Cubit officially named Illini offensive coordinator
By: Aaron Bennett
Updated: January 14, 2013
CHAMPAIGN,
IL (UI release) - Illinois football coach Tim Beckman today announced Bill Cubit as
his new offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach following an
eight-year stint as head coach
at Western Michigan. Cubit led WMU to a 51-47 overall record and three
bowls during his tenure with the Broncos.
"I
am very excited to have an experienced coach like Bill Cubit join the
Illini football staff as he has always been known to have an outstanding
football mind," Beckman said.
"I've known Bill and coached against him for several years. He has had
many extremely productive offensive teams during his career. Bill has
called plays for many years as an offensive coordinator and as a head
coach, and has developed several outstanding quarterbacks."
With the hiring, Billy Gonzales will be re-assigned as wide receivers coach after serving as co-offensive coordinator in 2012.
"I'm
very excited to have the opportunity join Tim Beckman here at
Illinois," Cubit said. "I have a lot of respect for him and his teams.
I'm enthused about joining a great staff
and being a part of the Illinois football tradition. I look forward to
getting to work immediately and competing for a Big Ten championship."
Cubit's
2011 Western Michigan squad set records for points (459), touchdowns
(58), pass attempts (554), completions (369), passing yards (4,385),
total yards (5,960), offensive
plays (945), first downs (320), passing first downs (204), kick returns
(63), kick return yardage (1,409) and total return yards (1,658). In
2010, two of his receivers (Juan Nunez and Jordan White) topped 1,000
yards in receiving, before White earned consensus
All-America honors in 2011 while leading the nation in receiving yards
and receptions.
Cubit
brings 32 years of coaching experience, including 17 years as a head
coach on the collegiate and high school level. He spent seven years as
an offensive coordinator at
four NCAA Division I schools working the sidelines in five of the
nation's premier conferences (Mid-American, Big East, Big 12, PAC-12 and
Southeastern).
Prior
to returning to Western Michigan as head coach in 2004, Cubit served as
offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Stanford in 2003,
directing a Cardinal offense that
ranked 28th in NCAA passing (247.3
yards per game). Prior to his time at Stanford, Cubit served as
offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Rutgers (2001-02) and at
Missouri in 2000.
In
his first stint at WMU from 1997-99, Cubit oversaw an offense that
ranked in the NCAA Top 25 in passing offense, scoring offense and total
offense in back-to-back seasons.
In 1998, the Broncos were the nation's 20th-highest scoring team with an average of 32.7 points per game, and were 20th
in the nation in 1999 with an average of 31.1 points per game. His
quarterback
during that period was Tim Lester, who finished fifth in NCAA career
passing yards (11,299) and seventh in career touchdown passes (87).
Cubit's
head coaching experience includes five seasons (1992-96) at Division
III Widener University in Philadelphia, Pa. He led the Pioneers to a
34-18-1 mark, two Middle American
Conference championships and a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances while
twice being named conference coach of the year.
Other
collegiate stops for Cubit include two years (1990-91) as running backs
coach at Akron, a season (1989) as quarterbacks coach at Florida, three
seasons as assistant head
coach (1985) and the secondary coach (1983-85) at Central Florida and
two years (1975-76) coaching running backs and receivers at Swarthmore
College. As a high school coach, Cubit compiled a nine-year record of
79-15-2 at three different programs - Martin County
(Fla.), Academy Park (Pa.) and his alma mater, Sharon Hill.
A
Sharon Hill, Pa., native, Cubit (59 years old/DOB: 10-14-1953) earned a
bachelor's degree in business administration from the University of
Delaware in 1975. He played quarterback
and wide receiver for the Blue Hens (1971-74), earning Associated Press
All-America honorable mention in 1974. He also set school records for
catches in a game (10) and a season (47), along with receiving yards in a
season (787).
In
1981, he earned a master's degree in education from Saint Joseph's
University. Bill and his wife, Nancy, have three grown children: Stacey -
who was married on March 3, 2007
- Sheri and Ryan, who was married on Feb. 9, 2008. He also has two
grandchildren.
