Tony Petersen joined the Illinois State coaching staff in January of 2022 and begins his fourth season running the Redbird offense, while mentoring the team's quarterbacks.
The Redbird offense ranked second in the conference and No. 17 in the country in passing offense with 238.1 yards per game in 2024 and was No. 33 in the country in total offense with 402 yards per game. Much of that success was due to the team's efficiency on third down, as the Birds ranked No. 19 in the country in third down conversion percentage at 45.6 and ranked 10th in the country with 303 first downs overall. The offense was led by junior quarterback Tommy Rittenhouse, who earned MVFC Honorable Mention All-Conference honors after he completed 66.4 percent of his passes (259-for-390) for 2,840 yards with 17 touchdown passes while combining to score 25 total touchdowns, with eight scores on the ground to rank second on the team.
The 2023 season saw a resurgence for the Redbirds offense, which featured one of the most prolific attacks in the FCS. Illinois State ranked No. 10 in the country in total offense with 434.4 yards per game and No. 12 in scoring offense with 32.8 points per contest. Much of that success was due to a top 10 efficiency on 3rd and 4th downs, and a strong offensive line that only allowed 7 sacks on the year. The offense was led by All-MVFC First-Team selections Mason King and consensus first-team All-American tight end Camp Grandy, as well as wideout Dan Sobkowicz who fell just short of the 1,000 yard receiving plateau and earned All-MVFC Second Team honors.
Petersen has directed some of the nation's most exciting and prolific offenses during his 30-year college coaching career, serving as an offensive coordinator in the Big Ten, MAC, Conference USA, American and Sun Belt conferences and most recently spent the 2021 season as offensive coordinator at Illinois.
Prior to his time with the Illini, Petersen spent the 2020 season as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Appalachian State, when the Mountaineers finished 9-3 overall with a Myrtle Beach Bowl victory over North Texas on December 21. App State averaged 452 yards in total offense (26th nationally), including 264.9 rushing yards (7th nationally), on the season.
Petersen spent the 2019 season as an offensive analyst at Missouri after three-year stints coordinating successful offenses at Marshall (2010-12), Louisiana Tech (2013-15) and East Carolina (2016-18). In total, he has helped lead his teams to 12 bowl games, seven conference championships and two FCS national championships throughout his coaching career.
A record-setting quarterback himself at Marshall, Petersen went on to coach two different stints at his alma mater from 1991-99 and again from 2010-12. During his first stint, the Thundering Herd qualified for the postseason eight straight times, winning FCS national titles in 1992 and 1996 and Mid-American Conference titles in both 1997 and 1998 after the school moved up to the FBS level.
As a player at Marshall, Petersen was named the 1988 Southern Conference Athlete of the Year and the SoCon Offensive Player of the Year in 1987 after leading the Herd to the Division I-AA national championship game with a school-record 35 touchdown passes. He set 16 SoCon single-season and career standards in passing and total offense to go along with six Marshall single-season school marks before signing with the Minnesota Vikings as a free agent in 1989 and then entering the coaching ranks as a graduate assistant at Kentucky in 1990.
Petersen went to Marshall after a stellar career at San Joaquin Delta College in Stockton, Calif. A native of Lodi, Calif., he was selected by the Kansas City Royals in the Major League Baseball Draft after his first year at Delta.
He earned his bachelor's degree in sports management and marketing in 1990 and master's degree in administration in 1995, both from Marshall. Petersen and his wife, Beth, have three children: Andy, Nikki Nelson and Taylor.
