Bruce Weber (born October 19, 1956 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin) is the head coach of the University of Illinois men's basketball team. Weber has led the program to two outright Big Ten Conference championships and and four trips to the NCAA Tournament, including an appearance in the championship game of the 2005 NCAA Tournament. Bruce Weber may refer to: Bruce Weber (photographer) (b. ... Image File history File links Bruce_weber. ... This List of colleges and universities in the United States includes colleges and universities in the U.S. that grant four-year baccalaureate and/or post-graduate masters and doctorate degrees. ... NCAA Pre-Tournament Era Champions 1915 NCAA Tournament Final Four 1949, 1951, 1952, 1989, 2005 Conference Tournament Champions 2003, 2005 Conference Regular Season Champions 1915, 1917, 1924, 1935, 1937, 1942, 1943, 1949, 1951, 1952, 1963, 1984, 1998, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005 The Illinois Fighting Illini mens basketball team is... This article is about the sport. ... is the 292nd day of the year (293rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... A car from 1956 Year 1956 (MCMLVI) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... For other places with the same name, see Milwaukee (disambiguation). ... For other uses of the term Big Ten see Big Ten (disambiguation). ... For other uses of the term Big Ten see Big Ten (disambiguation). ... Former Missouri Valley Conference logo The Missouri Valley Conference (also called MVC or simply The Valley) is a college athletic conference whose members are located in the midwestern United States. ... Naismith Collage Coach of the Year Award is an award given to one mens and one womens NCAA Division I collegiate coach each season since 1987. ... The Associated Press, or AP, is an American news agency, the worlds largest such organization. ... For other uses of the term Big Ten see Big Ten (disambiguation). ... Former Missouri Valley Conference logo The Missouri Valley Conference (also called MVC or simply The Valley) is a college athletic conference whose members are located in the midwestern United States. ... The head coach in sports coaching is the coach who is in charge of the other coaches. ... Western Kentucky University (WKU) is a public university in Bowling Green, Kentucky. ... NCAA Tournament Final Four 1969, 1980 Conference Regular Season Champions 1911, 1912, 1921, 1922, 1926, 1928, 1930, 1932, 1934, 1935, 1936, 1938, 1940, 1969, 1979, 1984, 1987, 1988, 1994, 1995, 1996 The Purdue Boilermakers basketball team is a college basketball program that competes in NCAA Division I and the Big... Southern Illinois University Carbondale (SIUC but usually just referred to as SIU) is located in Carbondale, Illinois. ... NCAA Pre-Tournament Era Champions 1915 NCAA Tournament Final Four 1949, 1951, 1952, 1989, 2005 Conference Tournament Champions 2003, 2005 Conference Regular Season Champions 1915, 1917, 1924, 1935, 1937, 1942, 1943, 1949, 1951, 1952, 1963, 1984, 1998, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005 The Illinois Fighting Illini mens basketball team is... is the 292nd day of the year (293rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... A car from 1956 Year 1956 (MCMLVI) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... For other places with the same name, see Milwaukee (disambiguation). ... The head coach in sports coaching is the coach who is in charge of the other coaches. ... A Corner of Main Quad The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC, U of I, or simply Illinois), is the oldest, largest, and most prestigious campus in the University of Illinois system. ... This article is about the sport. ... For other uses of the term Big Ten see Big Ten (disambiguation). ... This article is about NCAA Mens Division I Basketball Championship. ... 2005 Final Four, Edward Jones Dome The 2005 NCAA Mens Division I Basketball Tournament involved 65 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of mens NCAA Division I college basketball. ...

Coaching

Weber began his coaching career with a brief stint as an assistant coach at Western Kentucky University during the 1979-80 season under head coach Gene Keady. In 1980, Weber moved to Purdue University along with Keady. He would remain an assistant coach at Purdue for eighteen seasons before becoming the head coach at Southern Illinois University in 1998. In his five seasons at Southern Illinois, Weber led the Salukis to consecutive Missouri Valley Conference championships and NCAA tournament appearances, including an NCAA Sweet Sixteen finish in 2002. Western Kentucky University (WKU) is a public university in Bowling Green, Kentucky. ... Gene Keady (born May 21, 1936, in Larned, Kansas, United States) is an assistant coach of the Toronto Raptors of the NBA. He is most notable for being the head basketball coach at Purdue University for 25 years, from 1980-2005. ... Year 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1980 Gregorian calendar). ... Purdue redirects here. ... Southern Illinois University Carbondale (SIUC but usually just referred to as SIU) is located in Carbondale, Illinois. ... Year 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar). ... Former Missouri Valley Conference logo The Missouri Valley Conference (also called MVC or simply The Valley) is a college athletic conference whose members are located in the midwestern United States. ... The term Sweet Sixteen refers to the final sixteen teams in the NCAA Division I Basketball Tournament, who play in the semi-final game of each of the tournaments four regional brackets. ...

In 2003, Roy Williams, after much speculation, left the University of Kansas to take his "dream job" at the University of North Carolina. Subsequently, Bill Self, the head coach at the University of Illinois at the time, departed the Illini to coach the Jayhawks. After a nation-wide search, Illinois Athletic Director Ron Guenther selected the regionally-known Weber to replace Self on April 30, 2003. Roy Williams (born August 1, 1950 in Marion, North Carolina) is head coach of the mens basketball team at the University of North Carolina. ... The University of Kansas (often referred to as KU or just Kansas) is an institution of higher learning in Lawrence, Kansas. ... The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public, coeducational, research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States. ... Bill Self (born December 27, 1962 in Okmulgee, Oklahoma) is the head mens basketball coach at the University of Kansas. ... A Corner of Main Quad The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC, U of I, or simply Illinois), is the oldest, largest, and most prestigious campus in the University of Illinois system. ... Ron Guenther (born October 3, 1945) is the Director of Athletics for the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. ...

The Illini played a tough early season game against North Carolina on December 2nd in Greensboro, and was tied at 69 with just six minutes to go. Illinois eventually lost the game 88-81, but it proved to be a good test for the young team with no seniors in the starting lineup. Weber faced his toughest test after starting the conference schedule with an even 3-3 mark. Many fans doubted the coaching changes he introduced to the team, and some skeptics questioned his strategy since all of the starters had been recruited by coach Self. He changed many doubters' minds by winning the remaining ten games on the conference schedule, winning the Big Ten title outright for the first time since 1952. In post-season play, the Illini finished second, losing to Wisconsin in the championship game. They received a bid for a fifth seed in the 2004 NCAA Tournament, defeating Murray State and Cincinnati in the first two rounds. A 72-62 loss to top seeded Duke ended their tournament run, but capped a solid first season for coach Weber. NCAA Tournament Champions 1957, 1982, 1993, 2005 NCAA Tournament Final Four 1946, 1957, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1972, 1977, 1981, 1982, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2005 Conference Tournament Champions 1957, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1972, 1975, 1977, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1989, 1991, 1994, 1997, 1998, 2007 Conference Regular Season Champions... The Wisconsin Badgers are a variety of collegiate athletic teams from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. ... The 2004 NCAA Mens Division I Basketball Tournament involved 65 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of mens NCAA Division I college basketball. ... NCAA Tournament Champions 1991, 1992, 2001 NCAA Tournament Final Four 1963, 1964, 1966, 1978, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1994, 1999, 2001, 2004 Conference Tournament Champions 1938, 1941, 1942, 1944, 1946, 1960, 1963, 1964, 1966, 1978, 1986, 1988, 1992, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006 Conference Regular Season...

2004-05 season

The 2005 season opened with high expectations. All of the starters were returning, and some magazines were picking Illinois as the preseason favorite. Weber himself had set going to the Final Four as the team's goal before the first game was played. On December 1st, the Illini crushed the number one ranked team Wake Forest University 91-73 at Assembly Hall. Weber sported a glowing orange blazer for the game, and Assembly Hall was painted orange by the 16,618 fans wearing school colors. The pressure grew for Weber as the victory vaulted the Illini to the top spot in the polls the following week, a spot they would carry for the rest of the season. Regular season perfection ended on the last game of the regular season. Illinois lost a 12 point, second-half lead to Ohio State and lost to the Thad Matta-coached Buckeyes 65-64. Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Wake Forest University is a private, coeducational university located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. ... 2007 Ohio State Buckeyes |coach = Thad Matta |arena = Jerome Schottenstein Center |capacity = 19,200 |nickname = ohio state buckeyes ... Thad Matta Thad Matta (pronounced MAH-tuh) (born July 11, 1967 in Hoopeston, Illinois) is the current head coach of the Ohio State University mens basketball team. ...

In the post-season tournaments, they quickly regained form - winning the Big Ten Tournament in Chicago. In the 2005 NCAA Tournament, the team received the overall top seed and top seed in the Midwestern Regional, and defeated Farleigh Dickinson and Nevada in the first two rounds in Indianapolis. In the Sweet Sixteen, Weber led the Illini to victories over Milwaukee and Arizona. Weber could not deliver the Fighting Illini their first national championship, reaching the NCAA Final Four but falling 75-70 to North Carolina in the national championship game. 2005 Final Four, Edward Jones Dome The 2005 NCAA Mens Division I Basketball Tournament involved 65 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of mens NCAA Division I college basketball. ... Fairleigh Dickinson University is a American private university founded in 1942. ... The University of Nevada, Reno (Nevada or UNR) is a university located in Reno, Nevada, USA, and is known for its programs in agricultural research, journalism, animal biotechnology, and mining-related engineering and natural sciences. ... The Milwaukee Panthers (also known as the UW-Milwaukee Panthers or UWM Panthers) are the athletic teams of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. ... The athletic teams at the University of Arizona are known as the Arizona Wildcats. ... The 2004-05 Illinois Fightin Illini, the 100th season of mens basketball at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, enjoyed one of the most successful seasons in recent college history. ... NCAA Tournament Champions 1957, 1982, 1993, 2005 NCAA Tournament Final Four 1946, 1957, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1972, 1977, 1981, 1982, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2005 Conference Tournament Champions 1957, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1972, 1975, 1977, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1989, 1991, 1994, 1997, 1998, 2007 Conference Regular Season Champions...

Weber coached the team to the best record in school history, finishing 37-2 and tying the NCAA record for most wins in a season. Weber won many coaching awards after the season, including the Naismith Award and Henry Iba Award. Naismith Collage Coach of the Year Award is an award given to one mens and one womens NCAA Division I collegiate coach each season since 1987. ...

2005 and beyond

Despite losing three starters to the NBA. The Illini finished the 2005-2006 season with a 26-7 and reached the second round of the 2006 NCAA Tournament. The 2006-2007 season had a disappointing start, including the first 3-game losing streak in Weber's tenure. However, the Illini rebounded to finish 23-11 and again qualify for the NCAA tournament. The 2006-07 season did, however, bring some disappointment off of the court, as guard Jamar Smith was the driver in an accident that left center Brian Carlwell injured. [1] Smith eventually pled guilty to aggravated DUI and received a 15-day jail sentence. [2] The 2006 NCAA Mens Division I Basketball Tournament involved 65 schools playing in a single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of mens NCAA Division I college basketball. ...

Head coaching record

Personal

Weber was born in Milwaukee to Louis and Dawn Weber, growing up with two sisters and two brothers. Weber graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 1978 with a bachelor's degree in education. He was the catcher for Milwaukee's varsity baseball team, and also attempted to walk-on to the Panthers basketball team, but was subsequently cut. Weber added a master's degree in education administration and physical education from Western Kentucky University in 1981. He is married to Megan Weber, and has three daughters - Hannah, Christy and Emily. In 2006, Weber signed a deal with Illinois to extend his contract through 2010. His current base salary is $750,009.32, but including endorsements, he earns around 1.5 million dollars per year. The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (also known as UW-Milwaukee, UWM or Milwaukee) is a public research university located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. ... A bachelors degree is usually an undergraduate academic degree awarded for a course or major that generally lasts for three, four, or in some cases and countries, five or six years. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Western Kentucky University (WKU) is a public university in Bowling Green, Kentucky. ...

External links

• Bruce Weber Official Bio
• Illinois Fighting Illini: The Official Athletic Site
• 2005 Henry Iba Award Winner
• Grilling Weber (The Chicago Sports Review - September 2005)