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Evangel University names Brenton Illum new head football coach

Brenton Illum, Head Coach

November 24, 2009
Contact: Ed Beach and Kevin Kennedy, Evangel University Athletics(417) 865-2815, ext. 7260

Springfield, MO – Brenton Illum has been named the head football coach at Evangel University. Illum becomes the sixth head coach in the program’s 33 year history.

Illum has spent the last four seasons at Western State (Colorado) College, an NCAA-II program where he served as the Assistant Head Coach, Defensive Coordinator, Recruiting Coordinator, Inside Linebackers and Strong Safeties Coach.

Illum graduated from Evangel in 1998 with a degree in physical education. He was a linebacker for the Crusaders on the 1994 team and was as a student assistant coach for the program for three years before graduating.

The 33-year old left Evangel’s program in 2001 to become defensive coordinator and strength coach at Fort Lewis (Colorado, NCAA-II) College. Illum returned to Springfield in 2004 joining the coaching staff at Missouri State University where he was Special Teams Coordinator and coached defensive linemen and linebackers for two seasons under then head coach Randy Ball.

“We are excited that Brenton Illum has accepted the position as Evangel’s next head football coach,” said Dr. David Stair, Evangel University Athletic Director. “Brenton brings a wealth of experience to our program having coached at the NAIA, NCAA-II, and NCAA-I-FCS levels. Especially important are his recruiting contacts gained from all three of his former positions. As an Evangel Alumnus, Brenton has an appreciation for the history of winning football teams that are a part of our past. I have every confidence that he will restore our program to prominence on the NAIA national scene.”

Illum was born in Chicago, Illinois and attended high school at Washburn Rural High School in Topeka, Kansas. He has been married for 11 years to Molly (Hawkins) Illum, a 1999 Evangel graduate, who was a standout volleyball player in the Lady Crusaders program and has had coaching success in the high school and college levels in her sport.

Brenton Illum – Evangel University Head Football Coach

Coaching Experience

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