Wisch: Is Ron Zook's Job At Illinois Secure?
As a University of Illinois season ticket holder, I've watched a lot of Ron Zook football during the past six years. Most of it bad.
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As a University of Illinois season ticket holder, I've watched a lot of Ron Zook football during the past six years. Most of it bad.
Christmas is over. New Year's is looming. And in between this week the Big Ten gets its bowl season rolling.
You've worried about the offense. And, now, you've worried about the defense.
Dasher and Dancer. Cookies and Milk. Mistle and Toe. And … NBA and Basketball?
Merry Christmas, Illini Nation. Bah, humbug. For Illinois basketball fans, there are few – if any – things worse than losing to Missouri in the annual Braggin' Rights battle.
So, apparently, you can get a managing gig if your name is Pete Rose. Just as long as there's a "Junior" attached to the end of it.
Say they don't win another game. Say the Bears lose to the Jets, lose to the Packers and lose in the first round of the NFC Playoffs. (I'm not saying they will, mind you. Not at all.) Would you still declare Chicago's 2010 NFL season a success?
On Feb. 8, 1896 – one month after X-Rays were discovered and nine months before William McKinley was elected as the United States' 25th president – a the Midwest's premier universities held a powwow in Chicago and established the Big Ten.
OK, it's taken a couple of days, but I'm finally on board with this whole new Big Ten thing. The conference is bigger, it's badder (and that's just what they're saying about our divisions!) and, thanks to all those new multi-name football awards, it's also more hyphenated than ever before.
They call Chicago the Second City. But New York appears to be turning itself into the City of Second Chances. For ex-Cubs, at least.
This past summer, when the Big Ten announced that the University of Nebraska was signing on as the league's 12th team, the Conference That Can't Count hit a stand-up triple.
Eleven years ago, I was sitting in the press box at Michigan Stadium, watching the Wolverines storm to a 27-7 lead over Illinois midway through the third quarter when a kindly, gray-haired U. of M. alum seated in my row leaned in toward me.
They both played high school ball on a team with a more glamorous teammate (Bracey Wright and Evan Turner). Each entered college with a ton of talent – and probably a few too many pounds. But one worked his way into shape, led his team to the national championship game and became a first-round NBA pick.
Tom Brady and his golden arm (and his golden locks … and his golden pair of UGGs) are coming to town. The Bears are in first place at 9-3. And, at 10-2, the New England Patriots can say the same.
Imagine Superman signing on as the official spokesman for Kryptonite tights. Then imagine Albert Pujols putting on Cubs pinstripes. What's less likely?
For Cubs fans, there's only one thing bleaker than the 2010 regular season. And that's the 2010 offseason. So far, at least.
Last Sunday, after the Bears upended Philly, I was eating crow. Seven days later, after watching them struggle to beat the better-but-still-bad Lions, I was about ready to cough it back up.
The news was stunning, if not surprising, this morning when I woke up, turned on the TV and learned from the crawl on the screen that Ron Santo had passed away at 70 after a lifetime of health issues.
Redcoat or Turncoat. Whatever you want to call him, in the eyes of Cubs Nation, Ryan Theriot has turned heel.
As far as weeks go for college basketball teams, this one is about as big as it gets for the University of Illinois.
Earlier this month in his weekly Sports Illustrated Q&A, Dan Patrick posed the question to Brian Urlacher, "Best team in the NFC now?"
With a record of 7-3, the Bears aren't a joke. But I still can't take them seriously. Can you?
Mikel Leshoure has officially arrived. So, does that also mean he's already gone?
Last week, when pitching coach Larry Rothschild bolted the Chicago Cubs (honestly, finally) for the New York Yankees (honestly, seriously?) after a nine-year stint on Chicago's North Side, I'm pretty sure that one name was the first to pop into most fans' minds as a potential replacement.
The Bulls shot 56.2% overall and made 14 of 36 3-pointers on the way to a rather convincing win after losing eight of nine.
The team said they are not asking for state taxpayer dollars, but are still seeking a commitment to local infrastructure and reasonable property tax certainty.
The team is on a comeback and a come-up ahead of Saturday's pivotal rematch with the Packers.
Volunteers with Operation North Pole will host 140 seriously ill children from Advocate Children's Hospital in Park Ridge on Saturday.
Back-and-forth budget talks between Mayor Brandon Johnson's office and his opponents on the City Council continued Wednesday afternoon at Chicago City Hall with no resolution in sight.
Border Patrol Cmdr. Gregory Bovino returned to Chicago Tuesday and wasted no time escalating immigration enforcement, as federal agents detained people across Little Village.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker signed a new transit funding bill on Tuesday.
Critics of Mayor Brandon Johnson's 2026 budget plan on Tuesday advanced an alternative spending plan that would increase taxes on plastic grocery bags and liquor sales, and allow ads on city vehicles and light poles.
Known as a popular Hollywood director, Rob Reiner also had a lengthy record of political and civic activism, especially in California.
Two members of the Iowa National Guard and a U.S. civilian interpreter were killed in Palmyra, Syria on Saturday after an ISIS gunman ambushed them, according to the Pentagon.
A new report shines a light on electricity shortages that Illinois could face in less than 10 years.
With less than two weeks until Christmas, if you're sending gifts to people far from home, the deadlines to get them there on time are fast approaching.
A condo owner in Country Club Hills says he's forced to sell his home after his condo association failed to reimburse him for repairs to his leaking roof. Edward Hadnott's condo has sat empty since a major roof leak in 2022.
The U.S. stopped minting pennies this week, and some groups have issued a warning about the headaches that can create for some businesses and consumers.
Why is one school in the west Chicago suburb of Lisle paying a water bill three times higher than another? The answer has to do with a private utility company.
A study conducted in part by Chicago's Northwestern Medicine found that tanning beds not only triple the risk of melanoma, but can also damage DNA across nearly the whole skin surface.
An investigation into the case of a Michigan man who contracted rabies after an organ transplant provided more details on the infection's origin.
The newest measles vaccination numbers released by Chicago Public Schools shows immunizations are finally moving in the right direction.
Two pregnant Black women recently faced alarming neglect at hospitals in Indiana and Texas, highlighting racial disparities in maternal care.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker on Tuesday signed a bill aimed at protecting vaccine access in Illinois.
A Culver's is coming to Chicago's South Loop, a real estate broker has confirmed.
A new vision for passenger rail is on track in southeastern Wisconsin. The MARK Passenger Rail Commission held its inaugural meeting on December 5, 2025, at Racine City Hall.
U.S. Steel says it'll resume making steel slabs at its Granite City Works plant in Illinois amid strengthening demand.
Traffic at O'Hare International Airport is growing faster than expected, and this has Chicago city leaders wanting to make big changes to future construction plans at the airport.
Small Business Saturday was disrupted by the winter storm for many business owners in Chicago, but in the Rogers Park neighborhood, a group of business owners came together to draw customers.
The special features interviews with Kathy Bates, Annette Bening, Albert Brooks, Michael Douglas, Kiefer Sutherland, Jerry O'Connell and Mandy Patinkin.
The Oscars ceremony is moving to YouTube starting in 2029, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced on Wednesday.
The nearly 100-year-old cinema will close briefly after New Year's Day and reopen on Jan. 9 with a showing of Jim Jarmusch's "Father Mother Sister Brother."
Known as a popular Hollywood director, Rob Reiner also had a lengthy record of political and civic activism, especially in California.
Nick Reiner, a son of director Rob Reiner and his wife Michele, has been arrested on murder charges following their deaths, police said.
Warren said they are not asking for state taxpayer dollars, but are still seeking a commitment to local infrastructure and reasonable property tax certainty.
Hillside police said the 73-year-old man lost control Hyundai Genesis SUV due to a possible medical emergency.
The FAA and DuPage Airport officials said a twin-engine Piper PA-30 plane crashed shortly after taking off from runway 20 at DuPage Airport around 1:50 p.m. on Wednesday.
In an open letter, President and CEO Kevin Warren said that the team is expanding their search and evaluating opportunities throughout the wider Chicagoland region, including Northwest Indiana.
No practice for the Bears' injured wide receivers, Luther Burden and Rome Odunze.
A small plane crashed shortly after takeoff Wednesday afternoon, according to the FAA.
The team said they are not asking for state taxpayer dollars, but are still seeking a commitment to local infrastructure and reasonable property tax certainty.
President Trump gave a year-end address to the nation on Wednesday, focusing on his economic policies and immigration.
Volunteers with Operation North Pole will host 140 seriously ill children from Advocate Children's Hospital in Park Ridge on Saturday.
A pedestrian was struck and killed, and multiple people including police officers were injured, when a car lost control and crashed into a Walgreens parking lot in Hillside Wednesday afternoon, village officials said.
Lawmakers in Springfield are looking to address the high water bills being reported in some suburbs from customers of Illinois American Water.
Electric bills in the Chicago area could go up as much as $70 in the next three years because of data centers, according to the Citizens Utility Board.
Advocates and legislators are seeking solutions and and accountability for a pattern of Chicago police arresting Black gun owners on firearms charges despite valid FOID and CCL licenses.
Homeowner and Army veteran Kaliff Chilembwe's property tax bill has seen an increase of 118%.
Why are Chicago police officers arresting and charging Black gun owners with valid FOID cards and CCLs? An inside source spoke exclusively to CBS News Chicago to offer insights into their possible motivation.
The Bulls shot 56.2% overall and made 14 of 36 3-pointers on the way to a rather convincing win after losing eight of nine.
The team said they are not asking for state taxpayer dollars, but are still seeking a commitment to local infrastructure and reasonable property tax certainty.
The team is on a comeback and a come-up ahead of Saturday's pivotal rematch with the Packers.
The Blackhawks were without third-year center Connor Bedard, who was placed on injured reserve Monday for at least two weeks because of an upper-body injury.
Earlier this month, the team was trying to raise $18,000 to fund their trip to the American Youth Football Championship.
A woman has been charged with attacking four people with a glass bottle on Tuesday morning in the Loop in downtown Chicago.
A Wisconsin woman who almost killed her sixth-grade classmate to please horror villain Slender Man and then fled a group home won't fight the state's attempt to revoke her release privileges.
The Original Rainbow Cone ice cream shop was broken into on Chicago's West Side.
A Flint, Michigan, man is heading to trial after the U.S. Customs and Border Protection in Chicago intercepted firearm conversion kits from China.
Officials in Los Angeles held a news conference about the killings of Rob Reiner and his wife Michele Singer Reiner, who were found dead in their home Sunday.
