efficiency. In 2003, Leakbroke nearly every freshman quarterback schoolrecord, including touchdowns, passing yards,completions and attempts.

Zaunbrecher has been a part of many suc-cessful teams during his collegiate tenure. Hehas coached in 14 bowl games, including fourJanuary bowl games. During his career, he hasalso coached many great quarterbacks. In fact,nine quarterbacks that he has coached have setnew school passing records. This list is high-lighted by Chris Leak (Florida), Rex Grossman(Florida), Chad Pennington (Marshall), ByronLeftwich (Marshal), Tommy Hodson (LSU)and Jim Miller (Michigan State). During hiscoaching reign, 69 players have garnered All-Conference recognition. Additionally, 42 for-mer players have been drafted in the NFL,including six first round draft picks.

Zaunbrecher was born on March 1, 1950,in Rayne, Louisiana. He is a 1972 graduatefrom Middle Tennessee State, earning a B.S. inPsychology. He was also a three-year starter atcenter and won the team’s Scholar-AthleteAward. He later received the 1972 NCAApost-graduate award scholarship. He also gradu-ated from Arizona in 1974 with a Master’sdegree in guidance and counseling.

Zaunbrecher is married to the former BobbiMcKinney, and the couple has three children:Ann Lindsay, Emily and Zach.

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING ABOUTCOACH ZAUNBRECHER ...Former Marshall and current Jacksonville Jaguarsquarterback Byron Leftwich"It was great to play under Coach Zaunbrecherbecause you have a guy who knows a lot aboutfootball. He has forgotten more about the gameof football than most people know. He is oneof those guys who had the opportunity tocoach some successful quarterbacks in collegeand you know his way of teaching works. Itworked for me as well as others in the past."

ZAUNBRECHER’S CURRENT NFL QUARTERBACKS Chad Pennington, 2000 1st Round (18th)

N.Y. JetsByron Leftwich, 2003 1st Round (7th)

Jacksonville JaguarsRex Grossman, 2003 1st Round (22nd)

Chicago Bears

ED ZAUNBRECHERPassing Game Coordinator/QuarterbacksMiddle Tennessee, 1972 • First SeasonTHE ZAUNBRECHER FILE2004 University of Florida (quarterbacks)2002-03 University of Florida (offensive coordinator/quarterbacks)2000-01 Marshall (offensive coordinator/quarterbacks)1999 Marshall (quarterbacks)1994-98 Northeast Louisiana (head coach)1992-93 Michigan State (linebackers)1991 Michigan State (quarterbacks)1984-90 LSU (offensive coordinator/quarterbacks)1980-83 Wake Forest (offensive coordinator/quarterbacks/receivers)1977-79 Purdue (offensive backs/receivers)1975-76 Arizona (offensive line)

"COACH ZAUNBRECHER

HAS FORGOTTENMORE ABOUT THE

GAME OF FOOTBALL THAN

MOST PEOPLEKNOW. HE IS ONE

OF THOSE GUYSWHO HAD THE

OPPORTUNITY TOCOACH SOME SUCCESSFUL

QUARTERBACKSIN COLLEGE AND

YOU KNOW HISWAY OF

TEACHINGWORKS. IT

WORKED FOR MEAS WELL AS

MANY OTHERS INTHE PAST."

-BYRON LEFTWICH



FOOTBALL SUPPORT STAFFCHESTON BLACKSHEARGraduate Assistant Coach

Cheston Blackshear begins his second stint as agraduate assistant coach after serving in thesame role at the University of Florida. A four-year Gator letterwinner from 1996-99,Blackshear was a fixture at right guard duringthe late 1990s. The graduate of Jacksonville’sWhite High School started a total of 31 gamesfor Florida and played in 45, including fourJanuary bowl games.

Blackshear received second-team All-SEChonors as a senior in 1999. That season he

earned the team’s coveted Fergie Ferguson Award which goes to a seniorplayer who displays outstanding leadership, character and courage. Aftergraduation in May 2000 from Florida, Blackshear attended the CarolinaPanthers’ fall camp but did not make the fall roster. He spent the springof 2001 playing for the Orlando Rage of the SSFL and coached runningbacks at Sandalwood High School in Jacksonville.

TRENT CHESNUTHead Football Equipment ManagerTrent Chesnut begins his sixth season with theFighting Illini as the assistant equipment man-ager, handling all of the day-to-day aspects ofthe football program, including purchasing,maintenance, organization and management ofthe student assistant program. Chesnut isresponsible for all home games and practice set-up, tear down and storage of equipment as wellas assigning and managing team and officiallocker rooms, chain gangs and game-day ballcrews.

Prior to returning to his home state of Illinois, Chesnut was the HeadEquipment Coordinator at the University of Nevada for eight years andworked for three seasons as the Nevada assistant equipment manager.During his time at UN, he was responsible for the football and baseballprograms as well as overseeing the entire athletic department. He has beenan active member of AEMA since 1992.

Chesnut earned a bachelor of science degree in business administra-tion from Southern Illinois University in 1990 and is a native ofHoopeston, Ill. Chesnut has one son, Jacob.

JOE CULLENGraduate Assistant CoachJoe Cullen joins the Fighting Illini Footballprogram as the defensive graduate assistant. Hebrings 15 years of college coaching experienceto the position including stops in the Big Tenand SEC.

Cullen most recently was the defensiveline coach at Mississippi and recruited theAtlanta and Memphis area for the Rebels. Priorto that, he was the defensive coordinator anddefensive line coach at Indiana from 2002-2004, where he also recruited Atlanta and New

Orleans. He also served as the defensive line coach at Memphis in the2001 season.

He had his greatest success as the defensive coordinator and defensiveline coach at Richmond, where he coached the Spiders to a 10-3 record –the most wins in school history – and a quarterfinal berth in the 2000NCAA I-AA playoffs. Cullen’s unit ranked fourth in the nation in I-AA inrun defense and 15th in the nation in scoring defense while playing thetoughest schedule in I-AA.

Cullen was the defensive line coach at LSU in 1999, also recruitingeast Texas and part of Louisiana. Before that, he coached seven years atRichmond – five as defensive line coach before spending two as the defen-sive coordinator. While he was the defensive coordinator, Cullen led theSpiders to a school record in wins, and two top-10 rankings in defensivecategories. Richmond was 11th in the nation in total defense in 1997 andseventh in scoring defense in 1998. He also coached Marc Megna, theAtlantic-10 Defensive Player of the Year, CBS Sports Defensive Linemanof the Year and a two-time consensus All-American. In all, Cullen hascoached six future NFL players during his 15 years.

A 1990 graduate of the University of Massachusetts, Cullen holds abachelor’s degree in sports management. He was a four-year starter atUMass, starting 45 straight games. He was a three-time All-YankeeConference selection and won the Minutemen’s team MVP in 1989.

MIKE DICENZOAssistant Recruiting CoordinatorMike Dicenzo begins his first year with IllinoisFootball as the Assistant RecrutingCoordinator. He is instrumental in recruitingprospective athletes on campus, coordinatingrecruiting visits and assisting with variousaspects of recruiting.

Dicenzo joins the Illini after spending thelast two years as the Offensive and SpecialTeams Quality Control Graduate Assistant atMichigan State. While in that position,Dicenzo completed self-scouting practices of

the Spartans’ offense as well as opponent film breakdown procedures. Healso prepared offensive and special teams scouting reports for players andcoaches, drew the offensive playbook and assisted coaches with the recruit-ing of prospective student athletes on campus.

Prior to that graduate assistantship, Dicenzo was the Strength andConditioning Graduate Assistant at Michigan State. In that position,Dicenzo implemented a double progressive strength and conditioning pro-gram and a strength rehabilitation program for Spartan athletes, as well asassisting with the organization of the team’s training manual.

Dicenzo earned his bachelor’s degree in kinesiology from Penn State in2001, and his master’s degree in sports administration from MichiganState in 2004.

BOBBI DUVALAssociate Recruiting CoordinatorBobbi Duval joins the Fighting Illini footballstaff full-time as the associate recruiting coordi-nator. She worked as a graduate assistant in2004, dealing with all aspects of football opera-tions. Duval’s responsibilities will includerecruiting prospective athletes on campus,coordinating recruiting visits and assisting withvarious aspects of recruiting.

Duval previously worked in the Operationsoffice as a student intern in pursuit of herundergraduate degree in leisure studies. During

her time as a student, she also served as a football manager in the equip-ment office and a Volunteer Illini Recruiter.

Duval earned a degree in leisure studies with a concentration in sportmanagement from Illinois in the spring of 2004. A native of nearby Royal,Ill., Duval has served as a summer intern at the Duke Energy Corporationin Charlotte, N.C., and as a sportswriter for The Leader in Ogden, Ill.

LOU HERNANDEZHead Football Strength and Conditioning CoachLou Hernandez joins the Illinois coaching staffas the head football strength and conditioningcoach, marking the fourth-year of partnershipwith head coach Ron Zook. Hernandez willcoordinate the entire strength program as wellas assist with nutritional aspects of the players’diets.

Hernandez just completed three seasons atthe University of Florida as the assistant direc-tor of strength and conditioning. He moved toFlorida in May of 2002 after serving on the

New York Jets staff. Prior to his one-year stint with the Jets, Hernandezspent 10 years at the University of Houston, including five years as thedirector of the program.

A 1992 Houston graduate, Hernandez is a member of the NationalStrength and Conditioning Association.

KRISTEN KANEAcademic CounselorKristin Kane enters her third year as an aca-demic counselor for football, and her fourthoverall at Illinois.

Kane monitors the progress of defensiveteam members and assists student-athletes incourse scheduling, time management, studyskills, degree attainment and career develop-ment. She also meets regularly with at-risk stu-dents to monitor their academic progress, talkswith prospective student-athletes on recruiting

visits and oversees the team study table program. In addition, Kane coor-dinates the tutor program for all student-athletes.

Kane has been a part of Illinois’ Department of Academic Servicessince 1999. From 1998-2000, she also worked for the Department ofKinesiology on campus.

She holds bachelor of arts degrees in sociology and physical educationfrom Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa, where she played four seasons ofcollege basketball. She earned a Master of Science degree in kinesiologyfrom Illinois in 2001.

ANTHONEY KINNEYAcademic CounselorAnthoney Kinney is entering his fifth year asan academic counselor for the University ofIllinois. Kinney monitors the academic progressof the 110 member Illini football squad, assistswith academic schedule development and regis-tration for the student-athletes and handles allacademic responsibilities during the Illinois stu-dent-athlete recruitment process. Kinney alsohosts weekly meetings with student-athletes tomonitor and support their academic progressthroughout the year.

Prior to his time at Illinois, Kinney served as an academic advisor atIndiana University at Indianapolis where he was a staff counselor for1,900 graduate and undergraduate students in education. Kinney alsoserved as a compliance intern for IUPUI in 2000-01 and was a member ofthe student-athlete mentor program for the IUPUI Athletics Department.

A 1993 graduate of Illinois State, Kinney received his B.S. in masscommunications-journalism and most recently completed his M.S. inhigher education from Indiana University in Bloomington.

JOSH LAWCo-Video CoordinatorJosh Law begins his third year at Illinois andfirst as co-Video Coordinator. His primaryduties include filming and cutting up practicesfor player and coach use, as well as aiding inthe production of the team’s pre-game motiva-tional highlight videos.

Before joining Illinois, Law served as VideoCoordinator Intern with the Indiana Pacers.With the Pacers he was responsible for record-ing scouting tapes, Pacers games and otherleague games, and compiling tapes for coaches

of offensive and defensive performances.Law also worked with Indiana University as a Projectionist and

Classroom Technology Assistant where he set up slide and film projectorsfor conferences and classrooms, and repaired classroom video equipment.

A graduate of Indiana University in 2002, Law holds a degree in socialand behavioral studies with an emphasis in sports marketing and manage-ment, and a telecommunications minor.



FOOTBALL SUPPORT STAFF


ADRIAN MELENDEZHead Football Athletic TrainerAdrian Melendez joins the Illinois staff after 13seasons at the University of Florida. In 1998,he was named the Head Athletic Trainer forFootball. During his first six years with theGators, Melendez worked as the trainer for theMen’s and Women’s Track & Field teams. Hebegan his career at Florida as a graduate assis-tant working with both track and footballbefore being hired as a full-time trainer.

The El Paso, Texas native has servedinternships wit the Houston Oilers and Dallas

Cowboys. He also worked as Head Trainer for the USA Track & FieldJunior Olympic Championships in 1994 and the 1995, 1996 and 1997Walt Disney World Marathons in Orlando. In 1997, he traveled as a ther-apist for then-World Record holder and Olympic Champion DonovanBailey and in 2001, and attended the NFL scouting combine as a guest ofthe Professional Football Athletic Trainers Society.

Melendez is a 1991 graduate of Texas Christian University.

TAYLOR MORGANCo-Video CoordinatorTaylor Morgan joins the Illini football programas co-Video Coordinator. He comes to Illinoisfollowing six years as a video assistant with theUniversity of Michigan football program.

Morgan began as a volunteer student man-ager with the video department before spendingfour years as a paid video assistant. While atMichigan, Morgan was in charge of digitizationof video from practices, opposing teams andhistorical footage. He also oversaw the prepara-tion and distribution of video to coaches over a

computer network. Morgan coordinated on-site recording and editingduring the Wolverines’ bowl trips.

He is experienced with a wide array of video editing and post produc-tion software, and was also involved with many pre-registration and videoduties for football camps and coaching clinics.

A 2005 graduate of the University of Michigan, Morgan holds aBachelor of Arts degree in general studies with a focus in sociology andfilm/video studies.

LLOYD RICHARDSAssistant Athletic Director/Director of Football OperationsLloyd Richards Jr. begins his fourth season asDirector of Football Operations, this seasonwith the added responsibility of AssistantAthletic Director for the Illini.

Richards' responsibilities include coordinat-ing the day-to-day operations for the entire Uof I football program, working closely with thestaff and DIA administration in all aspects ofplanning for Illini football including: schedul-ing, budgeting, facilities, travel and game man-agement.

In 2001, Richards served as the Assistant Director of Pro Personnel forthe Washington Redskins. While in Washington D.C., Richards wasinstrumental in the signing of players from the free agent market andmaintaining a working list of free agents during the regular season.Another key part of Richards' job was the evaluation of talent. In additionto evaluating free agents Richards evaluated the performance and talentlevel of Washington's roster players and assigned their value to the club.This talent evaluation process spilled into other professional leagues as heserved as the Redskins' liaison and coordinator for NFL Europe.

Prior to his time in Washington, Richards spent three years with theTampa Bay Buccaneers, serving as the team's College Area Scout for theWest Coast his final year. As a scout, Richards combed a 10-state, 65-school area on the West Coast generating talent and character reports fordraft-eligible players. Richards also served as a "War Room" consultant forthe Buccaneers on draft day. R i c h a rds' first two years with Tampa Bay we respent as a Pro Personnel Assistant.

Prior to his time in the NFL, Richards spent two years as the Illinois'Graduate Assistant for Recruiting and Operations. Richards is a 1995graduate of Illinois in speech communication and earned three letterswhile on the Illinois football team as a defensive back. Upon his return tothe University, Richards completed work on his master’s degree in organi-zational communications, which he received in August 2004. Richardsand his wife, Maria, have two children, Jasmin and Lloyd III.



FOOTBALL SUPPORT STAFF



Shari Atwell Mary Gallagher Shay Hughes-McCrayFootball Football Football

ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF

John Birdsell Andy Dixon Jesse Ratliff Ginger Rook Joe Van TasselAsst. Equipment Head Equipment Asst. Equipment Administrative EquipmentManager Manager Manager Assistant Graduate Assistant

EQUIPMENT STAFF

Matt Fitterer Dr. Robert Gurtler Dr. Jeff Kyrouac Al Martindale Lori StalterAthletic Training Orthopedic Surgeon Team Physician Head Athletic Administrative Graduate Assistant Trainer Assistant

MEDICAL STAFF

Troy Hatton Zach WomackAssistant Assistant Strength Coach Strength Coach

STRENGTH STAFF

the coaching staff - netitor.com · the coaching staff “ron zook has all the talent, all the...

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