Bob Spoo

For the academic, see Robert Spoo.

Robert Allen Spoo (November 2, 1937 – October 15, 2018) was an American college football coach. He served as the head football coach at Eastern Illinois University from 1987 to 2011 (with an interruption in 2006 due to surgery), compiling a record of 144–131–1. Spoo led the Eastern Illinois Panthers to five conference titles, nine playoff berths, and ten finishes in the Top 25 polls. He coached nine First Team All-Americans, including Tristan Burge and Tony Romo.

Bob Spoo

Biographical details
Born	(1937-11-02)November 2, 1937 Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Died	October 15, 2018(2018-10-15) (aged 80) Rockford, Illinois, U.S.
Playing career
1956–1958	Purdue
Position(s)	Quarterback
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1961	Fenwick HS (IL) (assistant)
1962	St. Laurence HS (IL)
1963–1966	Loyola Academy (IL) (backfield)
1967–1972	Loyola Academy (IL)
1973–1977	Wisconsin (QB)
1978–1984	Purdue (QB)
1985–1986	Purdue (OC)
1987–2005	Eastern Illinois
2007–2011	Eastern Illinois
Head coaching record
Overall	144–131–1 (college)
Bowls	1–8 (NCAA D-I-AA/FCS playoffs)
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
1 Gateway Football (1995) 4 OVC (2001–2002, 2005, 2009)
Awards
Gateway Football Coach of the Year (1995) 3× OVC Coach of the Year (2001, 2005, 2009)

Spoo was an alumnus of Purdue University and a former quarterback on the Purdue Boilermakers football team. Prior to receiving the head coaching position at Eastern Illinois, Spoo served as an assistant at Purdue and the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He also coached at the high school level.

Spoo and his wife, Suzie, had one daughter. After retiring, the Spoos continued to reside in Charleston, Illinois. He died on October 15, 2018, at the age of 80.^[1][2]

Head coaching record

College

Year	Team	Overall	Conference	Standing	Bowl/playoffs	NCAA/TSN#	USA/ESPN°
Eastern Illinois Panthers (Gateway Football Conference) (1987–1995)
1987	Eastern Illinois	5–6	3–3	T–3rd
1988	Eastern Illinois	5–6	2–4	T–5th
1989	Eastern Illinois	9–4	4–2	2nd	L NCAA Division I-AA Quarterfinal	15
1990	Eastern Illinois	5–6	3–3	T–3rd
1991	Eastern Illinois	4–7	2–4	T–5th
1992	Eastern Illinois	5–6	2–4	T–3rd
1993	Eastern Illinois	3–7–1	2–3–1	T–4th
1994	Eastern Illinois	6–5	4–2	T–2nd
1995	Eastern Illinois	10–2	5–1	T–1st	L NCAA Division I-AA First Round	12
Eastern Illinois Panthers (Ohio Valley Conference) (1996–2005)
1996	Eastern Illinois	8–4	6–2	T–2nd	L NCAA Division I-AA First Round	16
1997	Eastern Illinois	8–3	5–2	T–2nd		21	22
1998	Eastern Illinois	6–5	4–3	T–4th
1999	Eastern Illinois	2–10	2–5	T–6th
2000	Eastern Illinois	8–4	6–1	2nd	L NCAA Division I-AA First Round	17	22
2001	Eastern Illinois	9–2	6–0	1st	L NCAA Division I-AA First Round	9	9
2002	Eastern Illinois	8–4	5–1	T–1st	L NCAA Division I-AA First Round	13	12
2003	Eastern Illinois	4–8	3–5	T–5th
2004	Eastern Illinois	5–6	4–4	4th
2005	Eastern Illinois	9–3	8–0	1st	L NCAA Division I-AA First Round	16	15
Eastern Illinois Panthers (Ohio Valley Conference) (2007–2011)
2007	Eastern Illinois	8–4	7–1	2nd	L NCAA Division I First Round	18
2008	Eastern Illinois	5–7	3–5	6th
2009	Eastern Illinois	8–4	6–2	1st	L NCAA Division I First Round	19
2010	Eastern Illinois	2–9	2–6	7th
2011	Eastern Illinois	2–9	1–7	9th
Eastern Illinois:		144–131–1	68–44
Total:		144–131–1
National championship         Conference title         Conference division title or championship game berth

References

1. "Hall of Fame EIU coach passes away". The News-Gazette. Champaign, Illinois. October 15, 2018. Retrieved August 2, 2021.
2. "Robert Spoo". Journal Gazette & Times-Courier. Mattoon, Illinois. October 19, 2018. Retrieved August 2, 2021.