Jeff Hecklinski
Quarterbacks Coach
12th Year as a Coach
First Year at Arizona
Mackovic turned to an offensive coordinator and a young man he recruited as a player when he was filling an opening for a quarterbacks coach in spring 2003, and brought in Jeff Hecklinski.
Hecklinski, quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator for Central Missouri State in 2001 and 2002, was lured from Ball State where he had just joined Brady Hoke's new staff in January.
Hecklinski offers UA’s staff a modern-day look at the game. He’s not that far removed from his final season at Western Illinois University, in which he completed 61.7 percent of his passes (185-for-300), for 2,150 yards and 11 touchdowns.
Mackovic knew of Hecklinski as a young quarterback in the former’s final years at Illinois. He later signed with Illinois out of Palatine, Ill., High School, redshirted in 1993, then played four games for the Illini while UA’s new offensive coordinator Mike Deal was on the Illinois staff during the 1994 season.
He then transferred to WIU, where in three seasons he passed for 5,980 yards to become then the No. 2 career passing leader in Leathernecks' history, plus earned all-conference honors three years and helped the program make the Division I-AA playoffs in 1996 and 1997. He was team captain his senior season and a Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity brother.
Hecklinski graduated in 1997 with a communications degree from Western Illinois, then played the 1988 season in the Arena Football League for the Albany Firebirds. He moved to the coaching profession as quarterbacks and receivers coach in 1998 at Benedictine University (Ill.).
He joined the staff of Fort Scott (Kan.) Community College from 1999-2000, serving as offensive coordinator, recruiting coordinator and quarterbacks coach. The Greyhounds had winning seasons both years and the school's passing offense was ranked in the top 15 nationally each season. After the two years at Central Missouri State, he was hired to join the Ball State staff as offensive coordinator and recruiting coordinator shortly before accepting the job at UA.
As a senior at Palantine High School, Hecklinski earned USA Today honors as the state’s player of the year. He threw for 5,871 yards and 54 touchdowns during his prep career, with the yardage ranking No. 2 in Illinois history.
Hecklinski is a son-in-law of UA’s new offensive coordinator, Mike Deal. Hecklinski and his wife, the former Tiffany Deal, have one daughter, Riley,
The Hecklinski File
| Full Name: | Jeffry M. Hecklinski |
| Hometown: | Palatine, Ill. |
| High School: | Palatine |
| Recruiting Areas: | Houston, Kansas JCs, Quarterbacks |
| Bowl Experience: | Division I-AA Playoffs, 1996 and 1997. |
