Contact: Nicholas Osterloo, Director of Athletics Communication, ndosterloo@noctrl.edu
 
Dec. 10, 2025 - Former North Central football coach and Hall of Famer Jeff Thorne passed away Tuesday night after a courageous battle with stomach cancer. Thorne served on the Cardinal coaching staff from 2002 to 2021.
 
While Thorne's accomplishments as a coach are rivaled only by his father, John Thorne, the head football coach for 13 seasons, and long-time friend and current head coach Brad Spencer, Thorne will be remembered most for the profound impact he had on countless student-athletes.

"Jeff was my mentor and friend," said Spencer. "He was a leader on the field, a builder of character, and a source of inspiration for everyone who wore the Cardinal uniform and the coaches who worked by his side. His passion for the game and his commitment to developing All-American teammates, husbands, and fathers will endure as part of his remarkable legacy at North Central."
 
Thorne began his time at North Central as the offensive coordinator in 2002 and was promoted to the position of assistant head coach in 2010. On Jan. 1, 2015, he became the 25th head coach in program history, succeeding his father.
 
The program ascended to even greater heights under Thorne's leadership. The Cardinals captured their first NCAA Division III Football National Championship on Dec. 20, 2019. In six seasons as head coach, Thorne guided North Central to a 65-10 record, including a 46-4 mark in College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) play, and six straight NCAA Division III postseason appearances. His final season in 2021 culminated in a National Championship runner-up finish. 

"Jeff will forever be known as the head football coach who led our Cardinal football program to their first national title," said Abiodun Goke-Pariola, President of North Central. "It was the fulfillment of a dream that he shared with his father, John, who preceded him as head coach. Whether working alongside his father, or leading as head coach, Jeff always won the right way – by putting the student-athlete first, and using the football field as a place where his athletes learned valuable life lessons and formed bonds that would serve them long after their football careers ended. Jeff will be missed, but his Hall of Fame legacy will live on here at North Central College for generations to come."
 
During his tenure, North Central claimed four CCIW titles as head coach and eight more while he served as an assistant. The Cardinals made six straight NCAA Division III postseason appearances from 2016 - 2021.
 
Thorne's players earned 41 All-America awards during his six seasons as head coach and a total of 72 All-America honors from 2002–21, along with 110 All-Region awards and 143 first-team All-CCIW selections.
 
Beyond the wins and accolades, Thorne carried on his father's tradition of "Cardinal Manual Meetings," a character-building initiative designed to help student-athletes grow as men, husbands, fathers, and teammates. His goal as a coach was to develop not just All-American players, but All-American people.
 
"Jeff played a fundamentally important role in the Cardinal Manual meetings," Jim Miller '86, senior director of athletics said. "These meetings were not just about football, but about how you carry yourself as a student-athlete, a teammate, a brother, and a future husband. Jeff spoke about life, not just the X's and O's. It was about becoming better people. That reflects the culture John started, which Jeff inherited and built upon, and which we benefit from today."
 
This fall, Thorne was inducted into the North Central College Athletics Hall of Fame during Homecoming Weekend, joining his father and many Cardinal legends. You can watch his hall of fame speech here.
 
Earlier this season, Thorne was honored with the "Refuse to Lose: Cardinals for a Cure" football game in support of his fight with cancer.

"He lived his life as a faithful servant and devoted man of Christ. I am comforted knowing that he is now resting in the presence of our Savior. My deepest condolences to Joanna and their beautiful family, his siblings, and his parents, all of whom are forever part of the Cardinal football family. And the Cardinals will carry Jeff's relentless "Refuse to Lose" spirit into every snap, every game, and every season," Spencer said.