The firing Friday of Illinois football coach Tim Beckman thrust offensive coordinator Bill Cubit into the position of interim coach. Cubit, 61, has 17 years of experience as a head coach among his 34 seasons in the business.
Here’s a quick primer on new coach in charge in Champaign:
He’s an offensive innovator. In two seasons at Illinois under Beckman, Cubit has guided an offense that, frankly, kept the Illini afloat. Quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase led the Big Ten in passing in 2013, helping earn Cubit a raise that ranked him among the league’s top-paid coordinators. In his first season, Illinois jumped at least 50 spots nationally in first downs, passing yardage, total offense, passing efficiency and scoring offense. Despite injuries last year that slowed QB Wes Lunt, Illinois still ranked second in the Big Ten in passing yardage and completion percentage last season.
He didn’t always get along with Beckman. Don’t assume that Cubit subscribes to all the coaching philosophies that ultimately doomed his former boss. In fact, look for Cubit to foster a different kind of atmosphere as interim coach. He and Beckman engaged in a sideline argument in 2013. Assistant coaches were forced to separate them during the third quarter of a loss to Ohio State. The source of the problem was a play call that resulted in a safety, with Illinois down two scores. Beckman disagreed with the decision, inciting an argument.
Cubit was influenced by a diverse group of coaches. A former three-sport star from Sharon Hill, Pennsylvania, Cubit earned honorable mention All-America honors as a receiver in 1974 at Delaware. Head coaches for whom Cubit worked as an assistant in his development years included Lou Saban at Central Florida and Gerry Faust at Akron. He worked as a coordinator for Larry Smith at Missouri, Greg Schiano at Rutgers and Buddy Teevens at Stanford.
He enjoyed a nice run at Western Michigan. Cubit served as a high school head coach in Pennsylvania and Florida and for four seasons at Division III Widener. His work experience that's most relevant to Illinois came at Western Michigan. Cubit coached the Broncos from 2005 to 2012, posting a 51-47 mark that included four winning seasons. In his first year, Western Michigan improved from 1-10 to 7-4 as Cubit was named MAC coach of the year. He led WMU to three bowl games, losing late to Purdue in the 2011 Little Caesar’s Pizza Bowl, and was fired after a 4-8 finish three years ago. Among his best victories at Western Michigan was an upset Iowa in 2008.
He’s committed to Illinois. “I want this to be my last job,” Cubit said in 2012 after taking over the Illinois offense. Athletic director Mike Thomas said Friday that Cubit, if interested, would be considered for the permanent position after this season. Cubit will be paid an additional $400,000 through the end of the year for his work as interim coach. He has coached in four of the Power 5 leagues in a distinguished career, but this move, no doubt, presents Cubit with his best opportunity to rise to the top at a major program. "I love this place," Cubit said Friday at his introductory press conference.