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According to former Illini and current Big Ten Network analyst Howard Griffith the Illini have their new wide receivers coach, and it's a former Illini wide receiver.
Illinois is reaching into its past to shape the future hiring Mike Bellamy as WR coach. #illini
— Howard Griffith (@HowardGriffith) February 18, 2013
He's replacing Billy Gonzales who was pretty much kicked to the curb as soon as the 2013 recruiting class was signed and delivered.
Bellamy played for the Illini in the late eighties, being named first team All-Big Ten in 1989 and second team All-America in the same season. He was Jeff George's favorite target that season, as the Illini finished the year 10-2 and ranked tenth in the country.
For you kids out there, there was a time when that actually happened.
Bellamy was our associate recruiting coordinator in 2012, but that was his first year on the staff. He doesn't have a whole lot of coaching experience so it's hard to have a real opinion on him as a wide receivers coach. Though if coaching wide receivers is the same thing as playing wide receiver he should be just fine.
I mean, Bellamy was named one of the ten best receivers in Illinois history in 2008.
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