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.
The Cook County Crime Stoppers are canvassing areas on the South Side where police are investigating two separate homicides.
A teen was shot in the face in Chicago's South Deering neighborhood early Saturday morning.
The FBI and sheriff's department have been investigating the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, the mother of "Today" show co-host Savannah Guthrie, for nearly two weeks.
It's the second time in as many weeks that government funding has lapsed as Democrats and the White House remain at an impasse over immigration enforcement policies.
Liz Abunaw is the owner of Forty Acres Fresh Market, the only fully functioning grocery store in the Austin community.
It's the second time in as many weeks that government funding has lapsed as Democrats and the White House remain at an impasse over immigration enforcement policies.
Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle is seeking a fifth term in office and is facing off against longtime Chicago Ald. Brendan Reilly (42nd) in the Democratic primary.
A federal judge has ruled that President Donald Trump's administration cannot pull back $600 million in public health grants allocated to four Democratic-led states, including Illinois, for now.
President Trump pardoned five former NFL players - one posthumously - for crimes ranging from perjury to drug trafficking.
From Kat Abughazaleh to Jason Friedman, some surprising names lead in fundraising in Illinois' primary elections.
This week marks Identity Theft Awareness Week, and Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza emphasized some safety tips Monday for avoiding and dealing with identity theft.
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.
The Trump administration's new discounted drug platform isn't a game-changer for consumers, health care experts said.
Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital announced this week that it is planning to open a new pediatric hospital in the west Chicago suburb of Downers Grove.
It has been nearly six years since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and one of the many questions doctors are still working to answer concerns the long-term effects.
Leaders from Cook County, the Illinois Department of Human Services, and the Greater Chicago Food Depository denounced changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program on Wednesday.
The University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center has received a grant from The Ralph Lauren Corporate Foundation for a new cancer center.
With his name now hanging in the rafters, former Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose is helping the United Center with its major redevelopment.
A potential bidding war is taking shape for the Daily Herald, the newspaper of record for suburban Chicago.
A Near West Side diner known for drawing in Blackhawks fans and players is up for sale.
January may be the coldest time of the year, but Chicago is already looking forward to summer farmers' markets.
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.
"Dawson's Creek" and "Varsity Blues" star James Van Der Beek has died at 48 years old.
The 31-year-old Puerto Rican artist Bad Bunny took the stage on Sunday dressed in all white, donning a jersey with his last name, Ocasio, and the number 64.
Brad Arnold, the founder and lead singer of the 3 Doors Down has died following "his courageous battle with cancer," the rock band announced Saturday on social media.
Bad Bunny took the stage at halftime for the 2026 Super Bowl. Here's who else performed at Super Bowl 60.
Gamers across the world can now recreate drone strikes in Ukraine from the comfort of their own home, with this newly released game.
A fire broke out at an apartment building in Calumet Park on Saturday.
Ernesto and Rodrigo are looking for forever homes. They are available for adoption at PAWS Chicago.
Nealy two weeks after Nancy Guthrie was abducted, law enforcement activity was seen near the 84-year-old's home.
A partial government shutdown is underway, impacting government workers on Saturday.
Meteorologist Mary Kay Kleist has the extended forecast.
It's the second time in as many weeks that government funding has lapsed as Democrats and the White House remain at an impasse over immigration enforcement policies.
The Cook County Crime Stoppers are canvassing areas on the South Side where police are investigating two separate homicides.
A teen was shot in the face in Chicago's South Deering neighborhood early Saturday morning.
A bustling downtown neighborhood has been left on edge after a brutal armed robbery in broad daylight. West Loop leaders and business owners were speaking out on Friday about the attack.
The FBI and sheriff's department have been investigating the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, the mother of "Today" show co-host Savannah Guthrie, for nearly two weeks.
A state lawmaker is joining the growing call for accountability from the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services about past abuse allegations before an 8-year-old boy's murder.
Chicago's rodent problem is well known, but a new pilot program testing rat birth control to curb the population in problem areas is underway to help rein it in.
From Kat Abughazaleh to Jason Friedman, some surprising names lead in fundraising in Illinois' primary elections.
The move means the United States Environmental Protection Agency will no longer regulate greenhouse gases emitted from sources like cars, trucks and power plants.
CBS News Chicago is tracking what led to the death of an 8-year-old boy in Round Lake Beach and whether state officials were aware of any red flags before his murder.
A 19-game improvement last season saw a lot of White Sox players make their Major League debuts, and one of the team's top prospects is working for that same opportunity this year.
While their overall expectations might be much different, both the Cubs and White Sox are looking to make noticeable improvements in 2026 as they ramp up spring training in Arizona.
With his name now hanging in the rafters, former Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose is helping the United Center with its major redevelopment.
After Iowa, Portage, and Gary joined the talks for the Bears' new stadium, leaders in Arlington Heights say this is now, more than ever, about keeping the team in Illinois.
Cade Horton, who won't have the innings restrictions like he did last year, when he still finished second in National League Rookie of the Year voting.
The FBI and sheriff's department have been investigating the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, the mother of "Today" show co-host Savannah Guthrie, for nearly two weeks.
A bustling downtown neighborhood has been left on edge after a brutal armed robbery in broad daylight. West Loop leaders and business owners were speaking out on Friday about the attack.
President Trump pardoned five former NFL players - one posthumously - for crimes ranging from perjury to drug trafficking.
Authorities on Thursday released the first physical description of a male suspect wanted in connection with the Arizona disappearance of Nancy Guthrie.
A man pleaded guilty Thursday to the murders of two brothers — both of them U.S. Marines — in Cicero, Illinois, more than three decades ago.
