This is part of a conversation from the Illini Orange and Blue with a reporter for the Champaign-Urbana Gazette and they are talking about Mike Mallory. Notice the last paragraph.


"Question: On Mallory, have you ever been around a guy who has that kind of presence? As soon as he walks in the room, he gets your attention, talks, acts like a head coach.


Bob Asmussen: Absolutely and a lot of that comes from his background. Here is a guy that won championships, went to bowl games as a player at Michigan and obviously he has the great family background, his dad was a long time successful head coach. So there is really a lot to respect about him plus, he really is a good guy.


No one that I know that has met him, doesn't like him. Forget the football part, that is a great thing to say about anyone as a person.


He has learned from other people, he has two brothers out there that are D-1A assistant coaches, to me, he is destined to be a head coach, probably pretty soon.


He could take Joe Novak's place at Northern when Joe decides he is ready to play golf full-time. He is destined to be a head coach and I think he will be good at it also."

Mike Mallory would be my #1 choice to replace Joe, however, he get a head coaching job before Joe is ready to retire. Certainly, given the state of UI football, his current position may not last very long. I would think Illinois needs at least 5 wins for Turner to survive, although Guenther is usually a pretty loyal, solid guy behind his coaches.

Hopefully not, I don't have much respect for the Fighting Illini right now-they are BAD! Didn't Joe say he was staying through 2007 or something or is that the extension he recently signed?