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Apr. 18—***
On the subject of how many former Illinois players on the staff is too many my opinion is clear: No such number exists.
So, count me among those who wholeheartedly approve of Terry Hawthorne's return to the Illinois staff. And not just because he is a good guy.
Hawthorne was named Wednesday as the team's director of defensive player personnel by Bret Bielema. Hawthorne joins his alma mater after working three seasons as cornerbacks coach at Southern Illinois.
It is his second stint on Bielema's staff Hawthorne was also with the team in 2021.
His history with the program matters. He played here. In good times and bad. And he starred here, leading Illinois to a comeback win in the 2011 Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl. He was the defensive MVP after turning the game with pick six. Just like he had done so many times while becoming the News-Gazette All-State Player of the Year while at East St. Louis Senior.
The Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl is one of the strangest games in school history. Played at the home of the San Francisco Giants, it featured two interim head coaches. Ron Zook had been fired at Illinois, replaced for the bowl by Vic Koenning, another favorite.
Led by players like Hawthorne and quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase, the determined team beat UCLA. That was the only time in school history Illinois won bowls in consecutive seasons, a feat it will try to duplicate with Hawthorne again in town.
Hawthorne's got stories. The current players should listen.
Continue reading...
On the subject of how many former Illinois players on the staff is too many my opinion is clear: No such number exists.
So, count me among those who wholeheartedly approve of Terry Hawthorne's return to the Illinois staff. And not just because he is a good guy.
Hawthorne was named Wednesday as the team's director of defensive player personnel by Bret Bielema. Hawthorne joins his alma mater after working three seasons as cornerbacks coach at Southern Illinois.
It is his second stint on Bielema's staff Hawthorne was also with the team in 2021.
His history with the program matters. He played here. In good times and bad. And he starred here, leading Illinois to a comeback win in the 2011 Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl. He was the defensive MVP after turning the game with pick six. Just like he had done so many times while becoming the News-Gazette All-State Player of the Year while at East St. Louis Senior.
The Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl is one of the strangest games in school history. Played at the home of the San Francisco Giants, it featured two interim head coaches. Ron Zook had been fired at Illinois, replaced for the bowl by Vic Koenning, another favorite.
Led by players like Hawthorne and quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase, the determined team beat UCLA. That was the only time in school history Illinois won bowls in consecutive seasons, a feat it will try to duplicate with Hawthorne again in town.
Hawthorne's got stories. The current players should listen.
Continue reading...
