|
| Jeff Thorne, left, will take
the reins from his father, John Thorne, starting on Jan. 1, 2015.
Jeff has been offensive coordinator all 13 seasons that John has
been head coach. North Central athletics photo by Steve Woltmann |
North Central head football coach John
Thorne has announced his plans to step down from his position
following the 2014 season.
Effective Jan. 1, 2015, the school will hand over control of the
program to offensive coordinator and assistant head coach Jeff
Thorne.
With a record of 112-29 in his 13th year as the Cardinals' head coach, John Thorne owns North Central's career records for wins and winning percentage (.794). Among all current or former coaches with at least 10 years of experience, he ranks 11th all-time in Division III and 31st in the history of college football in winning percentage. A total of 185 of Thorne's players have earned Academic All-College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) honors and 33 have received induction into the National Football Foundation's Hampshire Honor Society.
"We're on a really nice run right now," John Thorne said. "I'm
at a point where I want to spend more time with our church, trying
to figure out what the Lord's next adventure is for my wife,
Kathie, and I together, and spend a lot more time with her.
"I think it's the perfect time for Jeff to take over. I think he's
really ready. The guys on the staff are all on the same page, and
they're going to get along great and work well together."
John Thorne's teams have won or shared the past eight College
Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) championships, tying
the CCIW record set by Augustana from 1981-88. The three-time CCIW
Coach of the Year owns a 10-8 career record in NCAA Division III
postseason play, having led the Cardinals to their first playoff
win in 2006, their first national quarterfinal appearance in 2010
and their initial national semifinal contest in 2013. Prior to his
arrival, North Central had not won a CCIW championship since 1960
and had never received a NCAA playoff bid.
"We're very grateful to John for everything he's done here,"
said North Central athletic director Jim Miller. "He understood
coming in that the task of making this program successful would be
pretty tough, and it would have to be done step by step. He had the
right philosophy, he stuck with it, and he helped a lot of young
men become better all-around individuals."
Jeff Thorne has served as North Central's offensive coordinator
throughout his father's tenure as head coach, during which time his
offensive units have rewritten the Cardinals' record books. A total
of 44 individual career, single-season and single-game offensive
records have been broken during his tenure, along with all of the
program's single-season team records. Each of North Central's top
10 single-season totals for passing yards, total yards, points and
passing touchdowns have come under his watch.
The younger Thorne has coached six CCIW Art Keller Offensive
Player of the Year Award winners. North Central led all divisions
of the NCAA in scoring (49.0 points per game) in 2009 and ranked
seventh in Division III in scoring offense (45.6 ppg) and 12th in
total offense (497.0 yards per game) while leading the CCIW in
nearly every category in 2013, when he was a finalist for the
Division III Coordinator of the Year Award.
"It's an honor for me to take the program over and follow in my
father's footsteps and build upon the legacy he's established
here," Jeff Thorne said. "My job is to make sure we continue
developing our players as human beings first and football players
second. It's a philosophy engrained in the Cardinal football
program.
"Keeping the staff together is a huge piece of that. We've got a
staff that really has great chemistry. We're all pulling in the
same direction, we all believe the same things, and each one of us
brings something different that helps to shape these young men in
their faith, academic pursuits and service initiatives. It was very
apparent from President Hammond, (vice president for enrollment
management and athletics) Marty Sauer and Jim Miller that
maintaining continuity in the program was important."
Jeff Thorne has also been instrumental in the development of the
Cardinal Program Philosophy, the focused emphasis on character and
virtue. The philosophy has served as the cornerstone of John
Thorne's approach to coaching since his tenure as the head coach at
Wheaton Warrenville South High School, where he won four state
championships in 22 years.
"I think the philosophy actually grew into something greater at
North Central College," John Thorne said. "A lot of people told me
before I started coaching in college that it would never work. Not
only did it work, it developed into something better than it
was.
"Jeff convinced me to institute the Cardinal Manual and start our
twice-weekly meetings where we talk about all these character
traits. The players do most of the talking, and that's been amazing
to watch."
"We believe that faith, family and academics should all come
before football," noted Jeff Thorne. "It's one thing to say those
things, and another to really follow through. Our players
understand that it isn't just word speak. We're following through
on what we told families in the recruiting process as far as the
things we're going to do for each young man to assist him in his
growth toward a successful life long after football. Those are the
most important elements to the success of our program."
John Thorne plans to remain involved with the program as an
assistant coach, focusing primarily on special teams, for the time
being. "If there are ways that I can still give value to the
institution, I'm more than willing to stay on for a while," he
said. "The main reason is to be there for the recruits who have
committed to coming here, and to let those families know that I
still have them in mind."
"Jeff couldn't be more ready to take over," Miller said. "I really
thank and applaud the college for valuing the staff and preserving
the continuity of the program, because it gives us the best chance
to build upon the success we've had. This is something to really
look forward to and be excited about."
Jeff Thorne will become the 25th head coach in the Cardinals'
history. Before doing so, however, his main focus will be on
providing North Central's current head coach with a successful
final season at the helm.
"We really want to center all of our attention, at this point, on
this season and make sure we do everything in our power to send
head coach Thorne and this great group of seniors out on the
highest of notes," he said.
The Cardinals (2-1) will begin pursuit of their ninth consecutive
CCIW title on Saturday against Millikin. Kickoff at
Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium is scheduled for 6 p.m.