After an overtime loss to Northwestern Nov. 20 capped off the second consecutive sub-par season for Illini football, athletic director Ron Guenther knew something needed to change.

Two days later, Ron Turner was released as head coach of the Illinois football team.

Guenther said in a press conference Nov. 22 that the decision to fire Turner was a difficult one, but came down to a simple bottom line: the inability to produce wins.

“The past two seasons of sub-par records have led me to the decision to make a coaching change,” Guenther said. “Despite the improvement this year, I felt we had reached a point of no return, specifically as it relates to recruiting.”

While Illinois boasts top-of-the-line facilities and a position in one of the most prestigious conferences nationwide, those factors alone have not been enough to draw the top recruits Guenther expects a new coach to bring to the program.

“I realize it is a bottom-line business and the last couple of years we simply did not win enough games,” Turner said.

In his eight years as head coach, Turner compiled a 35-57 record. In his last two seasons, the Illini only managed one Big Ten victory and went 4-19 overall.

Redshirt-freshman linebacker J Leman said the losing seasons have been difficult of the team to handle, and that while many players are sorry to see Turner go, he thinks it will ultimately benefit the team.

“I don’t think we hold ourselves responsible (for Turner being fired),” Leman said. “I think any time somebody gives you the chance to play college ball, you appreciate it.”

Turner acknowledged the support of his staff, players, assistant coaches and fans when he spoke at the press conference where his release was announced. He called his assistant coaches, most of whose jobs are now in question, great men who always kept the players motivated, even during the losing seasons.

“The players have always given 100 percent,” Turner said. “They continued to fight, continued to work, continued to stick together and believe when nobody else did.”

Offensive line coach Harry Heistand and linebacker coach Tommy Thigpen will be retained, Guenther said, to maintain some continuity on each side of the ball. All other assistant coaches will have the opportunity to interview with the new head coach.

“A lot of the players have great relationships with those two guys,” junior safety Morris Virgil said of Heistand and Thigpen. “All our coaches are great coaches, and it’s unfortunate we won’t have everyone back, but having two coaches back will be good for us because they know how things are run here, they know the players and know what Illinois football is all about.”

The search for a new head coach began immediately, and Guenther expects to find a replacement for Turner within the next three weeks.

He said he is concerned with finding a coach who can recruit athletes who in turn can produce wins.

“In firing up the masses, what people want to see is wins,” Guenther said. “When Ron and I look each other in the eyes, we know how close it was, but it didn’t get done.”