Kittner: Illinois Should Play In Bowl Game
In the wake of the firing of head football coach Ron Zook, the team is meeting Tuesday to decide whether or not it will accept a bowl invitation.
In the wake of the firing of head football coach Ron Zook, the team is meeting Tuesday to decide whether or not it will accept a bowl invitation.
After firing Ron Zook Sunday, the Illini have started searching for their next head coach.
When it comes to the reasons why Illinois' seventh-year head football coach held on to his job for so long and why he finally lost it on Sunday morning, I can boil Zook's problems down to just four.
Illinois coach Ron Zook was fired Sunday after the Illini followed a 6-0 start to this season with a six-game losing streak.
I'm sure that Mike Thomas has his own list of names who he'd like to see as his coach at Illinois. But my advice is this: Aim high.
In Ron Zook's defense, he warned them.
Police are searching for the gunman who shot three people, including an Illini football player, at a weekend party near the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign campus.
Terry Greenstein of the Chicago Tribune joined The McNeil and Spiegel Show to break down college football.
Illinois rolled through its first six games with big plays, comebacks and happy endings, landing a spot in the Top 25 with a perfect start.
Above everything else on Saturday, as Illinois fans trudged out of Memorial Stadium, they were again reminded of the cold, hard truth that Ron Zook is not a big-time football coach.
I didn't watch the Illinois football game last weekend. Turns out, though, I wasn't the only one. Because, apparently, Ron Zook didn't see much of it, either.
Before the college football season began, I felt that Ron Zook and his University of Illinois football team had the most to prove in the Big Ten in 2011.
Illinois sacked Arizona State's Brock Osweiler six times and turned one into a touchdown in a 17-14 win over the No. 22 Sun Devils on Saturday night.
Football is a game of numbers. But when it comes to the job security of Fighting Illini football coach Ron Zook, might it be a game of figures, as well?
Baffled was again how I found myself last Saturday when Illinois' seventh-year head coach opted to burn highly touted freshman quarterback Reilly O'Toole's redshirt eligibility – by playing him for three meaningless snaps in the fourth quarter of a season opener vs. Arkansas State.
Adam Hoge breaks down which Big Ten coaches are on the hot seat this season and which coaches are completely safe.
The University of Illinois is on the clock. But it's Bruce Weber and Ron Zook who can hear theirs ticking. At about 5 p.m. this evening Illinois will be without an official athletic director for the first time since 1992.
On Tuesday, Fighting Illini senior running back Jason Ford was arrested on suspicion of driving with a suspended license.
There was a fire in Champaign this week. Early Wednesday, a blaze started in a building on Green Street – the main Campustown drag – and destroyed a couple of popular restaurants.
This is the risk you run when you recruit eighth-graders.
The Illini aren't quite living up to expectations but coach Bruce Weber has a plan to fix the team's problems. The Athletic Director has confidence in Weber too.
Ponder this: If Ohio State hadn't tattooed an "L" on the Arkansas Razorbacks Tuesday night in the Sugar Bowl, Ron Zook would have been the 2010-11 Poster Boy for Big Ten Postseason Success.
Well, I'm back from the Texas Bowl and you can color me orange. And impressed.
Winning a bowl game like the Texas Bowl may not be that big of a deal to many who follow college football, but for the University of Illinois fans and Ron Zook, they will gladly take it.
As a University of Illinois season ticket holder, I've watched a lot of Ron Zook football during the past six years. Most of it bad.
Illinois held the lead for nearly 30 minutes of game time, but a late rally by Missouri took the game down to the wire.
Temperatures are below freezing and precipitation will likely freeze.
A report by the House Ethics Committee found former Rep. Matt Gaetz paid multiple women, including a 17-year-old girl, for sex.
The market will close its doors on the night before Christmas.
The Ramblers have lost two of their last three after and eight-game win streak to open the season.
A report by the House Ethics Committee found former Rep. Matt Gaetz paid multiple women, including a 17-year-old girl, for sex.
Several City Council members have called the school board's vote to fire Martinez without cause reckless and irresponsible.
Because Martinez was fired without cause, his contract allows him to stay on the job for another six months, and receive 20 weeks of severance pay.
Martinez was at Luther Burbank Elementary, 2035 N. Mobile Ave., as the Special Olympics recognized the school for excellence in inclusive sports programming.
Henyard had named three people to serve as police chief, village administrator, and village attorney without approval from the village board.
Scammers know many of us are waiting for packages this holiday season.
The National Retail Foundation projected roughly 157 million people across the country would shop last-minute and try to wrap up their shopping lists.
The strike was deliberately authorized in the midst of the busy holiday delivery season nationwide for a reason—with the Teamsters Union pushing the company for a contract.
The oysters were sold as Fanny Bay, Buckley Bay, and Royal Miyagi.
Customers said contractors from the company, Orange Elephant Roofing & Solar, seemed simply to disappear into thin air. But that is only the tip of the iceberg.
Some 13 oz. bags of Lay's Classic Potato Chips may contain an undeclared allergen, according to the snack company.
The Wisconsin Department of Health Services announced Wednesday that it had detected presumptive positive human case of H5N1 in Barron County.
The sisters share a special bond of getting a second chance at life, which they both received at the age of 38 years old.
An even larger investment of $500 million is going toward 10 new outpatient facilities throughout the South Side that will add 85,000 health care appointments each year.
Scientists used the NanoGripper to grab particles from the SARS-CoV2 virus that causes COVID-19.
Sunday night marked the last night in business for Strat's, after 38 years.
The National Retail Foundation projected roughly 157 million people across the country would shop last-minute and try to wrap up their shopping lists.
Baristas at the store at 5964 N. Ridge Ave. in Edgewater have been on strike since Friday calling for higher wages and better staffing.
The strike was deliberately authorized in the midst of the busy holiday delivery season nationwide for a reason—with the Teamsters Union pushing the company for a contract.
Owner Eddie Lakin made the announcement Wednesday. He said the last day for the restaurant at 1571 Sherman Ave. would be this coming Saturday, Dec. 21.
Taylor also played two nights at Ravinia this past June.
Mindy Kaling and Morris Chestnut announced the nominations for the 82nd annual Golden Globes, with 10 nominees revealed live on CBS News.
The lawsuit alleges the unidentified girl was raped at a Video Music Awards afterparty in 2000.
Social media sleuths noticed that the house next door to the iconic "Home Alone" house in Winnetka is now up for sale.
Here are the top songs, artists, and albums streamed on Spotify in Chicago this year, according to communications agency Burson Global.
After months of maintenance, Rome's Trevi Fountain has reopened.
Take a Mental Health Minute with Marie Saavedra.
Millions of people are hitting the roads and taking to the skies in Chicago for holiday travel. More than 3.5 million passengers are expected to fly in and out of O'Hare and Midway airports through the new year.
Meteorologist Laura Bannon has the extended forecast.
Meteorologist Kylee Miller has your 10 p.m. First Alert Weather forecast for Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024.
No citations were issued in the crash. The police Major Accident Investigation Unit is investigating.
Caleb Williams threw for 334 yards and two touchdowns following a string of shaky performances for the Bears.
Several City Council members have called the school board's vote to fire Martinez without cause reckless and irresponsible.
Illinois held the lead for nearly 30 minutes of game time, but a late rally by Missouri took the game down to the wire.
Temperatures are below freezing and precipitation will likely freeze.
"San Antonio has really led the way in using aerial surveillance technology to prevent these activities," said Ald. Brian Hopkins (2nd), who chairs the City Council Public Safety Committee.
Customers said contractors from the company, Orange Elephant Roofing & Solar, seemed simply to disappear into thin air. But that is only the tip of the iceberg.
Survivors, advocates and experts have weighed in on Mayor Brandon Johnson's pledge to create a task force to study the safety of Black women in Chicago.
The Chicago-based company is accused of tricking diners about delivery fees, misleading drivers about pay, and listing restaurants on its platform without permission.
Now-retired Joliet police Sgt. Javier Esqueda was charged in connection with leaking squad car video of a man who died in Joliet police custody.
Illinois held the lead for nearly 30 minutes of game time, but a late rally by Missouri took the game down to the wire.
The Ramblers have lost two of their last three after and eight-game win streak to open the season.
Caleb Williams threw for 334 yards and two touchdowns following a string of shaky performances for the Bears.
Nikola Vucevic scored 19 points and 10 assists to lead the Bulls, whose season-high three-game winning streak ended.
Booser went 2-3 with a 3.38 ERA, one save and 43 strikeouts in 43 relief appearances with the Red Sox in his first season in the majors in 2024.
In each incident, the burglars crashed a dark sedan into businesses and destroyed the front window or glass door.
With the holidays fast approaching, many Lincoln Parkers want others to be aware and stay safe as they get ready to travel.
It happened around 4 a.m. at Eddie's Market in the 11000 block of South Halsted Street.
Richard Allen was sentenced to 65 years for each death, totaling 130 years in prison.
Sidi Mohamed Abdallahi, 22, had been facing hate crime and terrorism charges in an attack on a Jewish man in late October. He has since died by suicide in custody