Illinois, Bret Bielema, hire 151-win FCS coaching legend as new defensive coordinator
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Illinois, Bret Bielema, hire 151-win FCS coaching legend as new defensive coordinator originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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Last Wednesday when speaking to local Champaign media, Illinois Fighting Illini coach Bret Bielema made it clear that a change at defensive coordinator would be made in the days following the Super Bowl.
It didn't take Bielema long to finalize his decision, hiring former Montana Grizzlies head coach Bobby Hauck Monday to replace former defensive coordinator Aaron Henry, who left for Notre Dame.
The transition at defensive coordinator marks the end of Hauck's five-day retirement from coaching.
"I am excited to welcome Coach Hauck and his family to our Illini FamILLy," Bielema said in a statement. "Since meeting Coach Hauck early on in my head coaching career, I have had tremendous respect for who he is, what he stands for, and the program he has built. He is a family man with incredible attention to detail and a great ability to teach the game to both his staffs and players. Coach Hauck's aggressive defensive scheme, which he learned at San Diego State and developed at Montana, will be an exciting new style that has never been seen here at Illinois."
Hauck comes to Champaign after after having spent a combined 14 seasons at Montana as head coach, part of 38 years of coaching experience,including stints at Northern Arizona, Colorado, UNLV, Washington and San Diego State. Hauck credits his professional respect for Bielema and notes his years at Montana have prepared him for what's to come next.
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"I am grateful for the opportunity to join the Illinois football program," Hauck said. "Coach Bielema is one of the great head coaches in all of football and I am extremely excited to work for him and the student-athletes and staff here at the University of Illinois. I have a great feeling about the players, the coaches, and the future of this program. I will miss Montana dearly because of the relationships and the passion I have for the football program. I hope to bring some of that to the Illini. I can't wait to get started."
The move marks a significant philosophical shift for Illinois, as Hauck’s signature 3-3-5 defense relies on agressiveness with speed as the main pillar, a contrast to the system Henry ran previously.
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The hiring is pending the University of Illinois Board of Trustees approval, as immediate contract details were not disclosed.
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