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Ron Zook

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Ron Zook
refer to caption
Zook in May 2008
Maryland Terrapins
Personal information
Born:(1954-04-28)April 28, 1954(age 70)
Ashland, Ohio,U.S.
Career information
High school:Loudonville
College:Miami (OH)
Career history
As a coach:
Career highlights and awards
Head coaching record
Career:NCAA: 57–65 (.467)

Ronald Andrew Zook[1](/zʊk/;born April 28, 1954) is anAmerican footballcoach who is aspecial teamsquality control coachat theUniversity of Maryland.He was the head football coach at theUniversity of Floridafrom 2002 to 2004 and theUniversity of Illinois at Urbana–Champaignfrom 2005 to 2011.

Zook is a native ofOhioand an alumnus ofMiami University,where he playedcollege football.He has worked as an assistant coach in theNational Football League(NFL) with thePittsburgh Steelers(1996–1998),Kansas City Chiefs(1999), andNew Orleans Saints(2000–2001). In August 2012, he was hired as a college football studio analyst byCBS Sports.[2]He was also employed as thespecial teamscoach for theGreen Bay Packers.[3]In 2019, he was thespecial teams coordinatorandsecondary coachfor theSalt Lake Stallionsof theAlliance of American Football(AAF).

Early life

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Ronald Andrew Zook was born inAshland, Ohioand raised in nearbyLoudonville.[4]AtLoudonville High School,Zook playedbasketball,track,and football. Upon graduating, he was offered a trackscholarshiptoPurdue Universityand received offers to play football at several small colleges in theMidwest.However, Zook wanted to playDivision Ifootball, so he decided towalk onatMiami UniversityinOxford, Ohio.He made the team, and by his senior season, Zook was a startingdefensive backand a co-captain for theMiami Redskins.He graduated with abachelor's degreein comprehensive science in 1976.[5]

Coaching career

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High school assistant

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Zook started coaching football immediately upon graduating from college, beginning his career in 1976 as the defensive backs coach atOrrville High SchoolinOrrville, Ohiounder head coach Mo Tipton.

College assistant

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In 1978, Zook began his college football coaching career when he became agraduate assistantatMurray State University.Through the 1980s, Zook held coaching positions with a number of college football teams, serving as adefensive coordinatoratCincinnatiandKansasand as a position coach atTennessee,Virginia Tech,andOhio State.

Beginning in1991,Zook served asdefensive coordinatorfor three seasons at theUniversity of Floridaunder head coachSteve Spurrier.After the1993 season,Spurrier reassigned Zook to be thespecial teamscoordinator, a move considered by many to be a demotion due to the team's unsatisfactory performance on pass defense. Zook's special teams units performed well enough during the1994 seasonthat he was offered the defensive coordinator position atMichigan State,prompting Spurrier to give him the title of associate head coach to help keep him at Florida.[6]

Florida defensive coordinatorBobby Pruettleft to become the head coach atMarshall Universityin January 1995 and Zook was promoted to take his place, becoming Florida's defensive coordinator once again. However, theNFL'sPittsburgh Steelersoffered Zook the job of special teams coordinator just one month later and he accepted, leaving the college game for a time.[7]With Zook leaving,Bob Stoopswas brought in to run Florida's defense.

NFL assistant

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After leaving Florida, Zook served three seasons asspecial teamscoach for thePittsburgh Steelers,then was thedefensive backscoach for theKansas City Chiefsin1999.KC finished with a 9–7 record, 16th in passing yards allowed, andJames Hastyhad seven interceptions andCris Dishmanfinished with five interceptions.[8]In the2000and2001 seasons,Zook served as the defensive coordinator for theNew Orleans Saints.[9]In 2000, the Saints finished 10–6 with Zook's defense ranking tenth in points allowed.[10]DTLa'Roi Gloverled the team with 17 Sacks followed by 12 from DEJoe Johnsonand 11 by DEDarren Howard.

College head coach

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University of Florida

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In January 2002, Steve Spurrier resigned from Florida to explore head coaching opportunities in the NFL, eventually signing with theWashington Redskins.Floridaathletic directorJeremy Foleysought to replace him with eitherDenver BroncoscoachMike ShanahanorOklahoma'sBob Stoops,but each decided to remain with their respective teams. Foley's next choice was Zook, who accepted the job.[11]Given the success of Spurrier's 12-year tenure, expectations at Florida were high, and seemingly settling for Zook was not popular with many students and supporters. Others did not understand why the university would hire a man who was demoted as a coordinator on the same staff to be head coach. Within a day of Zook's hiring, one fan started a website calledFireRonZook.comthat gained national media attention.[12]Many fraternity houses hung banners from week to week either praising Zook or calling for his firing.

Zook was head coach at Florida for three seasons. The Gators compiled records of 8–5 (2002), 8–5 (2003) and 7–5 (2004). While Zook's tenure saw modest success, it was well short of what Gator fans had come to expect. In his three seasons, the Gators lost six games atBen Hill Griffin Stadium.By comparison, Spurrier lost only five home games in 12 years. Many of the losses were fourth quarter comebacks by the opposition, causing many fans to question theprevent defensethat was employed. Zook did not beat a ranked opponent at home during his time at Florida. Zook was fired before the end of the 2004 season after a 38–31 road loss to theMississippi State Bulldogs(who were 1–5 prior to the game, including a home loss toDivision I-AAMaine). He did not help his cause by getting into a heated argument with several fraternity members a few weeks earlier after being called in to defuse a dispute between the brothers and his players.[13]Zook finished the regular season, but he did not coach the Gators in thePeach Bowlbecause he had already accepted the head coaching job at Illinois. Defensive coordinatorCharlie Strongcoached the Gators in the Peach Bowl. After Zook's departure, his successorUrban Meyerwon a national title in 2006, largely with players whom Zook had recruited.

During his time at Florida, Zook did have some notable accomplishments. He handed both the 2002 Georgia Bulldogs and 2003 LSU Tigers their only loss of the year. His Gators defeated three highly ranked teams in succession in 2003, all away from home (LSU, Arkansas and Georgia). In his final game he defeated theFlorida State Seminolesat Tallahassee, something that Steve Spurrier never accomplished. That victory occurred on the night when FSU dedicatedBobby Bowden Field,leading Gator fans to refer to it as Ron Zook Field. Zook had winning records againstSECfoesGeorgia(2–1) andAuburn(1–0). Zook was regarded as a fine recruiter who brought a great deal of talent to Florida during his tenure as head coach. Following the Gators' victory overOhio Statein the2007 BCS National Championship Game,Urban Meyerpraised Zook for recruiting the large class of seniors who played in the game. Twenty-two of the 24 starters were recruited to Florida by Zook.

University of Illinois

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In 2005, the University of Illinois hired Zook to replaceRon Turneras the head coach of theIllinois Fighting Illini footballteam. Zook inherited a program which had become a disaster since winning theBig Tenchampionship in 2001. They had only won nine games in the three seasons since, and only five games in Big Ten play. In Zook's inaugural season of 2005, Illinois finished with an overall record of 2–9, and a record of 0–8 in Big Ten games.

Despite his team's past struggles, Zook improved the ability of Illinois to recruit top football talent. According to one source, the 2006 recruiting class was one of the 30 best in college football.[14]Despite this, they finished the 2006 season 1–7 in the conference and 2–10 overall. While the record did not improve, the play on the field did as the Illini nearly upset top ranked Ohio State in Champaign before losing 17–10. Additionally, the Illini played well against Iowa, Wisconsin, and Penn State (they lost 63–10 the year before; Penn State led 56–3 at halftime) but ended up losing close games (they were down 15–12 at Penn State until Penn State broke open a close game to make it 26–12).

The 2006 recruiting class includedIsiah "Juice" Williamsof Chicago Vocational High School, considered to be one of the top quarterback recruits in the country.[15]In late 2006, Zook signedArrelious Benn,one of the top wide receiver prospects in the 2007 class.[16][17]More recently, Zook also won overSimeon High SchoolstandoutMartez Wilson[18][19]along withFloridaprospect D'Angelo McCray.[20]This class was one of Illinois' best in recent memory, being rated within the top 25 nationally by some experts.[21]

2007 season
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Main article:2007 Illinois Fighting Illini football team

Zook's recruiting success finally began to pay dividends during the 2007 season. After losing a close game on neutral turf to a Missouri squad which went on to be ranked as high as #1, the Illini ran off five straight wins, including back-to-back home wins over Penn State and Wisconsin. Illinois' 5–1 start gave them a #18 ranking in the AP Poll. This was Illinois' first ranking in the AP Poll since the end of the 2001 season. However, the ranking proved to be short-lived after consecutive losses to Iowa and Michigan. A homecoming win over Ball State gave the Illini bowl eligibility and a blowout win at Minnesota all but assured Zook's first bowl appearance as coach of the Illini. On November 10, the then-unranked Illini defeated #1-ranked Ohio State in Columbus. The Illini finished the 2007 regular season by defeating Northwestern to finish 9–3 overall, 6–2 in the Big Ten. Because Big Ten champion Ohio State played in the BCS National Championship game, Illinois received a bid to play in the Rose Bowl as the second ranked team in the Big Ten. Their improvement of seven wins over the 2006 season was the largest such increase of any Division I team. His success earned Zook a contract extension in October 2007, which paid him approximately $1.5 million through the 2013 season.[22]Zook's success on recruiting trail continued as well, with Illinois having the #17 recruiting class in 2008 according to rivals.com.[23]

On November 20, 2007, Ron Zook was selected as the Big Ten Coach of the Year.[24]Zook also was awarded the Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Award following the 2007 season.[25]After making the2008 Rose Bowl,Illinois was squashed 49–17 by theUSC Trojans,putting a damper on an otherwise great season.

2008 season
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Main article:2008 Illinois Fighting Illini football team

Expectations were high for 2008, but Illinois didn't live up to those expectations early on, as they lost toMissouri,52–42, in their season opener and toPenn State,38–24. After a 27–20 loss toMinnesota,Illinois crushedIndiana,55–13. However, the Fighting Illini fell toWisconsinthe very next week; Wisconsin had been winless in Big Ten play prior to that game. While Zook's team was able to upsetIowa27–24 a week after their loss to Wisconsin, the Illini finished 2008 with a three-game losing streak at the hands ofWestern Michigan(23–17),Ohio State(30–20), andNorthwestern(27–10).

2009 season
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Main article:2009 Illinois Fighting Illini football team

Despite a very disappointing 2008 season, Zook's 2009 Fighting Illini team received AP Poll votes. As they had the previous two years, Illinois started off the season with a loss to Missouri, but this time, the result was far more lopsided than the previous affairs; Missouri won 39–7. Illinois stomped Illinois State 45–17 the next week, but then they suffered an embarrassing 30–0 shutout at the hands ofOhio State.Illinois lost their next four games by ten points or more (including a 27–14 loss to Indiana, the Hoosiers' only Big Ten win of the season), sinking to 1–6 overall. Zook's team then put together a stunning 38-13 blowout of the Michigan Wolverines inMemorial Stadium,followed up with a 35–32 upset of Minnesota the next week. After back-to-back wins, the Illini fell to the rivalNorthwestern Wildcats,21–16. To close out the season, the Fighting Illini put up a fight against Cincinnati, who finished the year undefeated, but were unable to pull off the upset; and they fell at home to Fresno State in a wild 53–52 game in the season finale.

At the end of the 2009 season, offensive coordinatorMike Schultzwas released from his contract,[26]and co-defensive coordinators Dan Disch andCurt Mallorywere demoted to position coaches.[27]Illinois hiredPaul Petrinoas offensive coordinator, andVic Koenningas defensive coordinator.

2010 season
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Main article:2010 Illinois Fighting Illini football team

After back-to-back disappointing years, the Illini had almost no pre-season expectations entering 2010. Juice Williams and Arrelious Benn were no longer on the team. However, running backMikel Leshourewas, and he proved to be an invaluable asset on offense, while Illinois started freshmanNathan Scheelhaaseat quarterback.

They started off 2010 by losing to Missouri for the fourth consecutive year, 23–13. They held a 13–3 lead that almost lasted the length of the game. After the early loss, Illinois defeated Southern Illinois, 35–3, andNorthern Illinois,28–22. While the Fighting Illini lost to Ohio State in their Big Ten opener, they gave the Buckeyes a scare, knocking out quarterbackTerrelle Pryorand holding the Buckeye passing offense almost entirely in check. Illinois then traveled toPenn Stateto take on a Nittany Lions program that was undefeatedat homeagainst the Fighting Illini. Illinois handed Penn State a stunning 33–13 loss on homecoming. They went on to finish the season with a win in theTexas Bowl,a comfortable 38-13 victory againstBaylor.

2011 season
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Main article:2011 Illinois Fighting Illini football team

As the 2011 season begun, the Illini were picked by most experts to finish near the bottom of the newly formed Leaders Division. However, Illinois got off to one of their best starts in history by winning their first six games. After taking care ofArkansas State,33–15, and blastingSouth Dakota State,56–3, the Fighting Illini won a trio of home games by a margin of a field goal over 22nd-rankedArizona State(17–14),Western Michigan(23–20), andNorthwestern(38–35) in a game in which Illinois rallied from a 28–10 deficit in the second half.

After defeatingIndiana41–20 in Illinois' first road game of the season, the Illini were 6–0 for the first time since 1951 and they climbed to 15th in theCoaches' Polland 16th in theAP Poll.However, the Illini lost 17–7 toOhio Stateand the season seemed headed towards a downward spiral as Illinois lost a pair of close road games atPurdue(21–14) andPenn State(10–7). Illinois returned home and lost toMichigan,31–14.

On the Tuesday before the Wisconsin game, Zook opened his weekly press conference by warning the reporters not to ask questions about his job status. When reporter Shannon Ryan of theChicago Tribuneasked Zook if he had talked to his players about the rumors pertaining to his future, he walked out of the press conference. The Illini went on to lose toWisconsin,28–17, and finished the regular season with a 27–7 loss toMinnesota.With the loss to the Golden Gophers, Illinois became the first team in NCAA Division I FBS history to start a season 6–0, and end it at 6–6.

Zook was fired on November 27, 2011. His final record at Illinois was 34–51. The Illini received a bowl invitation, and they defeated UCLA in the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl. It was the first time in school history that the football team won back-to-back bowl games.

Back to the NFL

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After leaving Illinois, Zook spent two seasons out of football, during which time he worked as a college football studio analyst for CBS and took an executive position at a bank inOcala, Florida.[28]

In 2014, Zook was hired by theGreen Bay Packersto the position of assistant special teams coordinator.[29]He was not retained by the team after the 2018 season.[30]

Alliance of American Football

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On February 28, 2019, Zook joined theSalt Lake Stallionsof theAlliance of American Footballas special teams coordinator and secondary coach. The league folded during the2019season.

Maryland

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In 2019,Marylandhead coachMike Locksleyhired Zook as a senior analyst; Locksley had worked under Zook at Illinois as his offensive coordinator and at Florida as running backs coach and recruiting coordinator.[31]Zook was promoted to special teams coordinator in 2021 before stepping down after one season.[32]

In 2024, Zook was rehired by Locksley as a special teams quality control coach.[33]

XFL

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In June 2021, Zook was announced as the defensive coordinator underJim Haslettin theXFL.[34]On January 1, 2024, it was announced the Sea Dragons would not be a part of the UFL merger.[35]

Head coaching record

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Year Team Overall Conference Standing Bowl/playoffs Coaches# AP°
Florida Gators(Southeastern Conference)(2002–2004)
2002 Florida 8–5 6–2 2nd(Eastern) LOutback 24
2003 Florida 8–5 6–2 T–1st(Eastern) LOutback 25 24
2004 Florida 7–4[n 1] 4–4 3rd(Eastern) Peach[n 1] 25
Florida: 23–14 16–8
Illinois Fighting Illini(Big Ten Conference)(2005–2011)
2005 Illinois 2–9 0–8 11th
2006 Illinois 2–10 1–7 10th
2007 Illinois 9–4 6–2 2nd LRose† 18 20
2008 Illinois 5–7 3–5 8th
2009 Illinois 3–9 2–6 9th
2010 Illinois 7–6 4–4 T–4th WTexas
2011 Illinois 6–6[n 2] 2–6 5th(Leaders) Fight Hunger[n 2]
Illinois: 34–51 18–38
Total: 57–65
National championshipConference titleConference division title or championship game berth

Notes

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  1. ^abZook left for Illinois after the regular season; defensive coordinatorCharlie Strongcoached Florida in thePeach Bowl.Florida credits the regular season to Zook and the Peach Bowl to Strong.
  2. ^abZook was fired at the end of the regular season; defensive coordinatorVic Koenningwas appointed as interim head coach and coached Illinois in theKraft Fight Hunger Bowl.Illinois credits the regular season to Zook and the Fight Hunger Bowl to Koenning.

See also

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References

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  1. ^"Jacquelyn Paige Zook".Amarillo Globe-News.April 16, 2011.RetrievedDecember 26,2014.
  2. ^"Former Florida coach Ron Zook to join CBS Sports Network as college analyst".Tampa Bay Times.Archived fromthe originalon July 23, 2013.
  3. ^"Signs point to Ron Zook as new Packers special teams coach".February 5, 2015.
  4. ^Dooley, Pat (January 20, 2002)."Zook Suits Gators Just Perfect".Lakeland Ledger.Archived fromthe originalon February 9, 2002.
  5. ^"Gainesville Sun – Google News Archive Search".news.google.com.
  6. ^"Sarasota Herald-Tribune – Google News Archive Search".news.google.com.
  7. ^"Times Daily – Google News Archive Search".news.google.com.
  8. ^"1999 Kansas City Chiefs Statistics & Players - Pro-Football-Reference.com".Pro-Football-Reference.com.
  9. ^"Gainesville Sun – Google News Archive Search".news.google.com.
  10. ^"2000 New Orleans Saints Statistics & Players - Pro-Football-Reference.com".Pro-Football-Reference.com.
  11. ^"Gators Fire Zook, Keep Spurrier in Mind (washingtonpost.com)".www.washingtonpost.com.
  12. ^"USATODAY.com – Colleagues, players stick up for Florida's Zook".usatoday30.usatoday.com.
  13. ^ESPN News Services, "With Zook out, will Spurrier get a call?"ESPN.com (October 26, 2004). Retrieved September 8, 2009.
  14. ^"2006 Football Team Rankings".Scout.
  15. ^"OrangeandBlueNews.com".illinois.rivals.com.
  16. ^"OrangeandBlueNews.com".illinois.rivals.com.
  17. ^"NFL, College Sports, NBA and Recruiting".scout.scout.com.
  18. ^"High School Confidential".Archived fromthe originalon November 6, 2007.
  19. ^"OrangeandBlueNews.com".illinois.rivals.com.
  20. ^"NFL, College Sports, NBA and Recruiting".scout.scout.com.
  21. ^"OrangeandBlueNews.com".illinois.rivals.com.
  22. ^"Illinois' strong start earns Ron Zook extension, raise - USATODAY.com".www.usatoday.com.
  23. ^"Rivals.com".rivals100.rivals.com.
  24. ^"Chicago Sports News, Schedules & Scores – Chicago Tribune".Chicago Tribune.January 22, 2024.
  25. ^"Coach of the Year".www.coachoftheyear.com.
  26. ^"Illinois hiring Paul Petrino as offensive coordinator".
  27. ^"Koenning named Illinois defensive coordinator - Chicago Breaking Sports".Archived fromthe originalon August 7, 2011.RetrievedApril 13,2011.
  28. ^"Former Illinois coach Zook delves into TV, banking".Chicago Tribune.July 16, 2013.
  29. ^"Ex-college coach Zook joins Packers' staff".February 7, 2014.
  30. ^Jones, Brian (February 28, 2019)."Ron Zook joins Salt Lake Stallions coaching staff".247Sports.RetrievedFebruary 28,2019.
  31. ^Markus, Don (August 7, 2019)."Mike Locksley hires former boss Ron Zook to be senior analyst for Maryland football".The Baltimore Sun.RetrievedAugust 7,2019.
  32. ^McFadden, Ryan (February 18, 2022)."Maryland football special teams coordinator Ron Zook steps down, will be replaced by James Thomas Jr".Baltimore Sun.RetrievedAugust 15,2024.
  33. ^"Ron Zook - Quality Control - Special Teams - Football Support Staff".University of Maryland Athletics.RetrievedAugust 15,2024.
  34. ^"XFL Announces Key Football Hires and Coaching Staff for its Eight Teams".www.xfl.com.RetrievedJuly 28,2022.
  35. ^Alexander, Mookie (December 31, 2023)."Report: RIP, Seattle Sea Dragons?!".Field Gulls.RetrievedJanuary 1,2024.

Bibliography

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