Illinois football coach Bill Cubit was fired on March 5 by new athletic director Josh Whitman, just four months after the "interim" tag was dropped on his title.
Whitman said that the immediate stability needed in the Illinois football program resulted in Cubit being fired. He also dismissed offensive coordinator Ryan Cubit, Bill Cubit’s son, on Saturday.
Cubit had the interim tag removed from his job title on Nov. 29, when he was given a two-year contract extension. He was scheduled to make $1.2 million over the next two seasons. Illinois will pay him the $985,000 that’s left on his contract and they will pay his son Ryan the $361,000 that remains on his contract, according to Yahoo Sports.
All of the other assistant coaches will be able to interview for their jobs.
Whitman said in a statement:
“I appreciate the leadership that Bill Cubit provided our football program during what has been, unquestionably, a very tumultuous time. All of us in the Illini Nation owe him a debt of gratitude for his work leading our team these last months. At this juncture, however, I think it is most important that we position our program for long-term success by creating a more stable environment for the coaches, players, and prospective student-athletes.”
Cubit had coached at Widener and Western Michigan before going to Illinois. He became the interim head coach last August after Tim Beckman was fired. He led Illinois to a 5-7 record last season, according to ESPN. Illinois was 2-6 in the Big Ten Conference, which resulted in a tie for fifth place in the West division. Cubit has a career record of 90-72-1 as a head coach.
Whitman said that he would name a new head coach as soon as possible.
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