McLean County Times

For the third time in his career, Illinois State head coach Brock Spack has been named a finalist for the Stats Perform Eddie Robinson Award. This award is presented annually to the national coach of the year in Division I FCS college football.

Spack is one of 15 national finalists for 2024 and was previously up for this honor in 2012 and 2014. The award, now in its 38th season, is named after legendary Grambling State coach Eddie Robinson. A national voting panel will select the winner, who will be announced on December 5 and honored at the Stats Perform FCS National Awards Banquet on January 4 in Frisco, Texas.

In 2024, Spack led the Redbirds to a 9-3 overall record and a 6-2 mark in Missouri Valley Football Conference play. This performance earned his team the No. 12 national seed in the FCS Playoffs. Despite injuries to key players throughout the year, Illinois State showed resilience and returned to the playoffs for the first time since 2019. The team will make its ninth appearance in the FCS playoffs under Spack's leadership.

Now in his 16th season as head coach at Illinois State with a record of 110-73, Spack became the program's all-time wins leader in 2021. He has guided the Redbirds to two Missouri Valley Football Conference championships in 2014 and 2015. Since taking over in 2009, Spack has led Illinois State to thirteen seasons with .500 or better records, including a notable run to the FCS National Championship game with a record of 13-2 in 2014.

On November 4, during a game against Missouri State, Spack recorded his 100th win at Illinois State. This achievement makes him only the fourth coach in MVFC history with over one hundred wins at a league school. He ranks third all-time with seventy conference wins behind Mark Farley of UNI and John Stiegelmeier of South Dakota State.

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