CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP)—John Mackovic is an honest football coach who should be able to dazzle Illinois fans with his pro-style passing attack and charm them with his personality, observers say.

“He is excellent with quarterbacks and he pretty well handled our passing game,” said former boss Tom Landry, coach of the Dallas Cowboys. “He is efficient, hard-working and prepares himself, and will make a good impression in the recruiting area. All that is important to the success of a football team.”

University officials announced Wednesday that Mackovic, 44, would replace Mike White as head coach of the Illini.

Mackovic, whose college and professional coaching career spans more than 20 years, was head coach at Wake Forest from 1978 to 1981.

The Demon Deacons were 8-3 in 1979 and earned a bid to the Tangerine Bowl—the first postseason Wake Forest appearance in 30 years.

“He was a smart guy, a good organizer who knew offensive strategy and quarterbacks,” said Marvin Francis, assistant commissioner of the Atlantic Coast Conference and former sports information director at Wake Forest. “He’s very outgoing—a personable fellow and a good public speaker. He will take care of the alumni … keep the people happy.”

Francis said Mackovic has “a reputation for being very honest—he was clean.”

Illinois officials, who accepted White’s resignation after charges of recruiting violations, said the new coach would have to have a proven record of success and respect for NCAA rules.

Mackovic was a candidate for the Illinois job eight years ago, but Athletic Director Neale Stoner hired White.

“I always dreamed and wondered what it would have been like had I been in Champaign all those years,” said Mackovic. “Now, eight years later, here I am. We have a new chapter to write.”

He left Wake Forest about a year after his unsuccessful bid for the Illini job. He then served a two-year stint as an assistant coach with the Cowboys before being named head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs in 1983.

In his first season, the Chiefs passed for more than 4,000 yards, and in 1986 he led Kansas City to the playoffs for the first time in 14 years.

But after a 10-6 regular season and a loss to the New York Jets in the playoffs, Mackovic was fired by the Chiefs in January 1987.

Team owner Lamar Hunt, who has fired five head coaches since 1974, described Mackovic as “a very fine man,” but said the team lacked the right chemistry.

One decision that seemed to plague him throughout his career in Kansas City was the selection of Penn State quarterback Todd Blackledge in the first round of the 1983 draft. Blackledge never was able to hold onto the Chiefs’ starting job.

Mackovic had passed up quarterbacks Dan Marino, Jim Kelly, Ken O’Brien and Tony Eason.

“Personally, I feel John got a raw deal at Kansas City,” said Mackovic’s former defensive coordinator, Walt Correy.

“John is a good, knowledgeable coach with intelligent offensive schemes and he lets the defensive coordinator handle that aspect of it,” said Correy. “He is a perfectionist with a lot of great ideas.”

A native of Barberton, Ohio, Mackovic was graduated from Wake Forest and began his coaching career as an assistant at Miami of Ohio in 1965.

He later served as an assistant at Barberton High School, Army, San Jose State, Arizona and Purdue, before returning to his alma mater.

As Mackovic left his job at Kansas City, he said he would look into other careers but noted that he had been involved in football most of his life.

“I don’t know if it will be difficult walking away from football,” said Mackovic. “We’re going to find out.”