Asmussen | Zook rooting for Bielema's program

May 7—OCKLAWAHA, Fla. — Ron Zook returned to his happy place this week: Lake Weir, about an hour north of Orlando.

Time to jet ski, boat and hang out with family and friends.

"It's beautiful," he said.

The former Illinois football coach earned the vacation after a hectic, mostly successful winter/spring season in the XFL.

"I was gone for four months," Zook said. "I don't know that I've been away from my house down here that long."

Zook served as defensive coordinator for the Seattle Sea Dragons, working with good friend Jim Haslett.

"Jim is a great football coach," Zook said. "He is a great person. He let me do it my way."

The cool-named Sea Dragons finished the regular season with a 7-3 record.

"I enjoyed it," Zook said. "It was a lot of fun. It was a great experience. It was a lot more intense than I thought it was going to be. I don't know that I've put that many hours in since I was a head coach or since I was in New Orleans as the defensive coordinator."

Haslett, the former Saints head coach, ran the Sea Dragons like an NFL team.

Seattle's season ended on April 30 with a 37-21 loss to the D.C. Defenders in an XFL playoff semifinal game.

"We didn't play very well," Zook said. "Up until that point, we were in every single game. Every game was down to the wire."

The Sea Dragons had the league's best scoring defense and were second in yards allowed.

"I felt like we accomplished the goals we set out to accomplish," Zook said.

The travel in the XFL was difficult. The team had to go as far as Orlando, Fla., for a game.

"You get home at 5 or 6 in the morning, then you're starting on the next opponent," Zook said. "It kind of wears you out. That's what it is. I don't know if you'd want to do that for 17 games, but 10 games was not bad."

Zook plans to return to the XFL in 2024. Always a workout warrior, he said he feels 48 years old (he actually just turned 69).

"Now, I've got an eight-month vacation," he said. "I don't have to worry about recruiting. I don't have to worry about the draft."

Ron and wife Denise have plenty to keep them busy with six grandkids, four living in Peoria and two in Los Angeles. They will all be arriving for an extended stay in a few weeks.

The coach can't wait.

"From the time the sun comes up until the time the sun goes down, these kids are wild," he said. "I wouldn't want to have it any other way."

Any football players in the mix? Not so far, but the oldest is only 8 and is good at hockey.

Paying attention

Fired late in the 2011 season, Zook has been gone from Champaign-Urbana for a dozen years.

The Zooks built friendships at Illinois that continue today. The coach has been back in town over the years, most recently for longtime athletic director Ron Guenther's induction into the Illinois athletics Hall of Fame.

"He was a great man to work for," Zook said. "He was the best. He loves the University of Illinois."

Zook was also on Mike Locksley's Maryland staff in 2021 that beat Illinois 20-17 at Memorial Stadium. Zook attended the 2023 ReliaQuest Bowl in Tampa, Fla., where he chatted with current coach Bret Bielema on the sidelines before the game.

Bielema and Zook coached against each other five times from 2005-2011, with Wisconsin going 4-1.

The 2005 game — when Bielema was Wisconsin's defensive coordinator — featured the largest margin of victory for the Badgers, who won 41-24 in Champaign. The teams didn't meet in either 2009 or 2010.

"Bret's one of the guys I got along with great," Zook said. "Bret is a great football coach. I'm pulling for him. I'm happy to see what he's doing.

"I hope the people understand what he's doing. That's what's important because he is doing a great job. Illinois is not Alabama. I'm not saying it can't be Alabama, but it's not Alabama right now. People have to get behind him."

Zook followed the NFL draft and saw cornerback Devon Witherspoon go in the first round to Seattle. Witherspoon was Illinois' first first-rounder since Zook's final team produced two.

Zook roots for his former employer.

"I want to see Illinois be successful," he said.

Looking back

Zook went 34-51 in seven seasons at Illinois.

The bulk of the losses came in three seasons. As he rebuilt the team his first two years in 2005 and 2006, Illinois went 2-9 and 2-10. And his fifth team in 2009 finished 3-9. That team dropped four games by 10 points or fewer, including a wild finale against Fresno State that ended 53-52. The winning two-point conversion came on a deflected pass caught by offensive lineman Devan Cunningham. Unbelievable.

In his other four seasons, Zook went a combined 27-23 with three bowl bids. The best season was in 2007, when Illinois finished 9-4, beat No. 1 Ohio State in Columbus and earned a spot opposite Southern California in the Rose Bowl.

Had he made himself available to other schools after the 2007 season, Zook could have landed a sweet deal. But he wanted to stay in east central Illinois.

"I wanted to retire at Illinois," Zook said. "I knew it was a hard job, but it was someplace where I could finish my career."

Zook had a strong relationship with Guenther and had a talented staff that included current Maryland boss Locksley. The fan base was enthused, with seven capacity crowds during a two-year stretch. There has been only one sellout since Zook's last year in 2011.

I've written this often: Illinois made a mistake when it fired Zook in 2011. One that led to a decade of losing seasons.

Challenging times

Zook didn't have to deal with the transfer portal during his tenure as a Big Ten head coach.

At Illinois, he said it would have helped the program. Especially in his first two years.

"But here's the problem, there are only so many hours in a day," Zook said. "It took me a couple years to figure out the type of guys we needed to get at Illinois. You want to always bring the best football player in. But the best football player is not always the type of person that's going to be successful at Illinois."

Name, image and likeness is another factor to consider these days.

"What are we developing? Zook said. "It remains to be seen where college football is going. It's not going to go backward."

The Miami (Ohio) teams Zook was on in the 1970s went 32-1-1, winning three bowls.

How much would that have been worth in today's NIL market? Though none of the players would have sought deals.

"It was about team," Zook said. "We had guys that cared about one thing. We were a group of guys who refused to lose and we were going to do whatever it took. Everybody had everybody's back. That sometimes is hard to develop in today's society. That's just the way it is."