Randy Oberembt, former head football coach at Knox College and a Knox-Lombard Athletic Hall of Famer, joins WGIL's Jay Redfern to discuss his former player Todd Monken, who was recently named head coach of the NFL’s Cleveland Browns.

Randy details Monken’s unconventional path to Knox — from walk-on at Western Illinois behind Paul Singer, to baseball at College of DuPage, to becoming a record-setting quarterback for the Prairie Fire. He describes the unique two-quarterback system with Bob Monroe, Monken’s toughness (playing through a broken leg), and his standout 1988 season where he led the nation in passing attempts, completions, and yards.

The conversation explores Monken’s deep Illinois coaching family legacy, his exceptional work ethic, schematic innovation, and player development success (including two national championships at Georgia). Randy also offers insights on what Browns fans should know about Monken and why patience will be key in Cleveland.

Watch the full video version of this interview on YouTube: https://youtu.be/OhtetgXiiAk

00:00:00 Intro & Randy’s reaction to the Browns hire

00:01:24 Todd’s path to Knox College

00:02:50 The quarterback derby with Bob Monroe

00:04:44 Todd as a player and teammate

00:05:27 Toughness – playing through a broken leg

00:06:37 Todd’s record-setting 1988 senior season

00:07:25 Early signs of coaching potential

00:08:27 What makes Todd a good coach?

00:10:06 How good were those Knox teams?

00:13:37 Head coaching differences at higher levels

00:16:55 What Todd’s success means for Knox football legacy

00:19:00 Message for Cleveland Browns fans

00:21:42 Closing thoughts

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New Browns Coach Todd Monken: His Former Knox Coach Breaks It Down

Jay Redfern

3 hours ago

Former Knox College coach Randy Oberembt on Todd Monken’s rise to NFL head coach