Ron Guenther and Illinois Loyalty
May 17, 2011 1:38 PM
Ron Guenther? Well, he built a lot of facilities, so he has that going for him. Which is nice. But if you show this list to any college fan in the country, from Georgia to Oregon, they'll scoff at the inclusion of Ron Guenther. A 19 year reign usually means a wildly successful tenure in both revenue sports, especially football, the engine that drives every athletic program. And that is certainly the case at Texas, Boise State, Utah, and Florida. Illinois? We're loyal.
That's just it, isn't it? If there's one word that defines the Guenther administration, it's "loyalty". He gave Lou Tepper a contract extension when most AD's would have let him go. Despite lagging recruiting, he stayed loyal to Lou Henson until he retired. He didn't fire Ron Turner after a 1-11 season in 2003. He didn't fire Ron Zook after a 3-9 season in 2009. And despite a .500 record in the Big Ten the past four seasons, he remained loyal to Bruce Weber until the end. And on top of all that, the Illinois administration remained loyal to Ron Guenther. Dodds and Foley were rewarded for their success with long contract extensions at Texas and Florida -- Guenther was rewarded for his loyalty.
alioneye.com
That's just it, isn't it? If there's one word that defines the Guenther administration, it's "loyalty". He gave Lou Tepper a contract extension when most AD's would have let him go. Despite lagging recruiting, he stayed loyal to Lou Henson until he retired. He didn't fire Ron Turner after a 1-11 season in 2003. He didn't fire Ron Zook after a 3-9 season in 2009. And despite a .500 record in the Big Ten the past four seasons, he remained loyal to Bruce Weber until the end. And on top of all that, the Illinois administration remained loyal to Ron Guenther. Dodds and Foley were rewarded for their success with long contract extensions at Texas and Florida -- Guenther was rewarded for his loyalty.
alioneye.com
Filed under: Illini Basketball, Illini Football
