Your Home of the Oregon ILLINI. Oskee Wa Wa!

This link is dedicated to our coach - Ron Zook. Lead us back to Glory! Here are some tidbits.

Ron Zook's grandfather, Peter, came to America from Russia. When he arrived at Ellis Island, immigration officials looked at his 26-letter last name and shortened it to simply "Zook."

As children, Ron Zook's brother, Bob,would stand at the top of a hill behind their home and roll an old tire down to Ron, who was standing at the bottom of the hill in shoulder pads and a helmet. Zook was small growing up, but the drill taught him toughness. He either made a great stop or got knocked to the ground. Afterwards he would get up and push the tire back up the hill and prepare for another shot. "It was a toughness drill, teaching me to run through things when I tackled," Zook said. "You had to hit it hard, because it was a moving object and it'd roll right over you."

He's a real high energy guy and he's going to get the players to play fast. He'll run a little no-huddle offense and try to speed the game up in the Big Ten a little bit. I think it will help them give people trouble in the Big Ten. I know he is going to do great."- Rex Grossman, former Florida and current Chicago Bear quarterback.