Ron Zook

One of the nation's most dynamic and energetic head coaches, Ron Zook enters his third season at the helm of the Illinois football program. Known as a tireless worker and recruiter, Zook wrapped up his second season of the rebuilding process at Illinois with some highs such as leading the Big Ten in rushing, a drastic improvement defensively and his first Big Ten road win. For the second straight year, Zook signed a nationally ranked recruiting class, one that landed among the top-15, arguably the highest rated in school history.

Zook has now logged 30 years of coaching experience at the collegiate, professional and high school level, including two stints as a head coach. He led the University of Florida program for three years, 2002-2004. Posting an overall mark of 23-14 and 16-8 in Southeastern Conference action, Zook led UF to three consecutive bowl appearances and a share of the 2003 SEC East Division title. Zook's 12-3 record vs. the SEC Eastern Division during his three years tied for the best in the league during that time. He tallied six wins against ranked teams away from Gainesville, the best in the nation in his three-year stretch, and he became only the third coach in the 70-year history of the Southeastern Conference to lead his teams to January bowl games in his first two years. Zook's 23 wins at Florida ranked second among active coaches nationally completing their third year of their program.

Last season, Illinois 188.8 yards per game rushing ranked No. 1 in the Big Ten and defensively, the team shaved off over 100 rushing yards per game from its 2005 totals.

In 2005, Zook led the team to wins in the first two games of his career at Illinois. In the season opener, he tied a school record with his 20-point comeback win against Rutgers to jump start his second stint as a Division I head coach. Zook became the first Illinois head coach since Mike White to win the first two games of his career as an Illini.

Zook has now logged 32 years of coaching experience at the collegiate, professional and high school level, including two stints as a head coach. He led the University of Florida program for three years, 2002-2004. Posting an overall mark of 23-14 and 16-8 in Southeastern Conference action, Zook led UF to three consecutive bowl appearances and a share of the 2003 SEC East Division title. Zook's 12-3 record vs. the SEC Eastern Division during his three years tied for the best in the league during that time. He tallied six wins agzainst ranked teams away from Gainesville, the best in the nation in his three-year stretch, and he became only the third coach in the 70-year history of the Southeastern Conference to lead his teams to January bowl games in his first two years. Zook's 23 wins at Florida ranked second among active coaches nationally completing their third year of their program.

Zook saw another accomplishment in his time at Florida as the Gators won the 2007 National Championship. While not still at the helm of the program, Zook recruited and brought to Florida 22-of-24 of the starters on that championship squad. In fact, Zook has had his hand in both of UF's national championship football teams and all but one of the program's SEC titles. He was either a coach of or recruited a majority of the players involved in that winning tradition.

Zook's 2004 Gator squad featured just eight returning starters, the fifth lowest total among the 117 Division I teams, and featured the youngest defense in the SEC with eight freshmen or sophomore starters. Despite having three games affected by hurricanes and playing 11 consecutive weeks of football, the Gators secured their 17th consecutive season of winning football, the longest active streak in the SEC. Florida saved its best for last in 2004, defeating No. 8 Florida State, 20-13, to become the first UF team to win in Tallahassee since 1986. Florida finished the regular season leading the SEC in six team categories, including the top scoring offense, the top passing offense and the top team in total offense. Florida became only the second team in SEC history to have the top rusher in the league, the top passer, the leading receiver and the leading scorer.

In 2003, his squad captured a share of the Southeastern Conference East Division and defeated three ranked opponents in consecutive games for the first time in school history. Florida owned wins over two of the top 12 teams in the BCS Championship, defeated both teams that played for the SEC Championship and downed eventual national champion LSU. Florida's schedule, which ranked second toughest in the nation, included a school-record tying seven ranked opponents. With a squad featuring 45 players seeing action in their first collegiate game; and utilizing 14 true freshmen, Zook's team played in a January bowl game and finished the season ranked 24th in the final Associated Press Poll (25th in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches' Poll).

Zook's first season in Gainesville produced wins over Tennessee, Auburn and Georgia and a perfect record in the SEC Eastern Division. Zook became the only first-year coach in Gator history to defeat two top-five teams in his first season in Gainesville with a win over fourth-ranked Tennessee and fifth-ranked Georgia. Against a schedule that ranked as the sixth toughest in the nation, the Gators ranked 24th in the final ESPN/USA Today Poll and extended their school record of consecutive January bowl appearances to 10. The 2002 Gator offense, which led the Southeastern Conference in total offense and passing, set school records for most offensive plays, passing attempts and completions. Florida's pass defense ranked seventh-best in the nation, while just two opposing quarterbacks totaled more than 200 yards passing during the regular season.

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

He came to the Gators from a position as defensive coordinator for the New Orleans Saints, where his units led the NFL in quarterback sacks over the 2000-2001 period with 119, and ranked third in the NFC in total defense in 2000. He coached for three NFL franchises (Pittsburgh, Kansas City and New Orleans), including division championship teams with the Steelers in l996-97 and the Saints in 2000.

On the collegiate level, Zook coached on five SEC championship teams (four at Florida and one at Tennessee), at four schools that are members of college football's BCS conferences (SEC, Big Ten, Big 12, Big East) and has participated in 15 bowl games (three as a player, 12 as a coach). During his five years as an assistant at Florida (1991-95), the Gators won four SEC titles, played in the 1996 national championship game and finished each year ranked in the nation's top 10.

Zook was born on April 28, 1954, in Loudonville, Ohio. He is a 1976 graduate of Miami of Ohio, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in comprehensive science. He was a three-year letter winning defensive back from 1973-75 and was captain of the 1975 team. Miami posted a 32-1-1 record during that period, winning three straight Mid-American Conference titles and posting three consecutive Tangerine Bowl victories.

Zook is married to the former Denise Baugh, and the couple has two daughters, Jacquelyn and Casey. Jacquelyn is currently an actress in Chicago; and Casey is a sophomore at the University of Illinois.