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Glen Ellyn, IL —
A native of Wheaton, Todd Monken attended Monroe Middle School before playing football under coach Jim Rexilius at Wheaton North. The son of a coach, the quarterback went on to a great career at Knox College before entering the coaching fraternity himself in 1990 at Grand Valley State.
After stints at Notre Dame, Eastern Michigan, Louisiana Tech and Oklahoma State, Monken worked as an assistant coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars from 2007-10 before returning to OSU this fall as the Cowboys offensive coordinator.
Under the tutelage of Monken, who with his wife Terri have a son Travis, Oklahoma State averaged 49.3 points per game during the regular season, which was second in the nation. The Cowboys will take on Stanford in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl on Monday, Jan. 2.
What has this season been like for you?
We’ve got tremendous players and kids. This is the best group I’ve been around in terms of personality, about not taking themselves too seriously. They work when they need to work and have fun when it is time to have fun. It’s just a real mature group of guys. Making the transition eight months ago, it’s been great. It’s great to have guys that buy in and have the measurables to do what you ask them to do.
How does coaching at the NFL level differ from coaching in college?
The NFL is much more business-like, it’s like you are working at IBM. When you pull into the building, it is football all the time. There is no fight song, no coeds, no college campus. It’s football all the time and there is some good in that. It’s a different culture, different environment. In college, you are dealing with a younger generation, guys trying to get to that level. Overall, it’s just been a blessing that I’ve been paid to coach football (at both levels). You really can’t beat the feeling of wins and celebrating with your team.
Having been at various schools, who are some coaches that you have had the pleasure of working with and what have you taken from them?
I’ve been asked this so many times. There are so many people, it is very hard to name one over another. I’ve been very blessed to be around a lot of great guys, starting with my dad. At Knox I played under Randy Oberembt, who is now the athletic director at New Trier. Tom Beck started me off at Grand Valley State and then I was under Coach (Lou) Holtz at Notre Dame a year later as a grad assistant. It is not only guys you work with as peers but also guys you work under and I’ve learned so much from everybody. I’ve made some mistakes along the way but at those times, you refer back to the people who have had a hand in your success.
A native of Wheaton, Todd Monken attended Monroe Middle School before playing football under coach Jim Rexilius at Wheaton North. The son of a coach, the quarterback went on to a great career at Knox College before entering the coaching fraternity himself in 1990 at Grand Valley State.
After stints at Notre Dame, Eastern Michigan, Louisiana Tech and Oklahoma State, Monken worked as an assistant coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars from 2007-10 before returning to OSU this fall as the Cowboys offensive coordinator.
Under the tutelage of Monken, who with his wife Terri have a son Travis, Oklahoma State averaged 49.3 points per game during the regular season, which was second in the nation. The Cowboys will take on Stanford in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl on Monday, Jan. 2.
What has this season been like for you?
We’ve got tremendous players and kids. This is the best group I’ve been around in terms of personality, about not taking themselves too seriously. They work when they need to work and have fun when it is time to have fun. It’s just a real mature group of guys. Making the transition eight months ago, it’s been great. It’s great to have guys that buy in and have the measurables to do what you ask them to do.
How does coaching at the NFL level differ from coaching in college?
The NFL is much more business-like, it’s like you are working at IBM. When you pull into the building, it is football all the time. There is no fight song, no coeds, no college campus. It’s football all the time and there is some good in that. It’s a different culture, different environment. In college, you are dealing with a younger generation, guys trying to get to that level. Overall, it’s just been a blessing that I’ve been paid to coach football (at both levels). You really can’t beat the feeling of wins and celebrating with your team.
Having been at various schools, who are some coaches that you have had the pleasure of working with and what have you taken from them?
I’ve been asked this so many times. There are so many people, it is very hard to name one over another. I’ve been very blessed to be around a lot of great guys, starting with my dad. At Knox I played under Randy Oberembt, who is now the athletic director at New Trier. Tom Beck started me off at Grand Valley State and then I was under Coach (Lou) Holtz at Notre Dame a year later as a grad assistant. It is not only guys you work with as peers but also guys you work under and I’ve learned so much from everybody. I’ve made some mistakes along the way but at those times, you refer back to the people who have had a hand in your success.
How did growing up in Wheaton help in your progression as a person, a player and a coach?
First and foremost, it starts with my family and the direction they gave me. My dad was a coach, his family and brothers were coaches. I was always involved at a young age with athletics and a lot of the kids I was hanging out with were involved as well. You are kind of a creature of who you are around and there was not as many alternatives (like video games) that my son (Travis) now has.
Any memories from your time in Wheaton stand out?
Well, more of the memories are about what a great place it was to grow up in. I have a lot of fond memories and friends. When I got into coaching and recruiting, I got to see a lot of communities and you realize how fortunate you were to have been raised in a place like Wheaton.
Do you ever have time to make it back to this area?
Usually in the summer, we get there for 10 days or two weeks. If you are fortunate to play in a bowl game, you can’t get there for Christmas and the last four years with the Jaguars, we were still playing. It is easier in the summer. My last job in the Midwest was 1999, lately I’ve been further south.
Do certain games over the years stick out more than others?
Well, I think they are all special. Like with Jacksonville in 2007, we beat the Steelers in the first round of the playoffs. No team had ever won twice in Pittsburgh and we did that. I think the further you get in your career, the wins become bigger. But at the same time, along the way, a number of them, like at Eastern Michigan (1993-1999), those were big for us at the time. There are so many and they are all big at the time.
How much are you looking forward to the Fiesta Bowl and going up against Stanford?
I am excited for our players, it is a tremendous ending for them. We have a quarterback and wide receiver who decided to come back and this is something they will never forget. They are on the first OSU team to win an outright Big 12 championship. They are the first team to win 11 games and they have the chance to be the first Cowboys team to win 12. I am happy for these guys and now they get a chance to play a great Stanford team who has also had a great year. Heck, they have only one loss as well.
