After one season, Illinois assistant leaving to join Green Bay Packers staff
Lovie Smith is plenty familiar with the Green Bay Packers taking things away from his team. He dealt with that all-too-often during his nine seasons coaching the Chicago Bears.
On Friday, Smith suffered another loss at the hands of the Packers.
After one year in Champaign, Illinois linebackers coach Tim McGarigle is leaving to program to join the Packers staff as the defensive quality control/linebackers coach.
“Coach Lovie Smith and the rest of the coaching staff will have the Illini football program doing great things in the near future,” McGarigle said in a release. “Even though I was here just one year, it seems like so much longer because of the quality of people and relationships I’ve made in just a short time. However, I’ve always dreamed of coaching in the NFL and this opportunity with an organization like the Packers was something I couldn’t pass up.
“Telling the linebacker group today that I was leaving was one of the toughest things I’ve ever done.”
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McGarigle was hired by Bill Cubit last January, and Smith kept him on board after he took over in March. McGarigle helped two Illini linebackers, Hardy Nickerson, Jr. and Tre Watson, earn all-B1G honorable mention honors.
With McGarigle leading the linebackers, Illinois finished 105th against the run but 17th against the pass.
Illinois will begin spring practices on Feb. 14.