CHAMPAIGN – When Mike Small was hired to coach Illini golf, he was considered more of a player than a coach.

The Illinois grad and Danville native teamed up with Steve Stricker to lead the Illini to a Big Ten title in the late 1988, then spent a decade on pro tours, including the PGA Tour. He still had a game that could win some money, yet Small preferred to settle down with a young family. He continued to play to supplement his income and promote his program while also allowing him a breather from Division I athletics. Perhaps it was a unique combination that allowed him to build a program by promoting his experience in “The League,’’ as players in other sports like to say.

It was a recruiting tool that sparked something with young golfers.

But as Small’s teams kept winning, he became known more as a coach than a player, even though he still uses the competitive game as a release while competing for a spot in majors and Champions Tour events. It all started out so innocently at Illinois.

“I had never coached before,’’ Small said. “Ron Guenther said, ‘Here’s your office. Here’s your secretary. Good luck.’ Actually, it was the best thing that ever happened to me. The first seven years, I had no assistant coach. I was the last program in the Big Ten to get an assistant. The first seven years, we laid the foundation. I was doing every aspect of it. That was huge for me: learning the job.’’

At this point, he’s joined a handful of coaches as the most successful coach in this history of Illinois athletics. For sure, his program is the most successful on a campus unable at sustaining long-term success this millennium in other sports.

With football finally gaining some recruiting momentum in coach Lovie Smith’s third year here and basketball’s amazing run of March Madness no-shows, Illini golf is the one real national championship contender.

As a popular T-shirt sold on Green Street says, Golf School.

“It’s flattering to see that,’’ Small said. “It’s nice people say that, but we’re still known as a basketball school.

“This has been a unique 10-year run for northern golf. Nationally, if you average the last eight national championships, we’re No. 1 in the country. I’d hoped for it. You think about it. You never plan on something like that happening. It was pretty outlandish.’’

If you somehow haven’t been paying attention, Illini golf is elite, as Illini-heads like to say. Illinois has qualified for the NCAA tournament in 11 consecutive seasons, and the Illini have advanced to the NCAA finals in each of the past 10 years.

The Illini placed in the top five in each of the previous five seasons, including a runner-up finish in 2013. The Illini are entered in the Columbus Regional later this month. In the process, Small seems as driven as the day he first sat down in his office with that one secretary.

Just don’t ask him to give the rest of DIA pointers on how to do it.

“If I try to figure it out, I might mess it up,’’ Small said. “We recruit a certain type of person, a certain type of player. This has been a dream run. What motivates me is that fear of losing, the fear of it going away. You compete more from that fear of failure than the joy of winning. Athletes say they hate to lose.’’

Besides the longevity of the program’s championship run, it’s hard to decide between what’s been the biggest sign of success for Small and the Illini. Is it the team trophies or the individual titles?

Before Small was hired, Illinois had won seven Big Ten golf championships in school history. The Illini have won nine of the past 10 league championships, including the last four. The Illini were the typical northern golf school.

Then Small began working his magic, blending top instate products with players from warm weather states such as California. Illinois quickly became a destination school for the hot shots who didn’t want to get far from home and guys who wanted to go somewhere else besides the powerhouses on the West Coast or the Sun Belt.

“We’ve gotten breaks along the way,’’ Small said. “I tell people all the time that I’m thankful for unanswered prayers. If I’d gotten every recruit we wanted, we might not be this good.’’

Don’t let him fool you. Small’s program has superstars, and Illinois golfers have won the individual title in the Big Ten championships for eight consecutive years. Luke Guthrie won it back-to-back in 2011 and 2012 to start the run, followed by Thomas Pieters (2013), Charlie Danielson (2014), Nick Hardy (2015), Thomas Detry (2016), Dylan Meyer (2017) and Hardy again earlier this spring.

Consider that Meyer and Hardy have played on four Big Ten title teams and also advanced to the NCAA Final Four in each of their first three seasons here.

Illinois has star power. Pieters, a current PGA Tour pro who has worked his way into contention on Sundays at the majors, won the NCAA title in 2012. The Belgian was the first recruit for Small from outside the U.S., and he’s considered the prototypical golfer for the new age – a long, lean big swinger who can crush it. Two years before Pieters, Scott Langley was a local kid what really put a stamp on the Illini’s rise to becoming a true powerhouse. The little lefty won the NCAA title after leaving suburban St. Louis to join the Illini.

This is a remarkable run, and Small keeps plowing forward. The formula still works. He coaches hard, then he allows himself time to play in the offseason. He’s already won 12 Illinois PGA Championships, qualified for 10 PGA Championships and finished as the top club pro in the major in 2007 and 2011, standing in the championship ceremonies with Tiger Woods and Keegan Bradley.

He’s played in a handful of PGA Champions Tour events and made the cut at the U.S. Senior Open last year. Is it best as a stress reliever for him or a promotional tool for the Illini?

The answer is both.

“As long as I continue to play, it keeps me healthy for this job,’’ he said. “I’ve played in a dozen majors since I’ve been coaching. That’s been a huge God send for coaching. In this job, you can get burnt out. It’s been a lifestyle, but the lifestyle has blended with being a husband, parent and playing six to 10 times a year. That’s been a big asset. I can get away, keep learning and realize how hard this game is.’’

Coaching is a 24/7 lifestyle for Small, but there’s one thing we learned. He returned to campus as a player. He’s now a player/coach.

John Supinie is a columnist for Orangeandbluenews.com. During the day, he’s an Audi Brand Specialist at Green Audi in Springfield. Call or text him at 217-377-1977 if you’re looking for an Audi, Volkswagen, Toyota or preowned car. Ask for the Illini deal.