Hall of Honor
When J.R. Bishop arrived as Wheaton’s head football coach in 1982, the program had won just five games in the three years before his arrival. J.R used his own unique style to guide the Crusaders to an 84-43-1 record in his 14 seasons as head coach, with Wheaton winning 66 percent of his games. Despite retiring as head coach in 1995, he remained on the coaching staff as associate head coach and offensive coordinator through the 2005 season.
J.R. was named CCIW Coach of the Year in 1991 and 1995 and earned AFCA Regional Coach of the Year honors in 1995 when he directed Wheaton to its first CCIW football title since 1959 and its first-ever NCAA playoff berth. Wheaton was 10-1 that year with a playoff win over Wittenberg.
