During his five decades as a football coach, Bob Spoo became known as a quarterback guru.
Bill O’Donnell was one of his first projects. O’Donnell was Loyola’s starting quarterback in 1965 and 1966, when Spoo was the Ramblers’ quarterbacks coach. Spoo became the head coach in 1967 and amassed a 51-9-2 record in six seasons in Wilmette.
A former quarterback at Purdue, Spoo went on to mentor numerous signal-callers, including three from his alma mater who would reach the NFL: Mark Herrmann, Scott Campbell and Jim Everett.
He spent 25 seasons at Eastern Illinois, where he made the Panthers an FCS stalwart and cemented his legacy as a quarterback whisperer. Former Dallas Cowboys star Tony Romo and current San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, a Rolling Meadows graduate, are among his success stories.
Spoo, a St. Rita graduate, died Monday in Rockford. He was 80.
“There’s no question he had a big impact on me and a lot of other people,” O’Donnell said. “I was always thankful I got the opportunity to play and be a quarterback for him. It was quite an experience. He was a dedicated guy and very knowledgeable. We kept a bond through all these years, from the quarterback-to-quarterback thing.”
During his successful college coaching career, Spoo always remained a fan of the Ramblers. He attended last season’s homecoming game against Fenwick and received a warm ovation during a brief introduction after the first quarter.
“What always struck me was that he said the most enjoyment that he had in coaching was at Loyola Academy,” current Ramblers coach John Holecek said of Spoo. “He enjoyed being here immensely, and they were really successful in his time.”
Spoo served as an assistant coach at Wisconsin and Purdue before spending a quarter-century in Charleston. He had a 144-131-1 mark at Eastern Illinois and led the Panthers to nine FCS playoff berths before retiring after the 2011 season.
Glenbrook South linebackers coach Alan Greenberg started his coaching career as a graduate assistant in Spoo’s first year at Eastern Illinois. Greenberg spent two years on the Panthers’ staff and said he learned many lessons outside of football from Spoo that helped him throughout his career.
“He just cared about people,” Greenberg said. “It wasn’t just about football. When you start young, you think it’s all about X’s and O’s and plays, but I learned from him that it’s about the people first.
“When you care about them, the kids and coaches and relationships, the other stuff will carry over. The impact he made about being a great person was special. He truly cared about all his assistants and every kid who played for him.”
Former Loyola assistant coach Frank Amato recalled meeting Spoo for the first time in 1966. They worked together on the same staff for a few seasons and remained friends for more than 40 years.
“He was a quiet and humble young man,” Amato said. “He never got too excited or screamed or yelled. He was very calm and under control. He wasn’t a real rah-rah type.
“Coach Spoo was a great guy to work with, an honest guy. When something had to be done, he was ready to step in and do it and get the job done.”
