Wisch: Will Thomas Hold Beckman To Zook's Standards?
Illinois athletic director Mike Thomas has a big decision awaiting this weekend.
Watch CBS News
Illinois athletic director Mike Thomas has a big decision awaiting this weekend.
Ravenous Illinois fans take over Internet polls -- what would they do with a real championship team?
Tim Beckman's boss made it clear upon his hiring that Big Ten success was the goal.
Illinois' football attendance has been dwindling for five straight seasons.
No Illini coach has started with three straight losing seasons since 1977-'79.
Don't blame Illinois' admission standards for a lack of football talent -- the onus is on the coaches.
Former Illinois coach Ron Zook appears destined for Green Bay.
The Tim Beckman hire was a mistake and everybody has known it since his first press conference.
Illinois has a nearly two-decade tradition of retaining coaches at least one season too long.
The only hope for Illinois to continue progress (or start it) is by firing embattled defensive coordinator Tim Banks and hoping that Thomas can hire a talented assistant to replacement him.
It's that simple. Yet, of course, for the Fighting Illini, it isn't at all.
What a difference a week makes.
Stanford does it. So does Michigan. Notre Dame, Wisconsin and Vanderbilt do it, too.
Things Illini Nation learned this past week: 1) Ron Zook now works for a bank, and 2) Mike Thomas is willing to invest time in rebutting him.
If Beckman can't get things turned around soon – both on the field and with the state's best athletes – he won't be worrying about recruiting rankings for long.
From 1994-98, I was a student at the University of Illinois, and during those four years I saw a grand total of 14 football victories.
But then there's the University of Illinois, the sadsack program of the prairie whose last three head football coaches can now be found at Florida International University (Ron Turner), the University of Buffalo (Lou Tepper) and, well, the coaching unemployment line (Ron Zook).
We don't really know what Ron Zook is up to these days.
Zook, who was fired last year after seven seasons in Champaign, left the Illinois football program in far better shape than he found it.
On Thursday, the bad case of Illini indigestion was finally relieved when Ohio University's John Groce was announced as the 17th men's head coach in Illinois history during a press conference at Assembly Hall in Champaign.
Down in Champaign at the state's flagship school, the football program is listing, which is why Toledo's Tim Beckman was brought in to right a ship that Ron Zook wrecked after a 6-0 start to the season.
Twenty years ago, after compiling a sterling 30-16-1 record on the football field at that "basketball school" down in Champaign, University of Illinois coach John Mackovic bolted the Land of Lincoln for the gridiron riches of the Lone Star State.
Toledo head football coach Tim Beckman has reportedly emerged as the favorite to replace Ron Zook at Illinois.
Illinois has extended the application period for candidates for its head football coaching position until late Thursday night.
I happen to think the Illinois football job offers as much potential as any in the country. Much like, you know, the University of Wisconsin job offered Alvarez two decades ago when he took it over and transformed the Badgers into a snarling, bare-knuckled national power.
One person was injured after a shooting on the Stevenson Expressway early Wednesday morning.
The Chicago City Council is getting ready to take up renter rules and data centers on Wednesday.
The Cubs (87-70) could have clinched a playoff berth with a win or an Arizona loss, but the Diamondbacks won 7-2 at Colorado.
Crown Point native Chris Payne was arrested for the 2018 sexual assault of a woman, which he has adamantly claimed from the beginning that he had nothing to do with.
The interim superintendent says if the district does nothing, it won't be able to pay teachers and staff down the line.
Chicago mayoral candidate Bill Quinlan has filed a lawsuit seeking to keep three rivals off the ballot, arguing they shouldn't be allowed to run for mayor while also running for re-election to their current positions.
The U.S., Denmark and Greenland signed a new security agreement bolstering the United States' military and security presence on the island.
Danielle Carter-Walters may be known to some as the face of the Chicago Flips Red group. Now, the 52-year-old Chicago native and small business owner is running for mayor as a Republican in a crowded field of Democrats.
President Trump said he could "annihilate" Iran while predicting that Tehran would make a deal to end the war after the U.S. midterm elections.
CNN was set to provide pool coverage on Monday and accompany President Trump on a trip to New York City, but there will not be a network TV pool team traveling with him.
Fuel prices continue to climb across the country, and that has U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Illinois) pointing the finger at President Trump.
Nicor customers will get a break on their bills this fall after Illinois Attorney General Kwame Roul reached an agreement with the utility to cut $140 million from its requested rate hike.
Drivers in Chicago and beyond were paying the highest gas prices ever recorded for the Labor Day holiday as millions of Americans were making their way home on Monday.
Around 115 million domestic and international tourists visited Illinois last year, pushing visitor spending past $50 billion for the first time and generating more than $88 billion in total economic impact.
Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul filed a lawsuit Thursday against ABC Plumbing, Heating, Cooling & Electric Inc., alleging deceptive business practices.
Nearly half of Americans with medical debt owe at least $2,000, forcing them to make tough choices, new research shows.
A judge on Tuesday was expected to place two shuttered Chicago-area safety-net hospitals into receivership.
Cardinal Blase Cupich and a group of Catholic nuns have joined a federal lawsuit challenging Illinois' Medical Aid in Dying law, which is set to take effect in just over a week.
Flies have been everywhere this summer in the Chicago area, and some of them bite. But why is this happening?
Prime Healthcare is drawing criticism after announcing it will stop obstetrics services at three Chicago-area hospitals.
The future of Rate Field was back in the spotlight on Wednesday.
Plans for a new Chicago White Sox stadium in the South Loop have residents near the existing ballpark in Bridgeport concerned, not just because the team might be leaving, but also what might be coming nearby.
A new report from the University of Illinois Chicago said federal immigration enforcement led to $1.26 billion in unspent money at retail establishments and restaurants in Cook County.
Around 115 million domestic and international tourists visited Illinois last year, pushing visitor spending past $50 billion for the first time and generating more than $88 billion in total economic impact.
A new Whole Foods Market is coming to Chicago's Old Town neighborhood.
An autopsy by the Greenville County Coroner's Office determined Hayden Panettiere's death was due to an accidental overdose of several drugs, including fentanyl.
Nike-owned Converse acknowledged that an ad for its Chuck Taylor sneaker is "deeply upsetting."
Presley Gerber, the son of Cindy Crawford and Rande Gerber, has died at 27, a family spokesperson has confirmed.
Duncan Sheik died on Thursday night, his family said.
Aaron Rowe, Beoga, Lukas Graham and Finneas all released statements Tuesday on Instagram saying they were withdrawing from Ed Sheeran's tour.
The Chicago City Council is getting ready to take up renter rules and data centers on Wednesday.
Meteorologist Laura Bannon has the extended forecast.
Chris Payne, in his own handwriting, sent a letter to CBS News Chicago from his prison cell in Chiba, east of Tokyo. He was arrested for the 2018 sexual assault of a woman, which he has adamantly claimed from the start he had nothing to do with.
In addition to her schoolwork in China, Lian practices for two to three hours a day and knows more than 1,300 solving algorithms.
Last fall, parents and students rallied to keep schools open after the district raised the flag about the financial problems. They ended up closing two schools. Another year and more closures loom.
The Chicago City Council is getting ready to take up renter rules and data centers on Wednesday.
Crown Point native Chris Payne was arrested for the 2018 sexual assault of a woman, which he has adamantly claimed from the beginning that he had nothing to do with.
The death of a fourth beluga whale, the third rescued from Marineland in Canada, at the Shedd has raised questions about just how medically fragile they were when they arrived.
One person was injured after a shooting on the Stevenson Expressway early Wednesday morning.
The interim superintendent says if the district does nothing, it won't be able to pay teachers and staff down the line.
Crown Point native Chris Payne was arrested for the 2018 sexual assault of a woman, which he has adamantly claimed from the beginning that he had nothing to do with.
A Chicago nonprofit is suing its former president, accusing him of illegally diverting millions of dollars in charitable funds and jeopardizing the charity's future in fighting homelessness.
They're not regular donuts, they're quantum donuts. That's the pitch from a business hoping to get more dough as a massive new quantum computing campus continues construction in South Chicago.
The village of Grayslake is touting a new massive data center, but neighbors say they weren't given an opportunity to make their voices heard before the project was approved.
A Cicero woman is suing Uber and a driver after the driver allegedly sexually assaulted her. She and her boyfriend said Uber hired him despite the driver having a criminal background.
The Cubs (87-70) could have clinched a playoff berth with a win or an Arizona loss, but the Diamondbacks won 7-2 at Colorado.
Gabriela Jaquez and Sydney Taylor scored 18 points apiece and Kamilla Cardoso added 17.
Brenton Doyle and Munetaka Murakami added home runs for the White Sox, who also helped their wild-card cause should they fail to catch Cleveland.
The Medinah County Club has been transformed into a massive international sporting venue as 24 pro golfers will compete in two teams.
Chicago Bears quarterback Tyson Bagent has been placed in the NFL concussion protocol, according to a person familiar with the situation, adding another wrinkle to the team's plans for Monday night's game against Philadelphia.
A driver has been charged with murder after police said he intentionally hit two pedestrians on Sunday in southwest suburban Yorkville, killing one of them.
A man was found shot and killed Monday morning in Chicago's West Pullman neighborhood.
Chicago police were searching Monday morning for the gunmen who robbed multiple women and stole their jewelry in Chicago's Lincoln Park neighborhood.
Burglars smashed an ATM at a gas station minimart in Chicago's West Town community early Monday, but failed to get any money, an employee said.
Thieves crashed a vehicle into a convenience store on Chicago's Near North Side early Monday and stole the ATM.
