5th Year at Illinois Central College
Alma Maters: Rockford University, University of Wisconsin-Lacrosse
Rob Buss began his tenure as the Director of Athletics at Illinois Central College in January 2021. Under Buss's tenure, the ICC athletic department has won 11 Region 24 Championships spread across six different athletic teams. ICC has also qualified for 12 NJCAA National Tournaments in that span.
Buss has over 23 years' experience in collegiate athletics, 20 of which have been at the NJCAA level. Before coming to ICC, Buss worked 15 years at Kishwaukee Community College in Malta, Illinois, and filled many role: Head Men's Basketball Coach (15 seasons), Wellness Center Director (14 years), Athletic Academic Coordinator (nine years), Head Men's Golf Coach (five years), Adjunct Instructor (14 years), and Coordinator of Athletics (one year).
While at Kishwaukee, Buss was the second-winningest men's basketball coach in school history with 248 career wins. Buss's teams won two of Kishwaukee's three total Region IV Championships in school history (2010, 2015). Buss's 2015 team was the first Kishwaukee team to win the Arrowhead Conference Championship since 1997 and was ranked in the NJCAA National Poll during the entire season, even earning the #1 overall ranking for two weeks.
In Malta, Buss coached 27 All-Arrowhead Conference players, four Arrowhead Conference MVP's, 22 All-Region IV Players, and five NJCAA All-Americans. Buss has also helped 61 former players move on to four-year colleges/universities, and has also had eight former players sign professional basketball contracts.
Prior to Kishwaukee, Buss was the graduate assistant men's basketball coach at the University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse. In his two seasons at UW-L, Buss coached four players to First Team All-WIAC honors, three players to All-West Region honors, and one NCAA All-American. While at UW-L, he also taught courses in the Physical Education department. Buss graduated from UW-L with a master's degree in Sports Administration and also holds a bachelor's degree in Sports Management from Rockford University.
Buss lives in Peoria with his wife, Kristine, and their three children.
Updated 06-15-2025
