Wisch: Will Thomas Hold Beckman To Zook's Standards?
Illinois athletic director Mike Thomas has a big decision awaiting this weekend.
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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.
Chicago's Lurie Children's Hospital said Tuesday that it is no longer initiating gender-affirming care for minors.
O'Hare International Airport has reclaimed the title of the nation's busiest airport, surpassing Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, which has held the top spot since 2020.
The McHenry County Sheriff's Office said the driver left the roadway, traveling through a field before colliding with a tree.
Three people were arrested this week after police said they destroyed campaign posters for a candidate for Cook County commissioner in Chicago's Fuller Park neighborhood.
Hawaii enacted a rule that bars people from bringing guns onto private property that is open to the public, like shops or gas stations, unless the owner gives express authorization.
Chicago's Lurie Children's Hospital said Tuesday that it is no longer initiating gender-affirming care for minors.
Three people were arrested this week after police said they destroyed campaign posters for a candidate for Cook County commissioner in Chicago's Fuller Park neighborhood.
Hawaii enacted a rule that bars people from bringing guns onto private property that is open to the public, like shops or gas stations, unless the owner gives express authorization.
Rideshare drivers from across Illinois kicked off a two-day fight Tuesday for better pay and working conditions.
As the EU calls Trump's threat to tariff allies for rejecting his bid for Greenland a mistake, Denmark's leader laments "being threatened by our closest ally."
A controversial data center in Naperville, Illinois, could be the cause to pack a city council meeting there on Tuesday night.
Police in the west Chicago suburb of Geneva are warning of a scam involving spoofed phone numbers.
Protesters on Tuesday were cranking up the heat on Peoples Gas over a recently proposed rate hike that would add an additional $10 to $11 a month to utility bills.
A lawsuit filed late last month took Chicago-based McDonald's to task over the McRib sandwich, calling its name a form of false advertising.
As this holiday season nears its end, Illinois Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias issued a warning Tuesday about text scams.
Chicago's Lurie Children's Hospital said Tuesday that it is no longer initiating gender-affirming care for minors.
Roughly 1.4 million fewer Americans have signed up for an Affordable Care Act plan as expiring tax breaks drive up premiums.
January is Radon Action Month, and the Cook County Department of Public Health is urging residents to test their homes for radon.
Severe flu season is sending many people to hospital emergency rooms across the country, including in the Chicago area.
Unionized health care workers this week took aim at Northwestern Medicine, saying the health care system needs to hire more people before expanding the emergency room at Northwestern Memorial Hospital.
A development proposal issued this month calls for the replacement of a building housing a Giordiano's pizzeria in Chicago's Lakeview neighborhood with a new mixed-use building with 28 residential units.
United Airlines flight attendants picketed outside Chicago's Willis Tower Thursday morning as they fought for a new contract.
WSCR-AM, 670 The Score, will begin a simulcast on 104.3 FM next month.
Does the Chicago Bears' dramatic improvement this season, culminating in their first playoff run in five years, change the discussion about where they will build a new stadium?
The Piggery, a popular barbecue restaurant and bar in the northwest corner of Chicago's Lakeview neighborhood, announced Thursday that it is going out of business.
If you can't get enough of "Heated Rivalry," merch from the show is now available.
A flamenco dance series in Chicago is expanding access to the arts by bringing the expressive traditional dance form to Chicago communities.
Monday is the opening day for a new exhibit at the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry that immerses visitors into the imaginative world of award-winning fashion and costume designer Paul Tazewell.
Scott Adams, the cartoonist who created the "Dilbert" comic strip, has died at the age of 68, his first ex-wife revealed on Tuesday.
Here is everything you need to know about how to watch and stream the 2026 Golden Globes.
Rideshare drivers from across Illinois kicked off a two-day fight Tuesday for better pay and working conditions.
Meteorologist Kylee Miller is tracking snow moving into the area.
Lawrence Reed, the man accused of setting a young woman on fire on a Chicago Transit Authority train this past November, appeared in court Tuesday.
President Trump heads to Davos, Switzerland later Tuesday for the World Economic Forum, where his push for Greenland is expected to dominate conversations at the summit. Natalie Brand has more details from the White House.
A passenger on a flight to Chicago from New Mexico said their pilot told them a pipe burst in the control tower, which in turn is affecting airport operations and prompted the ground delay.
A ground delay is in effect at Chicago O'Hare Airport Tuesday morning for equipment issues after a pipe burst in the main control tower overnight.
It is a very cold Tuesday in Chicago, which falls right in line with this day in 1985.
Lawrence Reed, the man accused of setting a young woman on fire on a Chicago Transit Authority train this past November, appeared in court Tuesday.
Chicago's Lurie Children's Hospital said Tuesday that it is no longer initiating gender-affirming care for minors.
O'Hare International Airport has reclaimed the title of the nation's busiest airport, surpassing Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, which has held the top spot since 2020.
Chicago police issued a warning about a string of vehicle break-ins involving Honda Civics on the South Side.
Even as Mayor Brandon Johnson has warned of possible mid-year city worker layoffs if revenue estimates in the budget fall short, city employees and workers at the city's sister agencies owe a mountain of outstanding debt to the city.
Lead-based paint was banned for serious health reasons in 1978, but most homes built before then remain covered in it.
Fire department officials in Chicago's western suburbs said drone technology has been helping keep firefighters safe and make a major impact on public safety.
With the stores becoming a common target for thieves, some of the stores in the Chicago area are taking new steps to fight back.
Connor Bedard added an empty-net goal as the Blackhawks stopped a three-game slide. It was Bedard's first goal since returning from a right shoulder injury.
A program that had played in a grand total of 13 bowl games in the 130-some years before coach Curt Cignetti arrived in 2024 went on a historic run en route to a 16-0 season and a national title.
Caleb Williams was reflective the day after and focused on attacking the offseason, while appreciating the impact this team had on the city of Chicago.
Caleb Williams' last throw in regulation was a backpedaling, fourth-down rainbow that landed in Cole Kmet's hands in the corner of the end zone for a breathtaking touchdown.
Despite forcing OT with a catch in the final minute in the 4th Quarter, the Chicago Bears' playoff journey comes to an end.
Lawrence Reed, the man accused of setting a young woman on fire on a Chicago Transit Authority train this past November, appeared in court Tuesday.
The video shows burglars slicing into display cases under the eyes of several Louvre Museum staff members who do not intervene.
A judge and his wife were shot and wounded in their home over the weekend in Lafayette, Indiana.
A jewelry store in Chicago's Little India district was robbed at gunpoint Sunday evening.
A man was arrested and charged this weekend with a string of armed robberies and burglaries within a period of just over an hour earlier this month in Chicago.
