Illinois Football: Bret Bielema most likely to cannonball off Jimmy Johnson’s boat

Bret Bielema is now coaching the Illinois football program, but before his stint with the Orange and Blue, he made various stops at other destinations.

Being a coach of a program at the college or professional level enables you to mingle with some of the legends of the coaching profession. Bielema has a long history of coaching, starting in 1994 at Iowa, and is now the current-day Illini head coach. In between, he made stops with Kansas State, Wisconsin, Arkansas, the New England Patriots, and the New York Giants.

All of this coaching experience lets Bielema connect with some of the greats in the game. One of the legends he has had a chance to spend time with is former coaching great, Jimmy Johnson. Johnson is famously known for his stop with the Miami Hurricanes and the Dallas Cowboys, and now he is spending his golden years down in the Florida Keys living the good life.

At his home in the Keys, Johnson tends to have coaches down there to spend time with them on his boat. On a recent episode of the Dan LeBatard Show with Stugotz, Dan LeBatard asked one of his usual hard-hitting questions.

“Who is the coach in the NFL most likely to cannonball off of your boat in the Keys?”

After a hearty laugh and a few seconds of thought, Johnson had the easy answer.

“Well, he’s not in the NFL, um, Bret Bielema. I had him on the boat…I got up in the tower and I said, Bret, do you want to come up in the tower with me? He said, at my weight, I don’t think so.”

Illinois football head coach Bret Bielema can also hold his own when it comes to adult beverages.

In true LeBatard Show fashion, the follow-up question might have been even better than his original question about cannonballing. LeBatard proceeded to ask about who could keep up with Johnson when it came to drinking.

“Who is the coach most likely to go Heineken for Heineken with Jimmy Johnson?”

And without thinking or hesitation, Johnson quickly had an answer.

“Okay, that’s a dead-on Bielema.”

Laughter from Johnson, LeBatard, and the entire Shipping Container ensued. Jimmy wasn’t done elaborating, though.

“And he (Bielema) can hold them too, I promise you that.”

Johnson didn’t put a time stamp on this boat trip with Bielema, but one would assume this was a few years back. Illinois football seems to have a more mellow version of Bielema. But, there is no doubt, Bielema was once the life of the party. As JuJu Gotti would put it, Salute to you, Bret Bielema.