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Bartlett turns program over to Ilich

Eric Ilich intends to take a fresh approach as the third varsity football coach in Bartlett's 18-year history, he said Monday.

Ilich, 34, was offered and accepted the position on Friday. He succeeds Tom Meaney, who retired from coaching in December after 13 seasons in which his teams went 80-53 and made the playoffs 10 times, including last season, when the Hawks finished 5-5.

"I'm super excited it's started," Ilich said. "Right above my desk I have a sign that says 'Make Bartlett High School an awesome place to play football.' That's what I'm going to work toward every day."

A well-liked physical education teacher, Ilich said his philosophy is to get everyone in the Bartlett athletic community working together for the betterment of all.

"It's the row-the-boat philosophy," he said. "Trust is a major factor in trying to get everyone on board and going in the same direction with no veering off and no dead weight. It's about people striving to be their best as far as the full scope of athletics goes.

"I want our football players to play at least two sports. I don't want them to feel they are here just to play football. They should have the opportunity to compete in different programs and get different experiences you only get once in high school while keeping in mind the fact academics will take our kids higher than athletics ever will."

Bartlett athletic director Jeff Bral said Ilich's philosophical approach to football and its role in driving the athletic department matched what he sought in a new coach.

"We were looking for fresh ideas and a fresh approach," Bral said. "I went through the process with my eyes wide open. But at the end of the day, you want the best candidate and Eric was the best candidate. He's a big-picture person. I like that as an athletic director who has to be."

Ilich is a 2000 graduate of Neuqua Valley High School in Naperville, where he played varsity quarterback for two seasons.

He went on to play for Southwest Missouri State as a freshman and he planned to walk on at Indiana the following year, but that plan was scrapped due to a coaching change. He finished his playing career at North Central College, graduating in 2004.

Ilich's coaching career began in the fall of 2004 as a quarterbacks coach for Naperville Central, which defeated Bartlett that year en route to a quarterfinal appearance.

He was hired as a physical education teacher and coach at Bartlett in 2005 and immediately began working with the program's quarterbacks. The following year he was named a full-time varsity assistant and became the program's passing game coordinator.

In 2008, he completed his Masters in leadership and administration at Benedictine University.

Longtime assistant coach and mentor Mark Williams stepped aside as offensive coordinator in 2010 so Ilich could gain experience in that role.

Ilich left Bartlett in 2012 after he accepted his first head coaching position at Hoffman Estates. However, the sides parted ways after an 0-9 season.

Ilich returned to Bartlett as offensive coordinator, a role he held until Friday.

Ilich says he is a different coach than the one who took over at Hoffman Estates four years ago.

"Being able to come back to Bartlett was a blessing," Ilich said. "I've grown professionally and personally since then. I just have more experience on my side this time. Being back at Bartlett, I continued to learn from coach Meaney and coach Williams and I've experienced a lot of professional growth so that I'd be super prepared for this opportunity and be able to jump all over it when it presented itself."

Ilich said one of his priorities will be to reach out to the coaches of area feeder teams like the Bartlett Jr. Hawks, the Bartlett Raiders and the Hanover Park Hurricanes in order to build relationships that will benefit all involved.

"The challenge is getting the kids, the community and everyone to get on board, trust one another and row the boat together, Ilich said."

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