Ronald E. Guenther (born October 3, 1945) is a former American football player, coach, and college athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach at North Central College in Naperville, Illinois from 1975 to 1978, compiling a record of 22–12–2. Guenther was the athletic director at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign from 1992 until he retired on July 1, 2011.[1]
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | October 3, 1945 |
| Playing career | |
| 1965–1966 | Illinois |
| Position(s) | Offensive lineman |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1971–1974 | Boston College (OL) |
| 1975–1978 | North Central (IL) |
| Administrative career (AD unless noted) | |
| 1988 | Illinois (interim AD) |
| 1992–2011 | Illinois |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 22–12–2 |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Awards | |
| |
Education and playing career
Guenther is a graduate of the University of Illinois, having earned a Bachelor of Science in physical education in 1967 and an M.S. in administration in 1968. Guenther also played football at Illinois, lettering in 1965 and 1966 as an offensive lineman as well as being named second-team All-Big Ten and the team MVP in 1966. While at Illinois, Guenther was a member of the Kappa Sigma Fraternity.
Administrative career
University of Illinois Chancellor Richard Herman was quoted in July, 2006 as saying: "If he's not the best AD in the country, I want to know who is." and "He does a wonderful job of bringing in great coaches and building a team that understands what athletics is and needs to be about."[2] (Herman was later relieved of his duties after a scholarship scandal.)
Coaches hired
Football
- Ron Turner, 1997–2004
- Ron Zook, 2005–2011
Men's basketball
- Lon Kruger, 1996–2000
- Bill Self, 2000–2003
- Bruce Weber, 2004–2012
Women's basketball
- Theresa Grentz, 1995–2006
- Jolette Law, 2007–2012
Women's volleyball
- Don Hardin, 1996–2009
- Kevin Hambly, 2009–2017
Men's tennis
- Craig Tiley, 1993-2005
- Brad Dancer, 2006–current
Women's tennis
- Michelle Dasso, 2006–2015
Men's Track and Field
- Wayne Angel, 2003–2009
Wrestling
- Jim Heffernan, 2009–2021
Facility construction
- Atkins Tennis Center
- Reconstruction of Memorial Stadium
- Pending decision to renovate Assembly Hall or build a new basketball arena, expected in early 2009
Criticism
Guenther came under fire for an outburst during the 2007 NCAA Tournament, calling an Illini player an "idiot".[3]
Guenther has also been widely criticized by Illinois fans for the poor performance of the Illinois football team during his tenure.[4][5][6]
Head coaching record
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Central Cardinals (College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin) (1975–1978) | |||||||||
| 1975 | North Central | 5–3–1 | 5–2–1 | 2nd | |||||
| 1976 | North Central | 5–3–1 | 4–3–1 | 5th | |||||
| 1977 | North Central | 6–3 | 5–3 | 3rd | |||||
| 1978 | North Central | 6–3 | 5–3 | T–3rd | |||||
| North Central: | 22–12–2 | 19–11–2 | |||||||
| Total: | 22–12–2 | ||||||||