Dec. 7, 2004

Zook's Inaugural Speech   | Quotes   | Gallery  

Champaign, Ill. - University of Illinois athletics director Ron Guenther has announced today the hiring of Ron Zook as the Fighting Illini's 22nd head football coach.

Zook, 50, comes to Illinois with 27 years of coaching experience at both the collegiate and professional level. Tuesday marks the beginning of his second stint as a head coach after serving at the helm of 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 top total 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 a January bowl game 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's 2004 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 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-l997 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 Loundonville, Ohio and attended Orrville High School. 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 l973-75 and was captain of the l975 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.

RON ZOOK'S HEAD COACHING RECORD

Year	School	Overall	SEC	Bowl	Final Polls
2002	Florida	8-5	6-2	Outback	NR/24th
2003	Florida	8-5	6-2(T1st E)	Outback	24/25
2004	Florida	7-4	4-4	Peach**	20/19*
Total	3 years	23-14	16-8	3 Bowls

*As of 12/5
Polls listed as AP/Coaches
**Led Gators to Peach bowl berth to be played on Dec. 31, 2004

RON ZOOK'S COACHING EXPERIENCE

2002-04	Florida (Head Coach)
2000-01	New Orleans Saints (Defensive Coordinator)
1999	Kansas City Chiefs (Defensive Backs)
1996-98	Pittsburgh Steelers (Special Teams)
1995	Florida (Associate Head Coach/Special Teams Coordinator/Nickelbackers and Strong Safeties)
1994	Florida (Special Teams Coordinator/Nickelbackers)
1991-93	Florida (Defensive Coordinator/ Defensive Backs)
1988-90	Ohio State (Defensive Backs)
1987	Virginia Tech (Defensive Coordinator/Assistant Head Coach)
1984-86	Tennessee (Defensive Backs)
1983	Kansas (Defensive Coordinator)
1981-82	University of Cincinnati (Defensive Coordinator)
1978-80	Murray State (Defensive Backs)
1976-77	Orrville High School