Former Wheaton College head football coach J.R. Bishop died Tuesday, June 21. He was 84. In 1982, Bishop was named head coach of the Crusaders' football program. He served as head coach from 1982-1995, retiring as head football coach in 1995 following Wheaton's first NCAA Division III Playoff appearance. He remained on the Wheaton football staff as an offensive coordinator and associate head coach from 1996 until his retirement from coaching at the conclusion of the 2005 season.

"Coach Bishop was everything that is good about Wheaton Athletics," says Wheaton's Athletics Director Mike Schauer. Schauer continues, "He loved his players and had strong relationships with his colleagues. Most importantly he loved Jesus. He took over a Wheaton football program that had won five games total in the previous three years under three different head coaches. By the time he stepped down as head coach in 1995 the team was 10-1 and made the program's first NCAA playoff berth. He was a strong mentor in my life, and I never played a down of football, that was the kind of impact he had. People mattered to Coach Bishop.  He was special and will be missed."

During Bishop's 14 seasons as Wheaton's head coach, he compiled a record of 84-43-1. The personable Bishop turned around a Crusader program that had three different head coaches in the three seasons prior to his arrival. He was named the CCIW Coach of the Year in 1991 and 1995 and was honored as the Regional Coach of the Year by the America Football Coaches Association (AFCA) in 1995. He was inducted into the Wheaton Athletics' Hall of Honor in 2004 and the press box at McCully Stadium was named in his honor in 2005. Coach Bishop was inducted into the Indiana Football Hall of Fame in 2006.

In 1995, his team compiled a 10-1 record, won Wheaton's first CCIW Championship since 1959 and appeared in the NCAA Division III Playoffs for the first time in program history. That team defeated Wittenberg 63-41 in the First Round of the 1995 NCAA Division III Playoffs, Wheaton's first postseason victory on the gridiron.

Under Bishop's guidance, Wheaton led NCAA Division III in passing four times. In his time on the Wheaton coaching staff, 13 players under his tutelage signed professional contracts. Several of his players established Division III records for passing, receiving, and total offense.

"J.R. Bishop brought about a new era of Wheaton Football in plenty of ways - from his notorious and novel passing attack to the Win-Loss column each season," states Wheaton head football coach Jesse Scott. He continues, "The men in blue and orange who had the privilege of calling him "coach," knew Coach Bishop to be a tremendous teacher of the game and a constant source of enthusiasm.  More importantly though, those same men knew just how important Coach Bishop's relationship with Jesus was. It dictated how he coached, mentored, and led for all his years here. Wheaton Football would not be what it is today without the leadership of Coach Bishop."

J.R. Bishop came to Wheaton after a highly successful high school coaching career. He coached at Franklin High School (1962-68) and Lawrence Central High School (1969-78) in Indiana and at Naperville Central High School (1979-81) in Illinois. In 20 seasons as a high school coach, he compiled a record of 126-63-3, including an undefeated season at Lawrence Central in 1974. For many years J.R. conducted the Bishop-Dullaghan Passing Clinic. These camps in the midwest and elsewhere trained thousands of high school football players.

Visitation will be held between 2-6 PM on Sunday, June 26 at Hultgren Funeral Home in Wheaton. The funeral for J.R. Bishop will take place the following day, Monday, June 27, at 11 AM at College Church in Wheaton.