Thursday, July 30, 2009

Ron Zook: Relax and Stay Awhile

Last week, the University of Illinois Board of Trustees approved a one year contract extension for head football coach Ron Zook. The one year addition keeps Zook under contract through the 2014 season. The fifth year coach currently makes $1.5 million per year. His Fightin' Illini finished the 2008 campaign with a 5-6 record and no bowl invitation. The year previous, Zook led his troops to a 9-3 record, which was capped off by a rare Rose Bowl appearance. With all that said, I was puzzled as to why a coach would be offered an extension after a losing season. 5-6 isn't even in the mediocre range. I'm not saying Illinois should have fired Zook, but they certainly didn't need to extend his contract following that season. Perhaps that doesn't say much about the expectations at IU, or perhaps it says they've put all their faith in Zook to fulfill their expectations. Go figure...

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