A longtime fixture at Illinois College, the 2025 campaign will be Ray DeFrisco’s 10th season as the head coach and 20th with the Blueboy football program.
DeFrisco has been immersed in every level of Blueboy football for two decades and is the only person to be a part of every playoff team in school history. His leadership has been instrumental in building a program that is now enjoying the winningest stretch in school history.
Highly respected among his coaching peers for his integrity and loyalty, DeFrisco has worked diligently to instill the culture of FAMILY as the guiding principle for the program's future. The strength of Blueboy Football is bound together by the love and respect each member of the program has for one another. This environment has been built through honest feedback, intentional relationship building, and clarity in every aspect of the program's operation.
The Blueboys are coming off another successful season in 2024 as they posted an 8-2 record. IC led the nation in total offense (589.4 yards per game) and scoring offense (55.4 points per game). Individually, senior wide receiver Collin Brunstein led the nation in receiving yards (1,450) and receiving touchdowns (27). He concluded his career with 77 touchdown catches, making him the NCAA’s all-time leader among all divisions. He was named first-team All-American by The College Football Network and the Associated Press, a second-team selection by the American Football Coaches Association, and a fourth-team pick by d3football.com. Quarterback Destin Chance was a finalist for the Gagliardi Trophy, which goes to the most outstanding football player in NCAA Division III. Brunstein and Chance earned All-Region honors, while 13 Blueboys were named All-Midwest Conference.
DeFrisco’s culture was fully on display throughout the 2023 season as IC posted the most memorable season in the 128-year history of the program. Rolling to a 9-2 overall record and a Midwest Conference championship with an 8-1 league ledger, the Blueboys made an appearance in the NCAA Playoffs for just the second time in school history. En route to the postseason berth, the IC offense obliterated both the school and conference record books by recording 6,147 total yards (558.8 yards per game) and 522 points (47.5 per game), as well as breaking every single season school passing and receiving record.
Individually, IC had three players earn All-American honors in the same season - Brunstein, Chance, and linebacker Charlie Patterson – for the first time ever. Chance was also a semifinalist for the Gagliardi Trophy. For his efforts, DeFrisco was named the conference’s Coach of the Year, and a total of 13 Blueboys earned all-conference honors.
DeFrisco was named IC’s head coach in May of 2016, and the program has been on an upward trajectory ever since.
The 2016 season was one of transition, but one that saw Illinois College win six games and produce seven All-Midwest Conference selections. The 2017 season concluded with a 32-27 win over Macalester College to bring the Blueboys to a 5-5 record, led by seven All-Midwest Conference selections along with the Midwest Conference South Division Newcomer of the Year. In 2018, 10 members of the Illinois College team were named All-MWC South Division selections. Despite having a game removed from their schedule in 2019, IC still produced a six-win season and had two of the top offensive and defensive units in the MWC.
Before becoming the IC head coach, DeFrisco was highly regarded as the Blueboys’ Defensive Coordinator, a position he held from 2008-15. During this time, the school’s defensive record books were rewritten by some of the best players to ever grace the Hilltop. DeFrisco tutored 44 All-Midwest Conference selections along with three Midwest Conference Players of the Year (Ricky Padilla, 2010; Kurt Frischman, 2013; James Dambacher, 2014). The Blueboys' unprecedented team success also began during Coach DeFrisco's time as coordinator, highlighted by the program's first-ever NCAA playoff berth in 2011.
From 2006-2007, DeFrisco served as the special teams coordinator and defensive line coach. The Blueboys led the Midwest Conference in both kickoff and punt returns in 2006 and were in the top half of the league in all other special team categories. Before coming to IC, DeFrisco served as an assistant director of admissions and taught physical education and health, while also getting his start in coaching at St. Patrick’s High School in Chicago. While with the Shamrocks, DeFrisco served as head sophomore coach as well as the defensive coordinator for the varsity team.
DeFrisco earned a Bachelor of Science from North Park in 2002 and his Master’s degree from Ashford in 2010. DeFrisco and his wife, Krista, reside in Jacksonville with their children: Peyton, Aiden, Gemma, and Giovanni.
