Bret Bielema and Illinois add veteran FCS head coach to staff

In a profession littered with coaches who have ten, fifteen and sometimes 20 or more stops on their resume, Mark Farley is a rarity in that he had just two stops over a career that spans back to 1986.

After a playing career at Northern Iowa, where he led the team in tackles his junior and senior seasons and was named the conference's defensive player of the year in 1985, he joined the staff as a graduate assistant.

That lasted for a few seasons before he was elevated to linebackers coach, eventually leaving to take the linebackers job at Kansas in 1997. 

He would spent four seasons in Lawrence before returning to his alma mater as head coach in 2001.

The 62-year old spent the past 24 seasons elevating the UNI program before deciding to retire at the conclusion of last fall as the winningest head coach in UNI history, as well as the winningest head coach in Missouri Valley conference history as well.

Turns out, his retirement only lasted about eight months before an opportunity at the major college level pulled him back in.

The veteran FCS head coach in bringing his experience and wisdom to a third stop - at Illinois working with Bret Bielema.

While Bielema was not specific on Farley's role with the Illini, he shared during his presser yesterday that Farley quietly joined the staff about two weeks ago.

In Champaign, he reunites with UNI defensive lineman Carter Hewitt, a native of Jewell, Iowa, who the Illini picked up in the transfer portal after he developed the past four seasons under Farley and his staff at UNI.

Illinois opens the season tomorrow night when they take on Western Illinois in Memorial Stadium.

Bielema and the Illini face just two teams ranked heading into the season in Indiana (on the road in Bloomington Week 4) and then an October matchup with defending national champions Ohio State at home in Champaign.

A season with College Football Playoff hopes for Bielema's squad includes additional trips to Duke, Purdue, Washington, and Wisconsin, while they get Western Michigan, USC, Rutgers and Northwestern at home.