Bret Bielema Named Illinois Football Coach

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Published on December 21 2020 7:24 am
Last Updated on December 21 2020 7:25 am

The University of Illinois announced Saturday that New York Giants defensive assistant Bret Bielema has been named the new head football coach.

Bielema coached at Wisconsin from 2006-12 and took the Badgers to three Big Ten championships, winning 40 games in his final four seasons.

An Illinois native, Bielema starts with an annual salary of $4.2 million and has a six-year contract. He attended Saturday's Illinois game against Penn State.

Lovie Smith was dismissed as the Illinois coach December 13 after five seasons where he went 17-39.