Illinois fans less than thrilled that Tim Beckman will return as coach

Dec. 03--A surprising winning streak. A victory in the rivalry game. A bowl game.

The end-of-season flourish seemed to save Illinois coach Tim Beckman, who was retained by athletic director Mike Thomas with an announcement Sunday.

Those achievements would whip most college fans into delirium.

But at Illinois, there is a decidedly dismal pallor hovering over fans.

"I was really surprised," said Kelly Noonan, of Palatine, who has had season tickets since 2007 with five other family members. "I was home with my family and our reaction was, 'You've got to be kidding me? The first thing my dad said was, 'Should we renew?'"

Noonan, like many fans, said she and her family are on the fence about keeping their season tickets in the wake of Beckman's retention.

Others are adamant that they won't be back.

"If you show them you don't want to show up, it sends a message," said Matt Waechter, a Champaign native and lifelong Illinois fan who won't renew his season tickets. "It's a program settling for mediocrity."

Illinois (6-6, 3-5 Big Ten) improved from a 2-10, 0-8 record in Beckman's first season and a 4-8, 1-7 record last season. He has two more seasons left on his contract.

During this season many fans said they were torn between wanting their favorite team to win and wanting Beckman fired.

"I feel badly," Noonan said, "but it'd be, 'All right, touchdown! Oh, no, it's going to save Beckman's job.'"

Big Ten analyst Gerry DiNardo said bringing back Beckman was the right move based off the standards for Big Ten competitiveness Thomas laid out upon hiring Beckman.

DiNardo pointed to Illinois' conference record, which was as good as or better than six conference teams, four of which have had coaches in place at least as long as Beckman.

"I think that's why in some cases you wait until the end of the year," DiNardo said. "Going to a bowl and beating Northwestern (builds) tremendous momentum. If you're going 6-6, this is the way to be 6-6."

The Illini will play in their first bowl game since 2011, projected to be on Dec. 26 in either the Heart of Dallas Bowl or the Quick Lane Bowl in Detroit.

The program has been publicizing seat reservations for the bowl with a $25 deposit. A team spokesman said about 150 tickets have been secured, but he expects the bulk of sales after the destination is announced.

So few fans attended some games that Memorial Stadium's stands indicated a practice was being held instead of a Big Ten football game.

The attendance average of 41,549, which is based on tickets sold, was better than only Northwestern and Purdue in the Big Ten.

After the 47-33 victory at Northwestern on Saturday, it was clear Beckman had won over some of that crowd at least as some Illini fans chanted his name in support.

Todd Vohland, a season ticket holder for eight seasons from Decatur, said he has been so disappointed in Beckman, he emailed Thomas last week telling him as much.

But Vohland said he will likely travel to the bowl game and continue buying season tickets.

"Ultimately, it should be about watching college football and supporting student-athletes at the University of Illinois," he said. "I'm on board for another year. If they show improvement and get to where they should be -- they should be somewhere around eight wins, that should be the bar -- I don't care who's coaching."

Former Illinois running back Howard Griffith, now an analyst with the Big Ten Network, said stability shouldn't be underrated.

"It's a lot different at Ohio State or Alabama where you can go get about anyone you want," he said. "At Illinois and programs like that, you're going to (want to) get a guy with long-term vision."

Although Thomas did not announce a contract extension for Beckman, recruits aren't turning their backs on Illinois.

"I was glad to hear that he was coming back, because I do believe he's a good coach," Sam Mays, a wide receiver recruit from Houston, told Rivals.com. "But I didn't make the commitment to the coach. I made it to the school for the education and football."

After beating Northwestern on Saturday, Beckman challenged reporters to help create an environment of "positive" vibes around the program.

That's not exactly easy lately for Illinois fans. But many said they will try.

"I just hope to see more improvement," Noonan said. "We want a better Illinois football team."

sryan@tribune.com

Twitter @sryantribune