U. of Illinois’ Mackovic Named Coach of the Year for 2nd Time

University of Illinois football Coach John Mackovic has been named Big Ten Coach of the Year, becoming the first person to win the honor twice in only two seasons with a conference team.

Mackovic led Illinois to a second-place finish in the Big Ten this year with a 7-1 conference record and a 9-2 overall record. It was Illinois’ best finish since 1984, when the team also finished second in the conference.

“When you’re named coach of the year, it truly reflects the success of your team,” Mackovic said. “What they’re really saying is that the team did something special.”

Mackovic said the Illini “had a little more to prove this year” than in his first year as head coach of Illinois.

The record was good enough for a bowl berth: The Illini will face Virginia on Jan. 1 in the Florida Citrus Bowl.

“This season is the most fun I’ve had coaching in a long, long time,” said Mackovic, who before coming to Illinois was head coach of Wake Forest and the NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs.

Mackovic accumulated 103 points in voting by sports journalists, beating Michigan’s Bo Schembechler, who finished second with 93 points, the conference said in a news release Monday.

Ohio State Coach John Cooper finished third with 73 points.

Mackovic’s Illini relied on a strong passing game and the Big Ten’s stiffest defense, allowing opponents only 285.1 yards per game. The team’s defense against the pass was fourth in the nation, allowing an average of only 140.5 yards per game.

Last year, Mackovic led the Illini to a 6-4-1 overall record, a 5-2 Big Ten mark and an appearance in the All-American Bowl.

The Big Ten created the coach of the year award in 1972. It is formally called the Big Ten Dave McClain Coach of the Year award, named for the former Wisconsin coach who died suddenly in April, 1986.