Illinois State football’s second national championship appearance is a chance to reflect on Brock Spack’s head coaching tenure for those who were there from the beginning.
Spack took over as coach ahead of the 2009 season. The Rockford native previously worked as defensive coordinator for Purdue, and before that Wyoming. Spack turned a three-win program the year prior into a 6-5 record in his first season as head coach.
“The culture was kind of shifting and changing during that time,” said Matt Brown, ISU quarterback from 2009-12. “And you could kind of tell it was going to be a different type of atmosphere that we're going to create within the team.”
Ted Schmitz, the color commentator for ISU football games on WJBC, has covered ISU football for a quarter-century.
“[Spack] changed the culture as soon as he came in,” said Schmitz, who played football at Eastern Illinois but coached twice at Illinois State before moving to broadcasting. “He did not have the budget of probably over half the teams in the league. He did not have the players. He did not have great athletes, but he developed the good kids, and if they were not a good kid, they were gone.”
By 2012, Spack’s Redbirds had made it to the FCS playoffs. It was just the fourth time in program history. ISU went on the road to face an Appalachian State team that was preparing to move up to FBS football the following year and won, 38-37.
“I couldn't even tell you how many people there were, but it was a crazy experience going down there and doing that,” said Mike Zimmer, linebacker from 2009-12.
“We ended up coming out and kind of showing our brand of football,” said Brown. “And we ended up sealing it on a blocked extra point in overtime. That was just a real moment.”
Both Brown and Zimmer plan to be in Nashville for Monday's FCS title game against Montana State in Nashville. It's one of the biggest games of the Spack era, joining the 2015 national title game and regular season victories like 2016's over Big Ten team Northwestern.
In search of the Spack-type player
Schmitz says this year’s ISU team is made up of many players that fit the mold of what Spack looks for while recruiting.
“You’ve got to be smart, you’ve got to be tough, and then you’ve got to be willing to pay the price and work through all the things as a freshman, sophomore,” said Schmitz. “You might not be able to play much. You might be on the special teams only, but slowly but surely, you will become a real good football player.”
The team has changed recently along with a rapidly changing sports landscape. College sports in particular have changed in the age of Name, Image and Likeness [NIL] opportunities and a much more heavily-used transfer system than ever before.
“I can't even imagine what it's like,” said Brown. “I think it's pretty amazing that Illinois State's able to operate within that and being able to kind of do the things that they've been doing, and keep the cohesive team together.”
Zimmer said the current state of NIL opportunities puts FCS schools at a disadvantage.
“The economics are different,” said Zimmer. “So it's kind of unfair to hold these programs to the same standard as the bigger Alabamas, Notre Dames, those types of schools.”
In 2023, Spack reflected on how transfer opportunities affected his program.
“If they were really talented, the big guys (FBS/Power Five conference schools) grabbed them,” Spack said. “If they were talented and had grades, the high-end academic people grabbed them. So we were stuck with some guys who we wouldn’t want to take, so we didn’t. We did luck out and got a few good ones.”
“I honestly think it's more of an impressive feat that coach Spack has done by bringing this team here [to the national championship game],” continued Zimmer. “Because you're dealing with guys that you don't have for four or five years because they're leaving.”
ISU also invested in football during Spack's tenure, including a $26 million renovation of Hancock Stadium (2013) and an $11.5 million indoor practice facility (2023).
The game of football has changed too.
“In today's game, you’ve got to be an offensive coach,” said Schmitz. “And coach Spack has done that. He has changed from a defensive coach to an offensive coach, but never let the defense go completely.”
The 2025 ISU football team has played well offensively. Only twice since conference play began in October have the Redbirds failed to score at least three touchdowns. Brown, quarterback for each of the first four seasons of Spack’s tenure, said current quarterback Tommy Rittenhouse plays a key role in the success.
“He seems to be pretty agile, pretty mobile. He's able to do a lot of things — stretch the pocket quite a bit, make throws on the run, very efficient with the football,” said Brown. “He takes care of the football, and he's able to, when the gap is there, he's able to hit it and get some extra yards that I probably would have gotten hit for a 3 or 4-yard loss on.”
‘A tremendous leader’
Spack’s 2025 team entered the national championship stage in a different way than the 2014 national runners-up that came before them.
The 2014 team earned home field throughout the postseason, entering the playoffs with only one loss on the year. This year’s team earned a playoff spot as one of the last four in, winning all four games on the road and becoming the first to do so.
Schmitz credits the team’s playoff run to Spack’s work to simplify playcalling. He said the team had a new look after a homecoming loss to Youngstown State, leading to a road victory against No. 21 South Dakota.
“We might have been doing a little bit too much at times early in the year, and now he got it where he simplified it, had [others on the coaching staff] simplify it, and we're playing a lot, lot better, especially on defense.”
Spack has often relied on a minimalist approach for playcalling since his time as a defensive coordinator.
“The less you do, the better you are,” said Spack, who became ISU's all-time wins leader in 2021.
Linebacker Tye Niekamp also felt like the South Dakota game was a turning point.
“I think that's just because that's when the group started getting experience, started to feel comfortable together, and I think that was a big thing for us,” said Niekamp. “As soon as we reach our potential, we start to play really well. I think you look at the last eight, nine games we played, it's been elite-level defense.”
"He's just a super personable guy, great leader, great motivator, and, yeah, just controls everything really well, but really gives us the opportunity to kind of lead and have more of a player-led team, which I find awesome," said quarterback Tommy Rittenhouse.
Spack credited the leadership of the players themselves for the turnaround.
“You don't have to really beat them over the head with a stick to show, hey, this is what you have to do,” said Spack. “They understand it and they get it and they correct themselves, which is a great trait.”
