"I wanted to be an auctioneer": Illinois HC Bret Bielema gives sneak peek into humble beginnings before taking up coaching

Legendary coach Brett Bielema has been associated with the football world for almost two decades now, 17 years to be precise. Over the years, where he held different positions spanning from college football to the NFL, Bielema achieved several milestones that appear far-reaching for modern coaches.

It was not an easy path for Bielema personally since he didn't come from a coaching background or have any ancestral support. He was a farmer, helping his dad back in Prophetstown, Illinois. He had never flown on an airplane until his freshman year, when he got to play in the Peach Bowl and get a closer look at a much bigger world.

While speaking to George Wrighster on the "Unafraid" show last week, the Illinois coach shed some light on his humble beginnings. He claimed that coaching was never something he thought of as a career option to pursue.

“I wanted to be an auctioneer Or a veterinarian,” Bielema said on the podcast last Wednesday. [Timestamp - 7:58]

“I literally left the farm when I was going my freshman year, and I thought I would come back and be a farmer for my dad, and when I went to the University of Iowa, which I'm not saying it's New York City, but when I went there, I realized there's a whole world out there. I've never seen it before."

"It really taught me the value of hard work and also just sounds like a simple thing about communication," he added.

"Like my dad would leave my brother, my older brother, Barry, and I would have a lot of responsibilities to run the farm when my dad was away at work, that only happened through effective communication. And you got 2500 things, that's a lot of livestock, and we didn't have days off.”

Bret Bielema opens up about handling young players in the NIL-driven era

The NIL culture has been a headache for a lot of coaches, especially the impact it has on players trying to sneak out via transfer portal in pursuit of better contracts.

Bielema claims the only key to maintaining trust is communication. He claimed it is not fair to generalize while sharing an example of a Canadian player on the team.

He mentioned that the offensive star's only demand during NIL talks was to be able to fly his mom and sister to watch him play. He was soon drafted in the early third round and now plays in the NFL. According to Bielema, things are tough in NIL culture, but navigating through it with open communication is the key.