Illinois fires Zook after 7 seasons

Associated Press

CHAMPAIGN, ILL.

Seven years of tantalizing potential that often led to frustrating results at Illinois ended Sunday when the school fired coach Ron Zook following his team’s historic late-season collapse.

Illinois started the season 6-0 but finished with a six-game losing streak, finishing with a 27-7 defeat at Minnesota on Saturday.

According to STATS, LLC, the Illini are the first FBS team to open the regular-season with six straight wins, and close it with six losses in a row.

Zook took the Illini to their first Rose Bowl since the 1980s and last season led the team to its first bowl win in more than a decade. The strong start this season had fans thinking they could contend in the Big Ten, and the Illini could still go to a bowl game. The program has had back-to-back bowl appearances since 1991 and ’92.

But Zook also had five losing seasons in Illinois — finishing with a 34-51 record — and leaves the Illini in a year in which their only Big Ten wins were against Northwestern and Indiana.

Athletic director Mike Thomas said Zook left Illinois football better than he found it. But Illinois, he said, needs a new leader who can build a team more suited to competing in the Big Ten.

“To me, really, you have to have success within your own conference,” Thomas said. “The last seven years we won roughly 32 percent of our Big Ten games,” adding that Illinois had a winning record against only Indiana over that period.

Thomas said he met with Zook Sunday morning and informed the coach of his decision.

At his own news conference, Zook didn’t take questions, but thanked a room packed with players, family and friends.