When Brock Spack was named the 20th head coach in Illinois State football history prior to the 2009 season, it did not just mark the beginning of a new era in Redbird football, it signaled the beginning of an entirely new belief system for the type of football program that Illinois State could field, year-in and year-out.

Spack, who was the former defensive coordinator at NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) and Big Ten Conference member Purdue, brought with him a belief that Illinois State football was a "sleeping giant" - a program that had all of the tools and resources to be a powerhouse in NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) football, but was lacking the bravado and the foresight to see itself that way. After two seasons at the helm of the program, it appears that Spack is doing everything he can to change that image.

With his team's 27-23 win over Eastern Illinois in the season finale in 2010, Spack and his staff became the first to post back-to-back winning seasons in its first two years in over 60 years. It also marked the first back-to-back winning seasons for the Redbirds since 2005-06. Spack has also led the Redbirds to at least one win against every Missouri Valley Football Conference member except for Southern Illinois.

A lot of that success has been due to winning tough games at home. In two seasons under Spack, the Redbirds have posted a 9-2 record at home including a 5-1 record in 2010. Fans at Hancock Stadium saw the Redbirds average 36 points, 279 passing yards, 155 rushing yards and 435 yards of total offense at home in 2010. A new offensive approach has also resulted in record-setting numbers for the Redbirds over the past two seasons. The ISU passing offense ranked second in the Valley with an average of 258.4 yards per game in 2010 and finished the season ranked 16th in the nation in passing offense.

The Redbirds' 321 points scored in 2010 were the seventh-most in school history and team's highest total since scoring 324 in 2007. It was just the 10th time in school history that ISU scored more than 300 points in a season.
Those numbers best the impressive numbers set by the Redbird offense in Spack's first season at the helm in 2009. Illinois State's revamped offense set a new school single-season record with a 66.3 completion percentage (272-for-410) and also ranks second in pass completions (272), fourth in passing yards/game (246.4) and sixth in passing yards (2,710) on the ISU single-season charts.

The 2010 season started well for the Redbirds, who jumped out to a 3-1 record after wins thrilling wins at home against Central Missouri and Missouri State and a tough road win at No. 20 South Dakota State. That start earned ISU its first national ranking since 2007, climbing as high as No. 19 in the Football Championship Subdivision Coaches Poll and No. 23 in The Sports Network/Fathead.com FCS Top 25 Poll. In addition, with wins over No. 14 North Dakota State and No. 20 South Dakota State, the Redbirds beat a pair of ranked foes in the same season for the first time since 2006.

Spack's tough, no-nonsense approach seemed to be embraced by his team and the results on the field spoke loudly. In just his first two seasons as head coach, Spack has helped 17 players earn All-Missouri Valley Football Conference honors and has mentored nine players who were named to the league's All-Newcomer team, including 2009 Freshman of the Year Matt Brown.
He also watched senior kicker Zach Kutch evolve into one of the best kickers in the nation, as he led the country in field goals made (24) and field goals per game (2.0) while earning All-America plaudits from the Associated Press, College Sporting News and The Sports Network.

Spack, who was the former defensive coordinator at Purdue - a man who spent 12 seasons molding Purdue's defenses into some of the best in the nation, and in the process, helped lead the Boilermakers to unprecedented success, something he plans to do at Illinois State.

"I've been part of championships in the past," said Spack. "I plan on being part of championships in the future. Winning championships and graduating student-athletes will be our primary focus (at Illinois State). We are here to win championships. Period. I always thought of Illinois State as a sleeping giant," said Spack. "I think it's time to wake this giant up"

Spack came to Illinois State following 12 seasons as the defensive coordinator at Purdue, where he guided the Boilermakers to the top-ranked defense in the Big Ten Conference in 2002 and the 13th-best defense in the nation in 2003. He coached in 11 bowl games while at Purdue, including a Rose Bowl appearance in 2001. From 2000 to 2004, the Purdue defense became one of the stingiest units in the Big Ten. The Boilermakers were tops in total defense in 2002 (317.2 yards per game) - the first time they had been No. 1 since 1967 - after ranking third in 2000 and 2001. They were third in 2003, as well, and ranked 13th nationally.

As defensive coordinator at Wyoming in 1995 and 1996, Spack recharged the defense, which improved from fifth to second in total defense in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC). The Cowboys topped the WAC in sacks during his two years, including a school-record 46 in 1996. Spack was Purdue's inside linebackers coach from 1991 to 1994 and was a graduate assistant coach for the Boilermakers in 1984 and 1985. From 1987 to 1990, Spack was an assistant coach at Eastern Illinois (linebackers/defensive line/recruiting coordinator) and in 1986, was at Wabash College.

Spack graduated from Purdue in 1984 with a bachelor's degree in social studies. He earned a master's degree in physical education from Eastern Illinois in 1990.

Spack played linebacker for the Boilermakers from 1980-83, earning first-team All-Big Ten and honorable mention All-America honors as a sophomore. He was a three-year starter and currently ranks fifth on the Boilermakers' career tackles list with 384.
A native of Rockford, Ill., Spack and his wife, Aimee, have two children, Alicia and Brent.

THE BROCK SPACK FILE

PERSONAL