Longtime University of Illinois Springfield professor and former University of Illinois football player Jim Klein has been named interim assistant flag football coach, UIS Athletics announced Friday morning.

"Jim has been a valued resource and advisor for UIS athletics for many years," Hermann said. "He has agreed to serve as our primary flag football coach as we complete the head coach search, allowing our program to progress with the many prospective student-athletes that applied since we made the announcement, and to attend upcoming flag football recruiting events hosted by NFL teams, including one in Chicago later this month. Jim brings great insight to the role from his personal experience as a college football player, his work as a professor in counseling and social work, and his great love for UIS and how this institution serves students well. We are fortunate to add his expertise to the athletics staff."

Klein currently serves as chair of the UIS Department of Counseling and Social Work and as the University Ombudsman. He has been a member of the UIS faculty for many years and has worked closely with UIS Athletics in advisory and support roles.

As a student-athlete, Klein lettered in football at the University of Illinois in 1992, 1993, and 1994 as a wide receiver. He gained national notoriety during the 1993 season when he caught a 15-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Johnny Johnson with 34 seconds remaining to lift Illinois to a 24-21 victory at No. 11 Michigan. The win marked the Illini's first victory in Ann Arbor in 27 years.

Klein will help guide the development of the new UIS flag football program while the university continues its national search for a head coach.

In recent NCAA news, Division II approved Proposal No. 2026-1, adding women's flag football to the Emerging Sports for Women program and setting the stage for the creation of NCAA legislation governing the sport.