Bob Spoo
Robert Allen Spoo[1] (November 2, 1937 – October 15, 2018) was an American college football coach. He served as the head football coach at Eastern Illinois University from 1987 to 2011 (with an interruption in 2006 due to surgery), compiling a record of 144–131–1. Spoo led the Eastern Illinois Panthers to five conference titles, nine playoff berths, and ten finishes in the Top 25 polls. He coached nine First Team All-Americans, including Tristan Burge and Tony Romo.
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 2, 1937 Chicago, Illinois |
| Died | October 15, 2018 (aged 80) Rockford, Illinois |
| Playing career | |
| 1956–1958 | Purdue |
| Position(s) | Quarterback |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1961 | Fenwick HS (IL) (assistant) |
| 1962 | St. Laurence HS (IL) |
| 1963–1966 | Loyola Academy (IL) (backfield) |
| 1967–1972 | Loyola Academy (IL) |
| 1973–1977 | Wisconsin (QB) |
| 1978–1986 | Purdue (QB) |
| 1987–2005 | Eastern Illinois |
| 2007–2011 | Eastern Illinois |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 144–131–1 (college) |
| Bowls | 1–8 (NCAA D-I-AA/FCS playoffs) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| 1 Gateway Football (1995) 4 OVC (2001–2002, 2005, 2009) | |
| Awards | |
| Gateway Football Coach of the Year (1995) 3× OVC Coach of the Year (2001, 2005, 2009) | |
Spoo was an alumnus of Purdue University and a former quarterback on the Purdue Boilermakers football team. Prior to receiving the head coaching position at Eastern Illinois, Spoo served as an assistant at Purdue and the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He also coached at the high school level.
Spoo and his wife, Suzie, had one daughter. After retiring, the Spoos continued to reside in Charleston, Illinois. He died on October 15, 2018, at the age of 80.[2]
Head coaching record
College
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | NCAA/TSN# | USA/ESPN° | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern Illinois Panthers (Gateway Football Conference) (1987–1995) | |||||||||
| 1987 | Eastern Illinois | 5–6 | 3–3 | T–3rd | |||||
| 1988 | Eastern Illinois | 5–6 | 2–4 | T–5th | |||||
| 1989 | Eastern Illinois | 9–4 | 4–2 | 2nd | L NCAA Division I-AA Quarterfinal | 15 | |||
| 1990 | Eastern Illinois | 5–6 | 3–3 | T–3rd | |||||
| 1991 | Eastern Illinois | 4–7 | 2–4 | T–5th | |||||
| 1992 | Eastern Illinois | 5–6 | 2–4 | T–3rd | |||||
| 1993 | Eastern Illinois | 3–7–1 | 2–3–1 | T–4th | |||||
| 1994 | Eastern Illinois | 6–5 | 4–2 | T–2nd | |||||
| 1995 | Eastern Illinois | 10–2 | 5–1 | T–1st | L NCAA Division I-AA First Round | 12 | |||
| Eastern Illinois Panthers (Ohio Valley Conference) (1996–2005) | |||||||||
| 1996 | Eastern Illinois | 8–4 | 6–2 | T–2nd | L NCAA Division I-AA First Round | 16 | |||
| 1997 | Eastern Illinois | 8–3 | 5–2 | T–2nd | 21 | 22 | |||
| 1998 | Eastern Illinois | 6–5 | 4–3 | T–4th | |||||
| 1999 | Eastern Illinois | 2–10 | 2–5 | T–6th | |||||
| 2000 | Eastern Illinois | 8–4 | 6–1 | 2nd | L NCAA Division I-AA First Round | 17 | 22 | ||
| 2001 | Eastern Illinois | 9–2 | 6–0 | 1st | L NCAA Division I-AA First Round | 9 | 9 | ||
| 2002 | Eastern Illinois | 8–4 | 5–1 | T–1st | L NCAA Division I-AA First Round | 13 | 12 | ||
| 2003 | Eastern Illinois | 4–8 | 3–5 | T–5th | |||||
| 2004 | Eastern Illinois | 5–6 | 4–4 | 4th | |||||
| 2005 | Eastern Illinois | 9–3 | 8–0 | 1st | L NCAA Division I-AA First Round | 16 | 15 | ||
| Eastern Illinois Panthers (Ohio Valley Conference) (2007–2011) | |||||||||
| 2007 | Eastern Illinois | 8–4 | 7–1 | L NCAA Division I First Round | 18 | ||||
| 2008 | Eastern Illinois | 5–7 | 3–5 | 5th | |||||
| 2009 | Eastern Illinois | 8–4 | 6–2 | 1st | L NCAA Division I First Round | 19 | |||
| 2010 | Eastern Illinois | 2–9 | 2–6 | 7th | |||||
| 2011 | Eastern Illinois | 2–9 | 1–7 | 9th | |||||
| Eastern Illinois: | 144–131–1 | 68–44 | |||||||
| Total: | 144–131–1 | ||||||||
| National championship Conference title Conference division title or championship game berth | |||||||||