Illinois fires Tim Beckman

Submitted by WestQuad on

Illinois Fires head football coach Tim Beckman.   via The Score app and here.

 

 

EGD

August 28th, 2015 at 2:52 PM ^

The first Illinois game I watched with Beckman as coach, I couldn't help but notice his DBs were leading with their helmets and spearing people--and then being congratulated on the sideline for it.  I'm not surprised that he was fired for not taking player safety seriously enough.  Good riddance.

Mr Miggle

August 28th, 2015 at 3:36 PM ^

Unless they want to make a run at someone like Schiano. Fleck looks good now. After the season, he might have even better options, or not look so great.

The interim is always the favorite in my mnd. It wouldn't be a surprise if they look better under Cubit. Being Illinois, they'll probably make a questionable choice.

93Grad

August 28th, 2015 at 2:55 PM ^

my god.  It is stunning that a program with all that instate talent and no other in state power 5 programs could be so bad for so long.  It is programs like Illinois that bring the B1G down in a huge way.

PinballPete

August 28th, 2015 at 5:48 PM ^

I'm surprised this hasn't been brought up. Guy goes on a huge twitter rant earlier this year about this very issue and the story make headlines on Yahoo and ESPN. It can't be a coincidence that an investigation happened to follow on that very subject. Good for that young man.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/college/ct-simon-cvijanovic-tim-be…

azian6er

August 28th, 2015 at 3:09 PM ^

This guy just looks like a fucking asshole.

Having played competitive sports at a high level - I just can't even fathom a coach forcing me to play through injury - or to purposefully deny me access to medical doctors to evaluate my injuries. 

Good riddance Senor Beckman - CFB won't miss you.

Blue_sophie

August 28th, 2015 at 3:14 PM ^

As bad as things got with Hoke clapping on the sideline, at worst he was guilty of incompetence (and I actually think that is WAY too harsh a judgement).  Beckman influencing the decisions of medical staff and pressuring players to play when injured is flat-out unethical. 

Poor, Illinois. We can never truly know your pain, but we glimpsed it last year and it was a bleak vision of a scorched wilderness.

goblue16

August 28th, 2015 at 3:15 PM ^

Go after Mullen or freeze, cutcliff, he'll even Rodriguez. The list is full of big time coaches. But it's illinois so they'll probably hire Matt Campbell from Toledo

BlueinLansing

August 28th, 2015 at 3:36 PM ^

Illinois has had several opportunities to hire a big name coach.  The only two they came up with were John Mackovic and Zuk.  Both were coaches ousted by theri previous programs.   Both did admirable jobs at Illinois and both were still fired.

Pit2047

August 28th, 2015 at 5:42 PM ^

Expires December 19, 2016. If they hire him before then he would sit the first 5 games of the season and all post season games. As much as I hate Tressel, I'm not going to sit here and say he wouldn't turn even this dumpster fire into a legit contender in the West along with Wisconsin and Nebraska (as long as their new coaches don't backfire). If Franklin can pull Penn State out of its nose dive then that would mean 7 good - great B1G teams plus Minnesota That's not bad from where we were a couple years ago.

ST3

August 28th, 2015 at 3:27 PM ^

It might be considered a long shot, but I think their next coach could be none other than Chuck Long. He played at Iowa, was raised in Illinois, and has head coaching experience at San Diego State, on second thought, scratch this idea.

goblue16

August 28th, 2015 at 3:37 PM ^

Not having to pay Beckmann shit is a blessing but they need to pay up big. throw 4-5 mill and they can land one hell of a coach