• When Ron Zook was hired at Illinois, Chicago Tribune columnist Rick Morrissey wrote "What Illinois got was a man with enough energy to power a few windmills and perhaps tilt a few in the process. This is a man who needs to stay busy."
• Ron Zook calls sleep overrated. He also finds eating can be a nuisance to getting the job done. He is so driven he once said, "Can you imagine how much you could get done if you didn't have to sleep or eat? (excerpt from an article by Ed Sherman, Chicago Tribune)
• When Ron Zook was on John Cooper's Ohio State coaching staff, they were on the road recruiting when Cooper wanted to stop for seafood. Zook zipped through a Shoney's drive-thru for clam chowder.
• Ron Zook is a man who believes that no time should be wasted. Once when a fire alarm went off in the Florida coaches offices, everybody but Zook evacuated. "If there really had been a fire, I could have escaped," Zook said. "It's not that far of a jump."
• While an assistant at Tennessee from 1984-86, Ron Zook once called a defensive backs meeting in the hotel room of one of his players, Charles Davis. When he realized he had forgotten to bring a pad of paper, Zook ripped off the bedsheet and scrawled plays on them. "I went to bed with two- and three-deep coverages underneath me," Davis said.
• Ron Zook says one of his biggest fears in life is retirement. His wife, Denise, agrees, "He is the person he is. I married that person. He made sure I knew what he was like. He has been like this since the day I met him. I just happened to fall in love with him. I wouldn't change him one bit."

• When Ron Zook didn't receive any scholarship offers out of high school, Zook decided to walk on to the team at Miami University of Ohio after a local dentist, Dave Mallory, introduced him to his brother, Bill Mallory, the head coach at Miami. When he walked off three years later, he was the team's captain. In the three seasons Zook played, Miami only lost one game.

• How does Ron Zook describe his style of coaching? "Wide open, puff o' smoke come out of your tail and go, man, go. We're gonna play all these games, play them hard and have a good time doing it. When (fans) leave the stadium, I want them turning around saying 'Those guys are having fun.'"

• As children, Ron Zook's brother, Bob,would stand at the top of a hill behind their home and roll an old tire down to Ron, who was standing at the bottom of the hill in shoulder pads and a helmet. Zook was small growing up, but the drill taught him toughness. He either made a great stop or got knocked to the ground. Afterwards he would get up and push the tire back up the hill and prepare for another shot. "It was a toughness drill, teaching me to run through things when I tackled," Zook said. "You had to hit it hard, because it was a moving object and it'd roll right over you."

• Ron Zook's favorite way to relax is water skiing ... He started flying planes when he was 13 and had his first solo flight when he was 16 ... He begins every morning with a three-mile run.

• Ron Zook's grandfather, Peter, came to America from Russia. When he arrived at Ellis Island, immigration officials looked at his 26-letter last name and shortened it to simply "Zook."

"The first things I noticed when I first met Ron Zook was his character, his attitude, and his passion for the game of football. He has a lot of pride in what he does and he always wanted to do the job at hand and do it well. Ron is a great team person. He is not a big ego guy and it's never about Ron Zook. It's about the team and the program and that's the way it was when he was a player and it certainly is the way he is as a coach. He is a tremendously hard worker and he just puts everything into his job."

- Bill Mallory, former Indiana, Colorado, Miami (OH) and Northern Illinois head coach (Ron Zook's college coach)

- Rex Grossman, former Florida and current Chicago Bear quarterback

"Ron has tremendous energy, commitment and drive to be successful. He understands the game very well and can communicate to players on every level. He has worked on all levels and has coached many areas. Players respond to Ron, they respect Ron, and it is clear that his path has been one of success."

- Jim Haslett, former head coach, New Orleans Saints

"His players absolutely love him and he is always there to talk to you. He wants to know how your day is going, he wants to know if anything is bothering you, and he always has his door open to come and talk to him. He is going to be the first one running out of the tunnel and the last one to leave the field. He believes in the philosophy that you have to work extremely hard seven days a week. Coach Zook is going to give you 110 percent all the time and he wants his players to give him 110 percent right back.

"I think Coach Zook and staff are going to do great things at the University of Illinois. With his personality, his philosophy, and with the groundwork that he is going to lay down, I think Illinois is going to be very successful in a few years."

- Max Starks, former Florida and current Pittsburgh Steeler offensive lineman

"Ron's passion for the game is unmatched in my 20 years in the NFL. He lives, breathes, sleeps football. I'd want my kid to play for him."

- Randy Mueller, current Miami Dolphins and former New Orleans Saints General Manager

- ESPN analyst Mike Gottfried

"Ron Zook has all the talent, all the experience and the leadership skills to become a very successful head football coach at the University of Illinois. All he needed was an opportunity and I think the administration made a very good decision providing that opportunity."

- Dick Vermeil, former head coach, Kansas City Chiefs

"When Ron came to Kansas City in 1999 as our defensive backs coach, he made an immediate and very positive impact on our team. Both our players and our coaching staff fed off his enthusiasm. It didn't take me long to figure out that with his leadership skills, Ron was a guy who was rapidly ascending in the coaching profession. My only regret is that we only spent one season coaching together with the Chiefs.

"I have followed Ron's career closely since he left Kansas City. I particularly admired the toughness, determination and perseverance he, his coaching staff and players displayed under incredibly difficult circumstances during his last season at the University of Florida. Winning his last three games at Florida was a testament to the dedication and devotion he brings to a football program. If you saw his players carry him off the field after their win at Florida State, that tells you all you need to know about Ron Zook. In my book, that win alone more than qualifies him for any head coaching job in America. I have tremendous respect for Ron Zook both as a person and as a football coach."

- Guenther Cunningham, defensive coordinator, Kansas City Chiefs

"Coach Zook, you could always tell that he really cared. I have so much respect for him. He the kind of man where I know if I ever needed anything, he'd be there for me. That's just the way he is. And I'll always be there for him. I remember when he was recruiting me, my mom wasn't a Florida fan. But she fell in love with Coach Zook. After that, it was like, `You have to go to Florida.'"

- Joe Cohen, University of Florida defensive tackle

- Mike Gottfried, ESPN Analyst

"Coach Zook taught me a lot about growing up. We have a great relationship that goes beyond football. A lot of athletes can't say that. That's something I cherish a lot. Coach Zook has always been great to me and has helped me grow as a person and a football player. We have great respect for each other."

- Chris Leak, current Chicago Bear and former University of Florida national championship QB