North Central College Cardinals

Jeff Thorne joined North Central's coaching staff as the Cardinals' offensive coordinator prior to the 2002 season and was promoted to the position of assistant head coach before the 2010 campaign. On Jan. 1, 2015, he became the 25th head coach in the history of the program.

In five years as the Cardinals' head coach, Thorne has led North Central to a 52-9 record, including a 37-4 record in College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) play and the program's first NCAA Division III national championship in 2019. Click HERE for a year-by-year breakdown of the Cardinals' success against their CCIW counterparts over the past decade.


Click HERE to view the 18 fundamental tenets of the Cardinal Football Program Philosophy, which has served as the backbone of North Central's efforts to produce championship-caliber students, professionals, leaders and family members since 2002.

• 2019 NCAA Division III national championship
• 11 CCIW Championships (2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2016, 2017, 2018)
  • Three during Thorne's tenure as head coach (2016, 2017, 2018)
• 12 appearances in NCAA Division III Football Championship (2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019)
  • Three during Thorne's tenure as head coach (2016, 2017, 2018)
• Four perfect 10-0 regular seasons
  • 2008, 2010, 2013, 2016
• 62 All-America awards
  • 27 during Thorne's tenure as head coach
• 100 All-North Region awards
  • 26 during Thorne's tenure as head coach
• 133 First Team All-CCIW selections
• 16 CCIW Player of the Year Awards
  • 12 Art Keller Offensive Player of the Year Awards
    • Kam Kniss '07, 2004, 2005, 2006; Aaron Fanthorpe '10, 2007, 2008, 2009; Spencer Stanek '13, 2013, Peter Sorenson '15, 2014, Broc Rutter '20, 2016, 2018, 2019, Austin Breunig '18, 2017
  • 4 Don Larson Defensive Player of the Year Awards
    • Lenny Radtke '06, 2004; Matt Wenger '10, 2008, 2010; Shane Dierking '14, 2013
• Two NCAA Division III national leaders in passing efficiency
  • Stanek, 187.0, 2013; Dylan Warden '17, 181.2, 2014
• Offensive units have broken all of North Central's team records and set 50 career, single-season and single-game school records

• D3football.com National Coach of the Year
  • 2019
• American Football Coaches Assocation (AFCA) Region 4 Coach of the Year
  • 2016
• CCIW Bob Reade Coach of the Year
  • 2016
• Finalist, Division III Coordinator of the Year Award
  • 2013

• All-State quarterback at Wheaton Central High School, 1989
• Two-time All-Gateway Conference selection at Eastern Illinois University
  • 1991 (2nd team), 1992 (honorable mention)
• NCAA Division I-AA Preseason All-America at Eastern Illinois, 1993
• Earned bachelor of arts degree (1994) from Eastern Illinois
• Resides in Naperville with wife, Joanna, son Payton, and daughters Noelle and Lauren