Deadspin
After Illinois' oddly easy win over Northwestern — to win the Sweet Sioux Tomahawk, whatever that is — on Saturday, the most amazing Illini season we can remember draws to a close. Which means, of course ... it's time for the Ron Zook Water Skiing Photo! The man pisses intensity.
At this point, nearly every major bowl projection has Illinois in either the Capital One Bowl or the Outback Bowl — both New Years Day games — playing ... Florida! (There is one rather shocking exception.) That's right, the Zook Bowl is imminent. The game has no downside for Illini fans (taking on the defending champs — and presumed Heisman Trophy winner? — on January 1? Whoa!), but for Florida fans, a loss to Zook on New Years Day has to be the nightmare scenario. If we're a Gators fan, we use every bit of praying power we have to sneak us into a BCS game. That's a comparison none of them would like made.
That said, Florida would kill the Illini. We're not there yet. But hey: The Zook Water Skiing Photo!
College Bowl Predictions [CBS Sportsline]
Illini Roll [Decatur Herald & Review]
Comments
Gad-zooks!
Ron Zook > Chuck Norris
In Soviet Russia, intensity pisses you!
Illinois is playing in January, and it doesn't need an XBOX. Zook's probably going to be upgrading those water skis next summer.
Should have been you, Galen Hall
Ron Zook has no need for water skis (or a boat.)
didnt Northwestern lose to Duke...who lost to ND...
why are we surprised?
I'm no water skiing expert, but it looks like he's being pulled by an office chair with a kick-ass motor.
@Chicago Jones: or water, for that matter.
@Chicago Jones:
Photoshop!
Zook, Zook, Zook
Zook of Earl, Zook, Zook...
matchup wise Benn and Harvin are a wash and Illinois has a much better secondary than Florida. Aside from that...boom bitch.
That picture is remarkably in-focus for, you know, travelling across a lake at top speed.
Fake.
@Gourmet Spud: That's a boom. You must not be a golfer.
Zook is wearing gloves so the bar doesn't melt from the intensity of the Zook-paws.
@Hextall454: but the speed matter if both the photographer and zook are traveling at the same speed?
I wonder what the guy(s) who did FireRonZook dot com thinks about all of this.
@Unsilent Majority:
Touche. Did you cut and paste the "boom"?
Ron Zook vs. Ed Hochuli...place your bets.
And he Zook me, all night long
I'm praying that we end up in New Orleans for New Years...its way more fun than Orlando or Tampa...
Either way, we know Zook doesn't know how to win in Tampa...
Zook the Coach is even more terrifying than Zeke the Plumber.
Kurt Kittner still hasn't shaved his goatee.
@Hextall454: Zook actually took the photo himself. He's what they call "sneaky fast".
Ron Zook once got his wife pregnant and gave birth to a delicious 16 oz. steak.
@Arriaga_II: on land or water?
@Unsilent Majority:
No, but even if it did, Zook's liver moonlights as a particle accelerator.
I just want to know when it's once again time for the Coach K eating a small child photo.
@Chicago Jones: And that isn't spraying water, it's steam.
An the award for "the picture to appear the most times on Deadspin" goes to...water skiing Zook !
If Ron Zook pisses intensity I don't want to know hat Charlie Weis is crapping.
@Unsilent Majority: See, it depends on a) shutter speed, b) lens aperture, c) film speed, d) if the camera was panned in the direction zook was travelling...
/camera nerdery
@Upstate Underdog: Will's Rick Ankiel doll has to be up there as well.
@GorgeForeman: Zook eats the radiation from his particle accelerating liver as a snack.
little known fact - that bar he is holding is actual a 20mm cannon on a destroyer
@Weed Against Speed: yes, yes it is.
Really going to blast my glutes. You know, switch it up, keep my body guessing.
Ron Zook vs. Ditka...who wins?
I've been pulling for Illinois ever since I flipped past an early season game and heard the announcers refer to their QB as "Juice" over and over. It's infectious.
@Unsilent Majority: Eh, I just figured I'd make an outrageous statement to drum up feedback. As you probably know in DC, that's called "pulling a Czabe."
@Weed Against Speed: ACTION FIGURE!!!!
@xhack: Thats a juicy baby
@12-inch Idongivafuck Sandwich: Zook doesn't know how to win in Starkville either.
/bitter that my four years in FLA corresponded with the Zook era.
@Gourmet Spud: Simpsons did it!
The wetsuit's actually crotchless ! It's the only way ol' Zooker gets relief from the jungle junk he picked up down there in Gainesville.
@Hextall454: STEVE CZABAN WOULD NEVER DO SUCH A THING!
@Weed Against Speed: Deadspin commenters.
@Juancho: It should be noted that it's not a question of where he grips it.
Zook doesnt use skis, he's waterboarding an Al Queda member
@Unsilent Majority: The Love Letters post is just below this one.
Better nicknamed Williams football player: "Juice" Williams or "Smash" Williams?
@Juancho: If Illinois and Duke win tonight in the Maui Invitational, they'll match up tomorrow and I bet that'll get Will to break out the Coach K eating a small child photo.
You would think Illinois and Kittner going to the Sugar Bowl was more exciting than this season...
@Get Him A Body Bag, Yeah!: Yea...I'm a little bitter as well...99-04 started really nice (the OBC), but then quickly fell apart, and then I left it had signs of hope...and then we win 3 championships in the 3 years in not at UF, then when I come back, we are praying to leapfrog into New Orleans...