The Illinois State Redbirds (MVFC) and head coach Brock Spack have agreed to a contract extension through the 2027 season. Spack has spent 16 seasons as the head coach of Illinois State with an overall record of 111-74, two MVFC titles, and six FCS playoff appearances.
Spack tookover the ISU program in 2009 from Denver Johnson with 6-5, 6-5, and 7-4 in his first three seasons. The Redbirds made a leap to 9-4 overall in 2012, making the FCS playoffs for just the fourth time in school history to that point. The playoff run reached the quarterfinals before losing against Eastern Washington.
Spack suffered his first losing season as head coach in 2013 when Illinois State went 5-6 but it wasn’t long before the school soared to new heights. The Redbirds won a share of the MVFC in 2014 en route to making the FCS National Championship game, where they fell 29-27 to North Dakota State on a last-minute touchdown. Illinois State finished the season 13-2 overall.
Spack and ISU returned to the FCS playoffs again in 2015 and 2016, marking the first (and only time to-date) of three straight FCS playoff appearances. The Redbirds claimed a share of the MVFC and reached the FCS quarterfinals once again in 2015. After back-to-back 6-5 campaigns, ISU posted another 10-win season in 2019 along with a quarterfinal appearance. Illinois State wouldn’t return to the playoffs until last season, when they reached the second round and finished 10-4.
Spack is the school’s all-time winningest coach and has only three losing seasons in his 16 years in charge. The 2025 season begins on Saturday, August 30 at Oklahoma (SEC) and the first home game is a week later on Saturday, September 6 against Morehead State (PFL). The first conference game will be on Saturday, October 4 in Normal, Illinois against North Dakota State.
Photo Credit to Illinois State University Athletics
