Following Michigan’s lead, the University of Illinois has found a former NFL head coach to take the helm of its struggling football program.
Lovie Smith has been named head coach of the Fighting Illini, and he hopes to find immediate success in Champaign, Illinois, just as Jim Harbaugh has done in Ann Arbor.
Illini Athletic Director Josh Whitman, a former Washington University AD who was in the position just two years, posted two photos on Twitter with Smith and himself at Memorial Stadium.
“I am extremely excited to be named head coach of the Fighting Illini,” Smith said in a statement released Monday.
Later at a press conference on the Illini campus, Smith said, “I understand where our football program is right now. There is a reason why a change was made. I embrace that challenge.”
He promised that Illinois would play “an exciting brand of football,” which is interesting because he is a defensive-minded coach whose offenses have not been flashy.
Smith is a former defensive coordinator of the St. Louis Rams and served as head coach for the Chicago Bears from 2004-12, leading the team to the 2006 Super Bowl.
He was named head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2014, and many NFL pundits have been heavily critical of Tampa’s decision to release Smith after just two seasons – but it opened the door for Illinois, and Whitman acted swiftly.
If the NFL comes knocking at his door, Smith said he would not answer.
“I’m not going anywhere. This is the start of my third quarter of my career. This is where I want to finish up my football career,” Smith said. “So I don’t know what better commitment I can show to everyone that we’re going to be here and we’re going to be here for the long haul than that.”
On Saturday, his first official day on the job as athletic director, Whitman fired coach Bill Cubit. Cubit had taken over for Tim Beckman, who was dismissed just prior to the season’s start amid allegations of mistreatment of players.
Cubit had the interim title removed in November and received a two-year contract extension from Mike Thomas, the previous AD whom Whitman replaced.
Don’t feel sorry for either. Cubit will receive $985,000 as part of a buyout, and the Illini owe Thomas $2.5 million for the remainder of his contract, which ran through 2019.
Smith agreed to a six-year deal worth $2 million in 2016 and 2017, $3 million in 2018, $4 million in 2019 and $5 million for 2020 and 2021.
The Bucs owed him $5 million for both 2016 and 2017, but will now pay him $3 million and $2 million, respectively, for those years.
But money is not what is driving Smith.
“I immediately seized on the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of the young men who are part of the program today and in the future,” he said.
Smith left college coaching for the NFL after the 1995 season when he was a defensive backs coach with Ohio State. He also coached at Tulsa, Wisconsin, Arizona State, Kentucky and Tennessee.
Dynamic duel
The duel between guards Wes Washpun of Northern Iowa and Evansville’s D.J. Balentine was worthy of the national TV audience that viewed on CBS and highlighted another outstanding Missouri Valley Conference Tournament.
Washpun’s last-second shot bounced high off the rim and fell through the hoop to give his Panthers a 56-54 victory over the Purple Aces in the championship game. He finished the game with 18 points, five rebounds and three assists and was named the tournament’s most outstanding player.
While Washpun found ways to penetrate opposing defenses throughout the season and tournament, it came down to his clutch jumper to seal the victory.
“That’s what (the defense) allowed me to take so that’s what I had to take. Not a better feeling in the world,” he said following the game.
Balentine, who was trying to lead Evansville to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1999, put in 20 points with a dizzying array of twisting layups and jump shots. He added four rebounds and three assists, and was named to the all-tournament team. His reverse layup tied the game at 54-54 before Washpun’s jumper sent him crashing to the floor in disbelief and tears.
Ronnie Suggs shines
Bradley University is the nation’s youngest major-college basketball squad with nine freshmen suiting up for games.
Frosh guard Ronnie Suggs of Washington, Missouri, poured in 20 points with 15 rebounds in Bradley’s 74-66 loss in the MVC quarterfinals. While the Braves closed at 5-27, the team and Suggs’ futures are quite bright.
Suggs averaged 8.5 points per game, four rebounds and 1.3 assists per game and claimed a starting guard position during the season.
Last year, he played for Vermont Academy, a college preparatory school in Saxtons River, Vermont. He averaged 18 points, eight rebounds and three steals and led his school to the conference championship game for the first time in its history.
He had led Washington High School to district championships as a sophomore and junior and was named to the Class 5 All-State team both seasons.
He is the son of Ron and Cassandra Suggs, who were both at the Scottrade Center cheering while clad in Bradley gear.
Alvin A. Reid is a panelist on the Nine Network program “Donnybrook” and appears on ABC’s “The Allman Report” and several sports radio shows. His Twitter handle is @aareid1.
