Scroll down to watch Lovie answer media questions at his first news conference as Illini head coach.
CHAMPAIGN, Illinois - Lovie Smith has accepted the position as the new head coach for the University of Illinois’ football program.
Smith was officially introduced as the Illini head coach at a news conference Monday afternoon, March 7, 2016.
The move comes two days after athletic director Josh Whitman fired Bill Cubit after a single season in Champaign. He turned to Smith, who took the Chicago Bears to the 2006 Super Bowl and was dismissed as coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in January.
Smith says he is intent on making the Illini a Big Ten power.
This is the first college head-coaching job for the 58-year-old Smith and he faces a daunting task. Illinois has had six losing seasons in the past eight years and the program is recovering from allegations of player abuse that led the school to fire coach Tim Beckman a week before last season started.
Smith agreed to a six-year contract worth $21 million, including $2 million per year for the first two seasons.
