Tate: Johnson taking advantage of opportunity

Brian Moline discusses Mark Johnson's decision to leave the Illini wrestling program on his blog. Read the latest here.

CHAMPAIGN – Not many college coaches enjoy such classy departures as wrestling's Mark Johnson and volleyball's Don Hardin.

Hardin stepped down from a youth- studded Sweet 16 team that finished third in the Big Ten and No. 11 nationally, while attracting one of the UI's best-ever incoming classes.

Johnson, who announced his retirement this week, leaves six returning NCAA qualifiers from a squad that was runner-up to national champion Iowa in the Big Ten tournament and No. 8 in the NCAA.

Former tennis coach Craig Tiley holds the UI "record" for the greatest turnaround in a sport, but Johnson isn't far behind.

"Seventeen years ago," he recalled Tuesday, "Illinois hadn't won a Big Ten dual meet in five years. My colleagues thought it was a deathbed."

But Johnson won the Big Ten title in 2005, finished second twice and came in third three times while taking 10 teams into the NCAA Top 10. Even with his tough-guy act, Illinois has had no more personable coach during his 17 years.

"I knew the last couple of years, it was my time," he said. "I had a great relationship with (athletic director) Ron Guenther, and I never wanted to have his foot on my back, kicking me out the door, or have the chat rooms full of comments about Mark Johnson overstaying his time. "Unfortunately, that's the way a lot of coaches go out. It is a young man's sport. There aren't too many 60-year-old wrestling coaches. I'm 52 years old, and I was looking for something where I could stay in this community. I found that as CEO of the new YMCA that is going to be built here (in west Champaign)."

Home cooking

Guenther probably will look close to home for a replacement, as he has with most non-revenue sports. Tennis coach Brad Dancer, soccer coach Janet Rayfield, baseball coach Dan Hartleb, swimming coach Sue Novitsky and women's track coach Tonja Buford-Bailey were Illini assistants before being promoted, and golf coaches Mike Small and Renee Slone were former Illini stars.

UI assistant Jim Heffernan, an Iowa alum who came with Johnson from Oregon State in 1992, and seven-year aide Carl Perry will receive interviews. A prominent UI wrestling name is Steve Marianetti, 1995 national champion and now head coach at Elmhurst College (Guenther's hometown).

Though the bulk of Johnson's new work will be fundraising for the YMCA building to be constructed in west Champaign, he'll remain in touch with his favorite sport, perhaps with the Big Ten Network.

"People have talked to me about network stuff," he said. "Wrestling is part of who I am. I think there'll be opportunity for me to stay in the sport in some capacity."

Wrestling, while strong at the prep level, has lost more than half its Division I programs in the last 30 years but has remained relatively stable with 85 Division I and 39 Division II schools giving scholarships.

"When I graduated (from Michigan) in 1977, there were 200 Division I programs giving 17 scholarships, and now there are nearly 90 programs with 9.9 scholarships," Johnson said.

The Big Ten remains No. 1 with nine or 10 members routinely placing in the Top 25.

On to football

Attention will swing quickly to Illini spring football as they embarked Tuesday on 15 practices in the next month. The 2008 season was a 5-7 disappointment but, as we've seen over the decades, Illinois is often better when the players return with a chip on their shoulder. Or as Ron Zook expresses it:

"We have a lot of veteran players who have had a taste of what it's like to have success (the Rose Bowl) and now they've had a taste of what it's not like. We learned a lot; I learned a lot last season."

Changes will be minimal despite the arrival of three new coaches, Zook noting: "We are not reinventing the wheel. We have a system that we believe in. And sometimes new coaches can give an extra spark to the team.

"If we take better care of the football and eliminate the big plays defensively, we'll be fine."

Kurt Beathard, a former quarterback who has coached the position, is now in charge of Juice Williams' final season, while new coordinator Mike Schultz works with tight ends and expands on the Mike Locksley system. Dan Disch and Curt Mallory will continue as co-coordinators with a primary goal of restructuring the linebacker and safety positions. Experimentation featured Martez Wilson alternating at middle linebacker Tuesday. Both line coaches, Joe Gilbert (offense) and Keith Gilmore (defense), have key decisions to make, Gilmore operating without star tackle Josh Brent – who has been suspended while awaiting a late-April court date for a driving offense.

As always, new players will be asked to step up, but Illinois is well-stocked from past recruiting successes. And it is sometimes overlooked, due to damaging interceptions and team breakdowns against Minnesota and Western Michigan, that Williams had an astounding 1,400 more yards in total offense than the Big Ten's No. 2 producer and will enter his senior year with Arrelious Benn, Jeff Cumberland, Jarred Fayson, Michael Hoomanawanui and perhaps the deepest, most talented squad of receivers in the Big Ten. Joining that group will be the state's top senior, Terry Hawthorne of East St. Louis. This should be a big offensive year.

"We have the weapons," Zook said. "Juice set records in three stadiums last season, including Michigan where a lot of great players have performed."

Now Zook has 15 practices to start putting those weapons together.

Loren Tate writes for The News-Gazette. He can be reached at ltate@news-gazette.com.

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