“I never had that advantage before. He was relieved one of his keys unlocked the doors in the Smith Center around 5:15 a.m. as he checked out his new digs as the new Illinois football coach. Bret Bielema was born, Bret Arnold Bielema, on January 13, 1970, to parents Arnie and Marilyn Bielema. From 2006-12 Bielema was the head coach at Wisconsin, where he led the Badgers to three Big Ten championships (2010-12), six consecutive bowl games and a 68-24 record (.739). Prophetstown is more likely to root for Illinois or Iowa, so although they rooted for Bielema at Wisconsin, residents will be cheering louder with him now in Champaign. Before leading the Razorbacks, Bielema led the Wisconsin Badgers to six bowl games in six years as the head coach in Madison. “I told him ‘You get up and you’re working the kinks out.’”, The Bielemas had 2,000 pigs at a given time on their land and thousands more throughout each year. “We will build an outstanding staff for both player development and recruiting. He was a hot-shot 32-year-old when he was hired at Wisconsin as Barry Alvarez’s heir apparent. We will hold the young men on our team responsible both on and off the field while coaching them to be champions in life. The offices and facilities might be new to him. “Illinois and the Big Ten is home for me, and I can’t be any more excited about the opportunity in front of me with the Fighting Illini,” Bielema said. His two sisters are Brandi Bielema and Betsy Bielema. “Bret’s been a leader since I’ve known him,” said Jeff Detra, a friend of Bielema’s since second grade and a former teammate on the Prophetstown wrestling team. Jen Bielema, wife of Arkansas coach Bret Bielema, is not happy with David Hookstead of the Daily Caller. AP Facebook But Bielema doesn’t feel like a stranger. And he understands it will take time. Bielema has spent the last three seasons in the National Football League. Two seasons later, he was named Defensive Coordinator at Wisconsin under Hall-of-Famer Barry Alvarez and moved into the head coaching role of the Badgers in 2006 when Alvarez retired. Bret Bielema Wiki Biography. On Saturdays, chores on the family’s hog farm started before dawn — even mornings after Friday night football games. Bret Arnold Bielema (/ ˈ b iː l ə m ɑː /; born January 13, 1970) is an American football coach. A sign on the outskirts of Prophetstown, where new Illinois football coach Bret Bielema grew up. “We’d go through town at noon and his buddies would just be getting up or going to the movies,” his dad, Arnie Bielema, said. Bret Bielema, a native of Prophetstown, Ill., said his life has ‘come full circle’ as the new Illinois football coach Shannon Ryan, Chicago Tribune 12/22/2020. Everyone looked up to him and respected him. Hometown: Prophetstown, Illinois The Illini hired Bielema to replace the fired Lovie Smith on Saturday, hoping he can turn around a program with nine consecutive losing seasons. “Something I learned from my dad on the farm: Do something right so you don’t have to do it again,” Bielema said. He brings in-state awareness, Big Ten familiarity as a former Iowa player and Wisconsin coach and a seemingly genuine drive to make Illinois his passion project. I’ve been able to hit the ground running so much faster because I do understand the layout here. After returning home from watching Illinois’ loss at Penn State on Saturday night, Bielema said he pulled out his phone and shared video clips of the “I-L-L, I-N-I” cheers with Briella until she memorized the chant. Bielema, who replaces Lovie Smith after five seasons, was emotional several times when talking about his journey to Illinois — the school where he had predicted in a third-grade essay he would win Heisman Trophies as a linebacker. He and his wife, Jen, have two daughters, Briella Nicole and Brexli Nichole. AP Facebook Bret Arnold Bielema was born on the 13th of January, 1970, in Prophetstown, Illinois. As predicted, Prophetstown is suddenly quite a popular topic of conversation among area and national media with the hiring of native son Bret Bielema as the new head football coach at the University of Illinois. The calls started last week as rumors floated about Bielema being a candidate at Illinois. University of Illinois names Prophetstown native as new football head coach, Multi-vehicle crash closes I-80 in central Iowa during blizzard, Snow emergencies still in effect in multiple cities in TV6 viewing area, Moline police seek community’s help in locating missing man, Illinois officials report 3,660 new COVID-19 cases, 83 deaths Friday, Rock Island County slots fill for first dose clinic; website crashes, Plan of $10k grants announced for Iowa counties for election cybersecurity enhancements. “Have you ever lived in a small town?” Arnie asked. “Bret’s blue collar work ethic and genuine, authentic manner will allow him to form strong connections to his players and staff and positive relationships in our community and our state. When Bret Bielema started winning early in his career as a head college football coach, ... to be from Prophetstown,” Bielema said during his introductory news conference. Bielema’s parents Arnie and Marilyn live in Prophetstown. “I know what I did and accomplished in that building,” he said of Arkansas. Bielema is a native of Prophetstown, Ill. Associated Press Illinois football coach Bret Bielema is welcomed by athletic director Josh Whitman Monday in Champaign. Go Illini!”. Show full articles without "Continue Reading" button for {0} hours. Arnie and Marilyn Bielema pose for a photo next to some family pictures at their home in Prophetstown. He was the first coach in Big Ten history to win 10 games in his first season, the first Wisconsin coach to win 11 games prior to a bowl game and became the third coach in NCAA history to win 12 games in his first season. Those lessons haven’t been forgotten. “He was always a guy who by actions led. The hire was national news, and Bielema even called into … Being hired at Illinois is personal to the 50-year-old Bielema. The Illini haven’t had a winning season or a bowl victory since 2011, and went just 2-6 in a dismal 2020 season. When you’re doing things right and you can get it going in the right direction, this place can be as competitive as anywhere in the country.”, Like us on Facebook to see similar stories, Biden to use Defense Production Act to increase supply of Covid-19 vaccines and tests, Joe Biden Will Take His First Trip Away from the White House This Weekend Back to Delaware. In Bielema’s debut season at Wisconsin in 2006, the Badgers finished 12-1, including a victory in the Capital One Bowl against Arkansas. After inheriting a depleted roster and enduring a difficult first season, he led the Razorbacks to three consecutive bowl games, including victories against Texas in 2014 and Kansas State in 2015. Bielema's initial contract is for six years beginning with an annual salary of $4.2 million. After two years as a graduate assistant and six seasons as linebacker coach at Iowa, Bielema spent two years as Co-Defensive Coordinator at Kansas State under Hall-of-Famer Bill Snyder, helping the Wildcats win the 2003 Big 12 Championship. Full press release from the University of Illinois below: CHAMPAIGN, IL – The University of Illinois and UI Director of Athletics Josh Whitman reached out to a native son today when naming Bret Bielema as the 26th Fighting Illini Head Football Coach in the 132-year history of the program. His dad gave up raising hogs after his youngest son left for college, going into agricultural sales. He’d take younger guys under wing and teach them as we got to be juniors and seniors.”. “We all grow up.”. Bielema mentioned in-state recruiting several times, which was a weak spot for Smith’s staff. Bret Bielema named head coach of Illinois Fighting Illini. Bret Bielema, a native of Prophetstown, Ill., said his life has ‘come full circle’ as the new Illinois football coach, © Wesley Hitt/Getty Images North America/TNS. His first two seasons in the NFL were with the New England Patriots as a consultant to six-time Super Bowl champion head coach Bill Belichick in 2018 and as the team’s defensive line coach in 2019, when the Patriots won the AFC East with a 12-4 record and had the NFL’s best defense. Our phone starts ringing.”. He made a surprising departure to Arkansas in 2012. CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Bret Bielema used a GPS to get to work Monday, his first time driving from a downtown Champaign hotel to his new office. “You understand my passion for this place. It's the kind of place where people know one another and if someone makes it big, they really know them. Bielema will be paid $4.2 million in the first year of his six-year contract with $100,000 raises annually, Whitman said. Bielema graduated from Iowa in 1992 with a bachelor’s degree in marketing. Bielema’s last head coaching job was at he University of Arkansas from 2013-2017. “We want to build a program that makes Illini Nation proud and regain the passion that I’ve seen when Illinois wins. Bielema won 17 of his first 18 games with the Badgers. Bret is from Prophetstown, Illinois. In Bielema’s first season with the Patriots, New England was 11-5 and defeated the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LIII. Following his graduation, Bielema signed a free-agent contract with the Seattle Seahawks and ended his playing career in 1994 as a member of the Milwaukee Mustangs of the Arena Football League. A couple thousand people make up the town near the Quad Cities. December 19, 2020, 2:19 PM • 3 min read. “It truly has come full circle,” he said. Jen and I, along with our girls, are excited to get to Champaign-Urbana and get started on the journey. Giants' Bret Bielema suing University of Arkansas over contract; I Don't Believe A Single Part Of Bret Bielema's Story About Meeting . Bret Arnold Bielema is a college American Football coach, born on 13th January 1970 in Prophetstown, Illinois USA. We want the young men playing football in the state of Illinois from Freeport to Cairo and from Quincy to Danville dreaming of wearing the Orange and Blue and playing at Memorial Stadium. His daughters — Briella, 3, and Brexli, 1 — held orange pom-poms. The Badgers shared or won Big Ten championships three straight seasons from 2010-12 and led Wisconsin to victories in the first two Big Ten championship games. Bielema was a defensive lineman at Iowa from 1989-92, when he was a four-time letterman under Fry. “I was up early doing chores before the sun came up,” Bielema said. He grew up in Prophetstown, Illinois, making this a homecoming for the 50-year-old coach. Bret grew up alongside two sisters Brandi and Betsy and the Bielema siblings are pretty close to one another. Associated Press "Bret's been a leader since I've known him," said Jeff Detra, a friend of Bielema's since second grade and a former teammate on the Prophetstown wrestling team. Bret Bielema grew up in Prophetstown, lll., about 180 miles northwest of Champaign. Bielema then spent five seasons as head coach at Arkansas from 2013-17. He will begin his duties at Illinois immediately and will attend the game Saturday (Dec. 19) as a guest of Whitman’s when Illinois plays at Penn State in State College, Pennsylvania. “I thought I was Vince Lombardi, Tom Landry, Bill Belichick all wrapped up into one,” he said. "At Thanksgiving (of 1969), our older kids caught the chicken pox," Mrs. Bielema recalled. “I remember one time opening Christmas gifts and I got a pair of boots and got emotional. Family: Wife: Jen; Children: Briella (born in 2017) and Brexli (born in 2018), Playing Experience:Iowa, 1989-92Signed free-agent contract with the Seattle Seahawks, 1993Milwaukee Mustangs, Arena Football League, 1994. It was the fourth-most important phone call he said he’s made, including telling his parents he earned a scholarship at Iowa, was hired to coach Wisconsin and when he became engaged. Among the family pictures is one of son Bret Bielema’s two children. “Bret Bielema is a proven winner. Coach Bret Bielema, front, and the Wisconsin football team are pumped and ready to take the field before the season opener against Northern Illinois … A native of Prophetstown, Ill. — the tiny community about 180 miles northwest of Champaign where his parents still live — Bielema identifies with Decatur, knows to shoot up I-74 North to cross the border into the Quad Cities and understands Chicago traffic. With the hiring of Prophetstown’s Bret Bielema as head football coach at the University of Illinois on Saturday, his hometown will put into the spotlight for the next week as media outlets clamor for information on the Illinois native’s return to the state. Illinois football hired Prophetstown native Bret Bielema as its new coach on Saturday morning.. I didn’t understand it then, but I do now.”. CHAMPAIGN, Ill (KWQC) - Prophetstown native, Bret Bielema will be the new head football coach for the Fighting Illini. Is Bret Bielema the ideal fit for Illinois? Bielema won 17 of his first 18 games with the Badgers and led Wisconsin to the first two Big Ten championship games. Bret Bielema was born on 13th January 1970 in Prophetstown, Illinois, USA, to his father Arnie Bielema and his mother, Marilyn Bielema.He grew up alongside his two sisters named Brandi Bielema and Betsy Bielema.Interestingly, the siblings’ trio is … Whitman said he spent 45 minutes talking to Patriots coach Bill Belichick, who praised Bielema’s ability to connect with athletes. To achieve that goal, Bielema will carry his father’s lesson from the farm back in Prophetstown, where his legacy is forever celebrated and cemented with a “Hometown of Bret Bielema” sign. He spent the last three seasons in the NFL, two with the New England Patriots and this season with the New York Giants. ». But his parents got the phone call from their son confirming the news only about 20 minutes before it was released to the world. All rights reserved. Multiple stories have appeared in on various media platforms referencing the town where Bielema got his introduction to the game. After joining the team as a walk-on, Bielema earned a scholarship after his first year, started as a junior and was named a team captain for his senior season. Bielema’s coaching pedigree and list of football mentors matches that of any coach in the nation. Bret Bielema was born Bret Arnold Bielema on January 13, 1970, to his parents – Arnie Bielema (father) and Marilyn Bielema (mother). The University of Illinois has incredible facilities and is known as one of the world’s outstanding academic institutions. Since starting on the high school team as a quarterback and later as a linebacker, then walking on and earning a scholarship at Iowa, Bielema has been the pride of the town. These qualities, combined with his commitment to education and his track record of success, give me great confidence in his leadership of our football program.”. Among the topics discussed were Bielema… The population of stoplight-less Prophetstown hasn’t changed much over the years, with fewer than 2,000 residents. “It wears on my heart to this day. “The town is going nuts right now,” Detra said. To have my own ship again and know how to bring success is incredibly rewarding.”. It was because my boot had a hole in it and my feet were cold. Illinois announced Saturday they've hired Bret Bielema as their head coach, replacing Lovie Smith. Bielema takes over for Lovie Smith who was let go by the university earlier this week. Said Arnie: “We had more hogs than the town has people.”. Bielema said reflecting on the mentors he’s played for and coached with through the years — and their steady demeanors — can be lessons to help him rebuild Illinois. I look forward to re-connecting with the high school coaches around the state making it clear we intend to keep our players home. 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