https://eiupanthers.com/news/2018/10/15/football-former-eiu-coach-bob-spoo-passes-away.aspx
The longtime EIU football coach passed away Monday morning at the age of 80. He would have turned 81 early next month. His health had started to deteriorate in recent weeks with the coach not being able to see any visitors within the past few days.
The winningest coach in EIU history, Spoo had 144 career wins over his 25 seasons, roaming the sidelines in Charleston from 1986-2011. His teams made 9 FCS playoff appearances during his tenure, winning 5 conference titles (1 in the Gateway Football Conference, 4 in the Ohio Valley Conference), the most recent of which came in 2009. He was named conference coach of the year 4 times (3 in the OVC and 1 in the Gateway Football Conference).
He had seven players drafted and nine former EIU players appeared in an NFL game including former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo and current San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. Among other players he coached who would later get a chance at the next level included Otis Hudson, John Jurkovic, Ray McElroy, Chris Szarka, Pierre Walters, and Tristan Burge.
As a prep coach in Chicago (where he coached at Loyola), he was named the National High School Coach of the Year in 1970 by the High School Coaches Association. Spoo was later an assistant coach in the Big Ten at Wisconsin and Purdue before taking over as head coach at Eastern Illinois. He played quarterback at Purdue graduating in 1960.
Among the coaches who came off his coaching tree include former Florida Atlantic head coach Charlie Partridge, former interim EIU head coach and current Cleveland Browns assistant O-line coach Mark Hutson, former EIU, Bowling Green, and current Syracuse head coach Dino Babers, and current EIU head coach Kim Dameron.
What makes this all the sadder for EIU alumni like myself is that this also happens to be Homecoming week on the Charleston campus and Spoo was the grand marshal of the homecoming parade last year and seemed to be in good spirits by all accounts. There is some discussion that there is going to be something big done for him at this weekend's homecoming game.
The longtime EIU football coach passed away Monday morning at the age of 80. He would have turned 81 early next month. His health had started to deteriorate in recent weeks with the coach not being able to see any visitors within the past few days.
The winningest coach in EIU history, Spoo had 144 career wins over his 25 seasons, roaming the sidelines in Charleston from 1986-2011. His teams made 9 FCS playoff appearances during his tenure, winning 5 conference titles (1 in the Gateway Football Conference, 4 in the Ohio Valley Conference), the most recent of which came in 2009. He was named conference coach of the year 4 times (3 in the OVC and 1 in the Gateway Football Conference).
He had seven players drafted and nine former EIU players appeared in an NFL game including former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo and current San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. Among other players he coached who would later get a chance at the next level included Otis Hudson, John Jurkovic, Ray McElroy, Chris Szarka, Pierre Walters, and Tristan Burge.
As a prep coach in Chicago (where he coached at Loyola), he was named the National High School Coach of the Year in 1970 by the High School Coaches Association. Spoo was later an assistant coach in the Big Ten at Wisconsin and Purdue before taking over as head coach at Eastern Illinois. He played quarterback at Purdue graduating in 1960.
Among the coaches who came off his coaching tree include former Florida Atlantic head coach Charlie Partridge, former interim EIU head coach and current Cleveland Browns assistant O-line coach Mark Hutson, former EIU, Bowling Green, and current Syracuse head coach Dino Babers, and current EIU head coach Kim Dameron.
What makes this all the sadder for EIU alumni like myself is that this also happens to be Homecoming week on the Charleston campus and Spoo was the grand marshal of the homecoming parade last year and seemed to be in good spirits by all accounts. There is some discussion that there is going to be something big done for him at this weekend's homecoming game.
