[...]... measure of the success of the football program In this study, the results of games are cited to provide a quantitative basis for the more important themes of Zuppke s impact on players, spectators, the university community and the public Zuppke, the “Dutch Master”at the University of Illinois, was a leading football coach in the first half of the twentieth century This was a period of nationwide changes... should possess He praised the spirit at Illinois and invited strong young men to try out for the team The football captain hailed a new era in Illini football due to the persistency and dogged determination of the new coach and the willingness of the men to be driven.”3 The Illinois schedule would require fight and determination to overcome a lack of weight and speed The university’s football record since... factor in the creation of the National Collegiate Athletic Association and expediting the development and standardization of the rules of the game It was Zuppke s good fortune that he began his coaching career in 1906 when the Western Conference began implementing its new reform rules From 1905 to 1910, the rules for intercollegiate football were revised to open up the game by expanding the use of the forward... zero The weather slowed the train and the engine broke down a hundred miles west of Minneapolis The team spent five hours in their cars until a relief engine brought them to the Twin Cities The tired party reached Chicago at 3 A.M on January 5 Zuppke lauded the team, which gave him credit for the wins The long season ended with a football banquet at the Parkside Hotel and a theater party.8 14 Bob Zuppke. .. 1913, the Board of Trustees included nine elected members and three ex of cio members — the governor, the superintendent of public instruction and the director of agriculture The statewide election of trustees and a system of county and legislative scholarships confirmed the university’s position as the people’s institution of higher learning The Alumni Association’s direct involvement with both the Board... eligibility and scheduled competitions It became known as the Western Conference and, later, with the addition of George Huff, the Illinois athletic director who hired Zuppke and organized the Coaching School, 1912 Courtesy University of Illinois Archives 3 Higher Education and Football in 1913 21 Indiana and Iowa in 1899 and Ohio State in 1912, as the Big Ten By 1903, football was a well-established part of. .. football team known as the North Side Apaches In the warm summer months of 1903, Zuppke and Chris Steinmetz played baseball and swam in the Milwaukee River and Okauchee Lake They also dined occasionally on beer, rye bread and limburger cheese At the Zuppke house, these refreshments were consumed in the woodshed, as Bob s mother did not like the limburger odor.7 With the money earned from teaching and. .. and announcements of awards and honors In 1912, the Illinois Alumni Association began publication of the Alumni Quarterly and Fortnightly News, which had statewide circulation and excellent coverage of academic, alumni and sports affairs.7 The popularity and expense of intercollegiate sports created a demand for professional supervision On March 23, 1901, the deans serving on the Illinois Council of. .. been outstanding football players and were often alumni of the institutions where they coached They usually had coaching experience at other colleges Zuppke had a impressive record as a high school coach and seven years of experience in classroom teaching of academic subjects in addition to physical education.9 4 Zuppke Installs the System As a normal school graduate and high school teacher, Zuppke was... any of Milwaukee’s many German societies and said “where you fare well, that is your fatherland.” Art, music and poetry were part of the atmosphere of the Zuppke home Robert regarded his mother as very kind and gentle, but described his father as a strict disciplinarian and a snarly idealist As an adult, he would draw upon both the idealistic perfectionism of his father and the supportive compassion of . North Carolina 28640 www.mcfarlandpub.com Bob Zuppke The Life and Football Legacy of the Illinois Coach MAYNARD BRICHFORD McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers Jefferson,. relation to their abilities. Bob Zuppke coached high school and university teams that played 287 games and won 187 of them. He earned the respect of rival coaches and