DECATUR - The right attitude is essential for success on the football field and in life, Illini football coach Ron Zook said.

"Attitude is so important," Zook told a crowd of about 1,000 who attended the Community Leaders Breakfast on Thursday morning. "Attitude isn't simply a state of mind. It's a reflection of what we value. Attitude is more than just saying I can. It's believing that you can…

"It requires believing before seeing, because seeing is based on circumstance. Believing is based on faith."

Zook's message resonated with Illini fans, who packed the Decatur Conference Center and Hotel to hear the coach's thoughts on leadership and coaching.

The breakfast was hosted by the Herald & Review.

Zook in recent years has led the dramatic turnaround of the Illini football squad. The team this past season placed second in the Big Ten and earned a trip to the Rose Bowl.

Zook said it's essential for a group to work as a team, whether it's a football squad or a business.

The football coach said he guards against the temptation to micromanage all aspects of the team.

"We've got a great, great staff, and we let them coach," Zook said. "One of the biggest reasons I believe we were able to have some success is because our players let the coaches coach them.

"Football is a hard game, and sometimes you have to push people further than they can go. You have to make them do things that they don't want to do and they don't think they can do."

Zook credited the Illini football squad for playing as a team.

Not everyone on the team is going to play in the big game, but all are important, Zook said.

"You want to have a team atmosphere?" Zook said. "You've got to have everybody believe they're part of it, and they are in our case.

"The guys who don't play, the guys who help the football team prepare, they're just as and sometimes more important. They're the ones who go out there week in and week out and simulate what the opposing team is going to do."

Perseverance and a competitive spirit also are important.

With a smile, Zook said there were times his dog wouldn't even greet him during his first year as Illini football coach.

Still, Zook persevered.

"Losing just kills me," Zook said.

Zook said if he were a vindictive person, he'd want someone to feel what he feels at 2 or 3 a.m. after a loss on the football field.

"It's just the most awful feeling that there is," Zook said. "But, still, those first two years, there was something in me. I just kept telling my wife, 'If we can just weather the storm, we'll be all right.' "

Ken Smithmier, CEO and president of Decatur Memorial Hospital, said he was impressed with Zook's leadership, even before he came to Illinois.

Zook was fired as football coach for the University of Florida in 2004.

"The reality is in big-time athletics, those things happen," Smithmier said.

But it wasn't the firing that caught Smithmier's attention.

The university made its decision with several games left to play in the season, but Zook chose to stay and coach the rest of the season.

That's a strong indication of Zook's character and commitment, Smithmier said.

Zook said he was proud to complete the season at Florida.

"I told those parents I'd take care of those kids, and I sure wouldn't want somebody running out on my kids," Zook said.

Mike Frazier can be reached at mfrazier@herald-review.com or 421-7985.