Brady Hoke
Encyclopedia
Brady Hoke is the head football
coach at the University of Michigan
. He is in his first season. He grew up in Ohio and attended Ball State University
where he played linebacker
from 1977 to 1980. He began his coaching career in 1982 and held assistant coaching positions at Grand Valley State (1983), Western Michigan
(1984–1986), Toledo
(1987–1989), Oregon State
(1989–1994) and Michigan (1995–2002). He left Michigan in December 2002 to become the head football coach at his alma mater, Ball State. In six years at Ball State, Hoke was credited with turning around the football program. In 2008, he led the Ball State football team to a 12–1 record and the first appearance in the Associated Press
Top 25 (peaking at No. 12) in school history. In December 2008, Hoke was hired as the head football coach at San Diego State University
. He led the 2010 San Diego State Aztecs football team
to the school's first nine-win season since 1971 and a victory over Navy
in the 2010 Poinsettia Bowl
. Hoke was hired as Michigan's head football coach on January 11, 2011.
in Kettering, Ohio
, in 1977. While at Fairmont East, Hoke played linebacker/defensive end and was also on the school's wrestling squad. His father, John Hoke, played for future Ohio State coach Woody Hayes
at Miami University
, along side future Michigan
coach Bo Schembechler
. Despite his father's association with Hayes, Hoke recalled that, while he was growing up in Kettering, he was a Michigan
fan. He went on to play football as a linebacker at Ball State University
, where he was a four-year letterman from 1977 to 1980. He helped the Ball State Cardinals
win the 1978 MAC championship. He tallied 99 tackles as a sophomore, 95 as a junior and 150 as a senior. He was the captain of Ball State's 1980 team and was selected as a second-team All-MAC player.
in Yorktown, Indiana
.
Hoke began his college coaching career as the defensive line coach at Grand Valley State University
in 1983. The following year, he joined Jack Harbaugh
's staff at Western Michigan University
. He was Western Michigan's defensive line coach from 1984 to 1986. Also on the coaching staff were current Baltimore Ravens
head coach John Harbaugh, current Michigan defensive coordinator Greg Mattison
, and current Michigan special teams coordinator Dan Ferrigno.
Hoke next served as the linebackers coach at the University of Toledo
from 1987 to 1989.
Hoke served as an assistant coach at Oregon State University
from 1989 to 1994 under head coaches Dave Kragthorpe
and his successor Jerry Pettibone
. He was the Beavers
' defensive line coach in every season except 1990, when coached the inside linebackers. The Beavers went 4–7–1 and 1–10 in Hoke's first two years in Corvallis
, resulting in the firing of Kragthorpe. Hoke was retained in 1991 by Oregon State's new head coach, Jerry Pettibone
. The Beavers had consecutive one-win seasons in 1991 and 1992 and back-to-back four win seasons in 1993 and 1994. Despite the team's struggles, Hoke later credited Kragthorpe with teaching him many lessons: "One of the big things coach Pettibone instilled in me was the recruiting process, and the work ethic that it takes to recruit, and the other factors, as far as trying to get a team ready every week, coming off a couple of lean years, and the intenseness of the rivalry with Oregon."
In February 1995, Hoke was hired as an assistant coach at the University of Michigan
under head coach Gary Moeller
. He was the defensive end coach in 1995 and 1996 and defensive line coach from 1997 to 2002. In May 2002, Michigan head coach Lloyd Carr
named Hoke as associate head coach, the only member of the staff with that distinction. At the time, Hoke told the press, "Every year you learn more and more what the head coach has to do. I'm very honored to represent this school. I grew up a big Michigan fan, and I think it's a place that's special in a lot of ways." During Hoke's eight years at Michigan, the Wolverines compiled a 75–23 record, went to a bowl game every year and won the national championship in 1997. While at Michigan, Hoke was assigned to recruit in California. One of the players Hoke recruited to Michigan was Tom Brady
. Hoke recalled: "Tom wasn't the greatest athlete, with those skinny legs, but there was something about him."
Although Hoke was an assistant under head coaches Moeller and Carr at Michigan, Bo Schembechler
remained at Michigan in the early part of Hoke's tenure. Interviewed in 2009, Hoke recalled the example set by Schembechler: "When I was at Michigan, Bo Schembechler's office was five doors down from mine. Having the opportunity to talk with him on a daily basis was something that transferred those values that are most important if you're going to be successful."
, signing a five-year contract at $125,000 per season. Hoke told reporters that the moment he heard the vacancy sign was out at Ball State, he knew he wanted to be the school's next head football coach: "There is no doubt." Hoke added, "It is great to return to the school that enabled me to get an education and play football. I am looking forward to representing a great university with integrity and pride." Michigan's head coach Lloyd Carr praised Hoke: "Brady has done a tremendous job at Michigan. He is a great recruiter. One of the things I try to do is hire people that have the potential to become head coaches. He is goal-oriented and has a great motivation to be the best that he can be."
Hoke took over a Ball State football program that had not had a winning record since 1996. Hoke's teams won only 10 games in his first three seasons as head coach. Hoke began to turn this around in his fourth year as the team finished 5–7 (5–3) in 2006. In 2007, the team improved to 7–5 in the regular season, as sophomore quarterback Nate Davis
passed for 3,376 yards and 27 touchdowns. The 2007 Ball State team nearly upset the Nebraska Cornhuskers
, but a late touchdown gave Nebraska a 41–40 win. The team was invited to play in the International Bowl
in Toronto
, losing to Rutgers, 52–30.
During the 2008 season, Hoke led the Cardinals to the most wins in school history, finishing the regular season with an undefeated record of 12–0. The 2008 season marked the first time the Ball State Cardinals
won a game against a BCS-conference opponent, a 42–20 victory over Indiana
. And in October 2008, Ball State was ranked in the Associated Press
Top 25 for the first time in the school's history. After his team achieved its top 25 ranking, Hoke told the media, "It's flattering obviously, but there's so much season left to play. You have to evaluate the season at the end. We've got a lot of big games ahead of us." The Cardinals were ranked as high as #12 during the 2008 season. After concluding an undefeated regular season, Hoke's 2008 team lost to the Buffalo Bulls
in the 2008 MAC Championship Game
.
Ball State's rise to prominence led to Hoke's December 2008 appearance on the Late Show with David Letterman
where he read a special "Top Ten List" of the "Highlights of the Ball State Cardinals Season," topped by "The Drunk 3 A.M. Coaching Tips from (Ball State alumnus) Letterman."
. Hoke signed a five-year contract with a guaranteed payment of $3,525,000, plus incentives for hitting revenue marks and bowl berths. San Diego State was also required to pay $240,000 to buy out the remaining two years on Hoke's contract at Ball State. At the press conference introducing Hoke as the Aztecs
' new coach, Hoke told reporters, "Number one, this program is going to be a program that's based on toughness. To play football at the Division I level, to compete academically at the Division I level and balance both, you have to be tough-minded. You have to be physically tough and mentally tough."
San Diego State compiled a 2–10 record the year before Hoke arrived. A sports writer for the San Diego Union-Tribune described the challenge facing Hoke: "It's going to be difficult for [Brady Hoke], because with the Aztecs, we're basically talking about a sea change in everything from A to Zed. This isn't Urban Meyer
taking over at Florida, where the cupboard already was full of epicurean delights. State has rotting skeletons in its closet. The Aztecs haven't had a winning season since 1998, just seven since 1980."
Hoke won a reputation for recruiting at San Diego State. His brother Jon Hoke
, an assistant coach in the NFL, noted: "I don't care where it is, whether it's San Diego State or anywhere else, if there's one thing he can do it's recruit. He's as good at it as anybody. He's relentless with recruiting. He has a great feel for parents and a great feel for players. As long as you give him the budget to (recruit) the way it needs to be done, he'll be fine."
In 2009, Hoke led the Aztecs to a record of 4–8. During the 2010 season, Hoke's team improved to 9–4. Two of the Aztecs' losses in 2010 came in close matches against ranked opponents. The Aztecs gave the undefeated, #2 TCU
team its closest game of the regular season, losing by a score of 40–35. Hoke's team also lost a close game against No. 12 Missouri
by a score of 27–24. The team concluded its season with a convincing 35–14 win over Navy
in the 2010 Poinsettia Bowl
.
Prior to the 2010 season, San Diego State had not won nine games in a season since 1971 and had not played in a bowl game since the 1998 team lost in the Las Vegas Bowl
. After the 2010 season, a reporter for the Orange County Register wrote that Hoke had given San Diego State "swagger."
as Michigan's head football coach, Hoke's name was discussed prominently as a replacement along with Jim Harbaugh
and Les Miles
. Fox Sports analyst and Ball State alumnus Jason Whitlock
wrote an impassioned column calling Hoke "the perfect coach for Michigan." Whitlock observed:
Writing in The Detroit News
, Lynn Henning noted: "(Hoke) is straight from the Bo Schembechler-Lloyd Carr schools of football control: Practices are closed. Media are to be kept far behind the moats. His preference is football over just about anything else planet Earth offers. And his players love him. Not because he's soft or cuddly or sympathetic to the tackle they just missed. Rather, it's because they believe in him and the football he coaches."
Hoke had reportedly long considered the head coaching position at Michigan to be his "dream job". San Diego State University president Stephen Weber revealed that when Hoke interviewed for the Aztecs' head coaching position in 2008, Hoke told Weber that he saw the Michigan job as his "ultimate career goal".
On January 11, 2011, Hoke was named the 19th head football coach of the Michigan Wolverines football
team. Michigan athletic director David Brandon
described some of the factors that influenced his selection of Hoke: "The reason I wanted him to be prominent in this process was simply the combination of turning around two programs, being known as a terrific recruiter, and being a defensive-minded coach with a lot of experience. Everybody that I ever talked to just raved about the quality of person he is and how much he loves Michigan." Although many speculated that Hoke had been a third choice behind Harbaugh and Miles, Brandon stated, "The job was never offered to them."
Hoke has placed a renewed emphasis on beating Ohio State
, a rivalry that Hoke claimed was "almost personal". Hoke refuses to refer to Ohio State by name, calling it "that school in Ohio" or simply "Ohio". Though each of the two schools Hoke previously coached at used red as a team color, Hoke wore black or white polo shirts on game days because red reminded him of Ohio State. Hoke has installed clocks inside the locker room that count down to both the Michigan State game and the Ohio State game.
On November 26, Hoke's Wolverines defeated Ohio State in Hoke's first season as the Wolverines' head coach, clinching Michigan's first 10-win season since 2006. Hoke's 2011 team also held Michigan's first winning record in Big Ten conference play since 2007. Michigan's win over Ohio State in the long-standing rivalry was its first since 2003.
Following the 2011 Big Ten Conference football season
, Hoke swept the Big Ten Coach of the Year awards, earning the Hayes-Schembechler Coach of the Year, as selected by conference coaches, and the Dave McClain Coach of the Year, as picked by the media.
, who is the secondary coach of the Chicago Bears
.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
coach at the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
. He is in his first season. He grew up in Ohio and attended Ball State University
Ball State University
Ball State University is a state-run research university located in Muncie, Indiana. It is also known as Ball State or simply BSU.Located on the northwest side of the city, Ball State's campus spans and includes 106 buildings...
where he played linebacker
Linebacker
A linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen...
from 1977 to 1980. He began his coaching career in 1982 and held assistant coaching positions at Grand Valley State (1983), Western Michigan
Western Michigan Broncos football
The Western Michigan Broncos football program represents Western Michigan University in the Football Bowl Subdivision of Division I and the Mid-American Conference . Western Michigan has competed in football since 1906, when they played three games in their inaugural season...
(1984–1986), Toledo
Toledo Rockets football
The Toledo Rockets football team is a college football program in Division I FBS, representing the University of Toledo. The Rockets compete in the Mid-American Conference. Toledo began playing football in 1917, although it did not field teams in 1931, and 1943-1945. Since the inception of the AP...
(1987–1989), Oregon State
Oregon State Beavers football
The Oregon State Beavers football team represents Oregon State University in NCAA Division I-A college football. The team first fielded an organized football team in 1893 and is currently a member of the Pacific-12 Conference. The head coach is Mike Riley, with Danny Langsdorf as the offensive...
(1989–1994) and Michigan (1995–2002). He left Michigan in December 2002 to become the head football coach at his alma mater, Ball State. In six years at Ball State, Hoke was credited with turning around the football program. In 2008, he led the Ball State football team to a 12–1 record and the first appearance in the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
Top 25 (peaking at No. 12) in school history. In December 2008, Hoke was hired as the head football coach at San Diego State University
San Diego State University
San Diego State University , founded in 1897 as San Diego Normal School, is the largest and oldest higher education facility in the greater San Diego area , and is part of the California State University system...
. He led the 2010 San Diego State Aztecs football team
2010 San Diego State Aztecs football team
The 2010 San Diego State Aztecs football team represented San Diego State University in the 2010 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team was coached by second year head coach Brady Hoke and played their home games in Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, California. They are members of the Mountain...
to the school's first nine-win season since 1971 and a victory over Navy
2010 Navy Midshipmen football team
The 2010 Navy Midshipmen football team represented the United States Naval Academy during the 2010 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Midshipmen, led by third-year head coach Ken Niumatalolo, competed as an Independent and played their home games at the Navy – Marine Corps Memorial...
in the 2010 Poinsettia Bowl
2010 Poinsettia Bowl
The 2010 San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl was the sixth edition of the college football bowl game and was played at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, California. The game was played at 5:00 PM US PST on Thursday, December 23, 2010 and broadcast on ESPN. The game featured Navy against...
. Hoke was hired as Michigan's head football coach on January 11, 2011.
Early years
Hoke graduated from Fairmont East High SchoolFairmont East High School
In 1963, a second campus style high school located in the eastern part of the city of Kettering was opened as Fairmont East High School and the existing school was renamed Fairmont West High School...
in Kettering, Ohio
Kettering, Ohio
As of the census of 2000, there were 57,502 people, 25,657 households, and 15,727 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,077.4 people per square mile . There were 26,936 housing units at an average density of 1,441.6 per square mile...
, in 1977. While at Fairmont East, Hoke played linebacker/defensive end and was also on the school's wrestling squad. His father, John Hoke, played for future Ohio State coach Woody Hayes
Woody Hayes
Wayne Woodrow "Woody" Hayes was an American football player and coach. He served as the head coach at Denison University , Miami University , and Ohio State University , compiling a career college football record of 238–72–10.During his 28 seasons as the head coach of the Ohio...
at Miami University
Miami RedHawks football
The Miami University RedHawks, known as the Miami Redskins before 1996, are a NCAA Division I FBS college football program that competes in the Mid-American Conference...
, along side future Michigan
Michigan Wolverines football
The Michigan Wolverines football program represents the University of Michigan in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. Michigan has the most all-time wins and the highest winning percentage in college football history...
coach Bo Schembechler
Bo Schembechler
Glenn Edward "Bo" Schembechler, Jr. was an American football player, coach, and athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach at Miami University from 1963 to 1968 and at the University of Michigan from 1969 to 1989, compiling a career record of 234–65–8...
. Despite his father's association with Hayes, Hoke recalled that, while he was growing up in Kettering, he was a Michigan
Michigan Wolverines football
The Michigan Wolverines football program represents the University of Michigan in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. Michigan has the most all-time wins and the highest winning percentage in college football history...
fan. He went on to play football as a linebacker at Ball State University
Ball State University
Ball State University is a state-run research university located in Muncie, Indiana. It is also known as Ball State or simply BSU.Located on the northwest side of the city, Ball State's campus spans and includes 106 buildings...
, where he was a four-year letterman from 1977 to 1980. He helped the Ball State Cardinals
Ball State Cardinals
Ball State University's athletic teams are called the Cardinals. The Cardinals are part of the NCAA Mid-American Conference and located in Muncie, Indiana...
win the 1978 MAC championship. He tallied 99 tackles as a sophomore, 95 as a junior and 150 as a senior. He was the captain of Ball State's 1980 team and was selected as a second-team All-MAC player.
Assistant coach
Hoke began his coaching career in 1982 as the defensive coordinator and offensive line coach at Yorktown High SchoolYorktown High School (Yorktown, Indiana)
Yorktown High School is a high school located in Yorktown, Indiana, USA. It is managed by the Yorktown Community School Corporation.The school was one of the six 'Head of Class' selections by the Indiana Chamber Of Commerce, for 2005, for their exemplary efforts...
in Yorktown, Indiana
Yorktown, Indiana
Yorktown is a town in Mount Pleasant Township, Delaware County, Indiana, United States. The population was 9,405 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Muncie, IN Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
.
Hoke began his college coaching career as the defensive line coach at Grand Valley State University
Grand Valley State University
Grand Valley State University is a public liberal arts university located in Allendale, Michigan, United States. The university was established in 1960, and its main campus is situated on approximately west of Grand Rapids...
in 1983. The following year, he joined Jack Harbaugh
Jack Harbaugh
Jack Harbaugh is a former college football player and coach, and the father of NFL coaches Jim and John Harbaugh.-Playing career:...
's staff at Western Michigan University
Western Michigan University
Western Michigan University is a public university located in Kalamazoo, Michigan, United States. The university was established in 1903 by Dwight B. Waldo, and as of the Fall 2010 semester, its enrollment is 25,045....
. He was Western Michigan's defensive line coach from 1984 to 1986. Also on the coaching staff were current Baltimore Ravens
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional football franchise based in Baltimore, Maryland.The Baltimore Ravens are officially a quasi-expansion franchise, having originated in 1995 with the Cleveland Browns relocation controversy after Art Modell, then owner of the Cleveland Browns, announced his...
head coach John Harbaugh, current Michigan defensive coordinator Greg Mattison
Greg Mattison
Greg Mattison is an American football coach and former player in the United States. He is the current defensive coordinator for the University of Michigan football team....
, and current Michigan special teams coordinator Dan Ferrigno.
Hoke next served as the linebackers coach at the University of Toledo
University of Toledo
The University of Toledo is a public university in Toledo, Ohio, United States. The Carnegie Foundation classified the university as "Doctoral/Research Extensive."-National recognition:...
from 1987 to 1989.
Hoke served as an assistant coach at Oregon State University
Oregon State University
Oregon State University is a coeducational, public research university located in Corvallis, Oregon, United States. The university offers undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees and a multitude of research opportunities. There are more than 200 academic degree programs offered through the...
from 1989 to 1994 under head coaches Dave Kragthorpe
Dave Kragthorpe
Dave Kragthorpe is a former American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at South Dakota State University in 1969, at Idaho State University from 1980 to 1982, and at Oregon State University from 1985 to 1990, compiling a career college football record of...
and his successor Jerry Pettibone
Jerry Pettibone
Jerry Pettibone is a former American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at Northern Illinois University from 1985 to 1990 and at Oregon State University from 1991 to 1996, compiling a career college football record of 46–84–2.-Early life:Pettibone's...
. He was the Beavers
Oregon State Beavers football
The Oregon State Beavers football team represents Oregon State University in NCAA Division I-A college football. The team first fielded an organized football team in 1893 and is currently a member of the Pacific-12 Conference. The head coach is Mike Riley, with Danny Langsdorf as the offensive...
' defensive line coach in every season except 1990, when coached the inside linebackers. The Beavers went 4–7–1 and 1–10 in Hoke's first two years in Corvallis
Corvallis, Oregon
Corvallis is a city located in central western Oregon, United States. It is the county seat of Benton County and the principal city of the Corvallis, Oregon Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Benton County. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 54,462....
, resulting in the firing of Kragthorpe. Hoke was retained in 1991 by Oregon State's new head coach, Jerry Pettibone
Jerry Pettibone
Jerry Pettibone is a former American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at Northern Illinois University from 1985 to 1990 and at Oregon State University from 1991 to 1996, compiling a career college football record of 46–84–2.-Early life:Pettibone's...
. The Beavers had consecutive one-win seasons in 1991 and 1992 and back-to-back four win seasons in 1993 and 1994. Despite the team's struggles, Hoke later credited Kragthorpe with teaching him many lessons: "One of the big things coach Pettibone instilled in me was the recruiting process, and the work ethic that it takes to recruit, and the other factors, as far as trying to get a team ready every week, coming off a couple of lean years, and the intenseness of the rivalry with Oregon."
In February 1995, Hoke was hired as an assistant coach at the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
under head coach Gary Moeller
Gary Moeller
Gary O. Moeller is an American football coach best known for being head coach at the University of Michigan from 1990 to 1994. During his five seasons at Michigan, he won 44 games, lost 13 and tied 3 for a winning percentage of .758...
. He was the defensive end coach in 1995 and 1996 and defensive line coach from 1997 to 2002. In May 2002, Michigan head coach Lloyd Carr
Lloyd Carr
Lloyd H. Carr is a former American football player and coach. He served as the head coach at the University of Michigan from 1995 through the 2007 season. Under Carr, the Wolverines compiled a record of 122–40 and won or shared five Big Ten Conference titles...
named Hoke as associate head coach, the only member of the staff with that distinction. At the time, Hoke told the press, "Every year you learn more and more what the head coach has to do. I'm very honored to represent this school. I grew up a big Michigan fan, and I think it's a place that's special in a lot of ways." During Hoke's eight years at Michigan, the Wolverines compiled a 75–23 record, went to a bowl game every year and won the national championship in 1997. While at Michigan, Hoke was assigned to recruit in California. One of the players Hoke recruited to Michigan was Tom Brady
Tom Brady
Thomas Edward Patrick "Tom" Brady, Jr. is an American football quarterback for the New England Patriots of the National Football League . After playing college football at Michigan, Brady was drafted by the Patriots in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft.He has played in four Super Bowls,...
. Hoke recalled: "Tom wasn't the greatest athlete, with those skinny legs, but there was something about him."
Although Hoke was an assistant under head coaches Moeller and Carr at Michigan, Bo Schembechler
Bo Schembechler
Glenn Edward "Bo" Schembechler, Jr. was an American football player, coach, and athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach at Miami University from 1963 to 1968 and at the University of Michigan from 1969 to 1989, compiling a career record of 234–65–8...
remained at Michigan in the early part of Hoke's tenure. Interviewed in 2009, Hoke recalled the example set by Schembechler: "When I was at Michigan, Bo Schembechler's office was five doors down from mine. Having the opportunity to talk with him on a daily basis was something that transferred those values that are most important if you're going to be successful."
Ball State
In December 2002, Hoke was hired as the 14th head football coach at his alma mater, Ball State UniversityBall State University
Ball State University is a state-run research university located in Muncie, Indiana. It is also known as Ball State or simply BSU.Located on the northwest side of the city, Ball State's campus spans and includes 106 buildings...
, signing a five-year contract at $125,000 per season. Hoke told reporters that the moment he heard the vacancy sign was out at Ball State, he knew he wanted to be the school's next head football coach: "There is no doubt." Hoke added, "It is great to return to the school that enabled me to get an education and play football. I am looking forward to representing a great university with integrity and pride." Michigan's head coach Lloyd Carr praised Hoke: "Brady has done a tremendous job at Michigan. He is a great recruiter. One of the things I try to do is hire people that have the potential to become head coaches. He is goal-oriented and has a great motivation to be the best that he can be."
Hoke took over a Ball State football program that had not had a winning record since 1996. Hoke's teams won only 10 games in his first three seasons as head coach. Hoke began to turn this around in his fourth year as the team finished 5–7 (5–3) in 2006. In 2007, the team improved to 7–5 in the regular season, as sophomore quarterback Nate Davis
Nate Davis (quarterback)
Nate Charles Davis is an American football quarterback with the Kansas City Command of the Arena Football League. He was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the fifth round of the 2009 NFL draft...
passed for 3,376 yards and 27 touchdowns. The 2007 Ball State team nearly upset the Nebraska Cornhuskers
2007 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team
The 2007 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team represented the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in the 2007 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team was coached by Bill Callahan and played their home games at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Nebraska....
, but a late touchdown gave Nebraska a 41–40 win. The team was invited to play in the International Bowl
International Bowl
The International Bowl was a National Collegiate Athletic Association collegiate American football bowl game played in Toronto from 2007 through 2010...
in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, losing to Rutgers, 52–30.
During the 2008 season, Hoke led the Cardinals to the most wins in school history, finishing the regular season with an undefeated record of 12–0. The 2008 season marked the first time the Ball State Cardinals
Ball State Cardinals
Ball State University's athletic teams are called the Cardinals. The Cardinals are part of the NCAA Mid-American Conference and located in Muncie, Indiana...
won a game against a BCS-conference opponent, a 42–20 victory over Indiana
Indiana Hoosiers football
The Indiana Hoosiers football program represents Indiana University Bloomington in NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision college football and in the Big Ten Conference.-Bowl games:...
. And in October 2008, Ball State was ranked in the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
Top 25 for the first time in the school's history. After his team achieved its top 25 ranking, Hoke told the media, "It's flattering obviously, but there's so much season left to play. You have to evaluate the season at the end. We've got a lot of big games ahead of us." The Cardinals were ranked as high as #12 during the 2008 season. After concluding an undefeated regular season, Hoke's 2008 team lost to the Buffalo Bulls
Buffalo Bulls
The Buffalo Bulls are the athletic teams representing the University at Buffalo in intercollegiate athletics. The Bulls currently play in Division I , and are a member of the Mid-American Conference for all sports except women's rowing who is in the Cononial Athletic Assocition . They have been a...
in the 2008 MAC Championship Game
2008 MAC Championship Game
The 2008 Marathon MAC Championship Game was played on December 5, 2008 at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan. The game featured the winner of each division of the Mid-American Conference. The game featured the Ball State Cardinals, of the West Division, and the Buffalo Bulls, of the East Division...
.
Ball State's rise to prominence led to Hoke's December 2008 appearance on the Late Show with David Letterman
Late Show with David Letterman
Late Show with David Letterman is a U.S. late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and is produced by Letterman's production company, Worldwide Pants Incorporated. The show's music director and band-leader of the house band, the CBS Orchestra, is...
where he read a special "Top Ten List" of the "Highlights of the Ball State Cardinals Season," topped by "The Drunk 3 A.M. Coaching Tips from (Ball State alumnus) Letterman."
San Diego State
In December 2008, Hoke was hired as the 17th head football coach at San Diego State UniversitySan Diego State University
San Diego State University , founded in 1897 as San Diego Normal School, is the largest and oldest higher education facility in the greater San Diego area , and is part of the California State University system...
. Hoke signed a five-year contract with a guaranteed payment of $3,525,000, plus incentives for hitting revenue marks and bowl berths. San Diego State was also required to pay $240,000 to buy out the remaining two years on Hoke's contract at Ball State. At the press conference introducing Hoke as the Aztecs
San Diego State Aztecs football
The San Diego State football team represents the San Diego State Aztecs in college football. The Aztecs, a Division I FBS team and a member of the Mountain West Conference, play their home games at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, California. The field is natural grass and has a maximum capacity of...
' new coach, Hoke told reporters, "Number one, this program is going to be a program that's based on toughness. To play football at the Division I level, to compete academically at the Division I level and balance both, you have to be tough-minded. You have to be physically tough and mentally tough."
San Diego State compiled a 2–10 record the year before Hoke arrived. A sports writer for the San Diego Union-Tribune described the challenge facing Hoke: "It's going to be difficult for [Brady Hoke], because with the Aztecs, we're basically talking about a sea change in everything from A to Zed. This isn't Urban Meyer
Urban Meyer
Urban Frank Meyer, III is an American football coach and former player. He is head football coach at Ohio State University, having been hired for the position in November 2011...
taking over at Florida, where the cupboard already was full of epicurean delights. State has rotting skeletons in its closet. The Aztecs haven't had a winning season since 1998, just seven since 1980."
Hoke won a reputation for recruiting at San Diego State. His brother Jon Hoke
Jon Hoke
Jon Hoke is currently the defensive backs coach for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League.-Playing career:...
, an assistant coach in the NFL, noted: "I don't care where it is, whether it's San Diego State or anywhere else, if there's one thing he can do it's recruit. He's as good at it as anybody. He's relentless with recruiting. He has a great feel for parents and a great feel for players. As long as you give him the budget to (recruit) the way it needs to be done, he'll be fine."
In 2009, Hoke led the Aztecs to a record of 4–8. During the 2010 season, Hoke's team improved to 9–4. Two of the Aztecs' losses in 2010 came in close matches against ranked opponents. The Aztecs gave the undefeated, #2 TCU
2010 TCU Horned Frogs football team
The 2010 TCU Horned Frogs football team represented Texas Christian University in the 2010 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team was coached by tenth year head coach Gary Patterson and played its home games at Amon G. Carter Stadium in Fort Worth, Texas...
team its closest game of the regular season, losing by a score of 40–35. Hoke's team also lost a close game against No. 12 Missouri
2010 Missouri Tigers football team
The 2010 Missouri Tigers football team, in their 121st season, represented the University of Missouri in college football's 2010 season. The team was coached by Gary Pinkel, who returned for his tenth season with Mizzou, and played their home games at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. The team...
by a score of 27–24. The team concluded its season with a convincing 35–14 win over Navy
2010 Navy Midshipmen football team
The 2010 Navy Midshipmen football team represented the United States Naval Academy during the 2010 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Midshipmen, led by third-year head coach Ken Niumatalolo, competed as an Independent and played their home games at the Navy – Marine Corps Memorial...
in the 2010 Poinsettia Bowl
2010 Poinsettia Bowl
The 2010 San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl was the sixth edition of the college football bowl game and was played at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, California. The game was played at 5:00 PM US PST on Thursday, December 23, 2010 and broadcast on ESPN. The game featured Navy against...
.
Prior to the 2010 season, San Diego State had not won nine games in a season since 1971 and had not played in a bowl game since the 1998 team lost in the Las Vegas Bowl
Las Vegas Bowl
The Maaco Bowl Las Vegas is an NCAA-sanctioned Division I-A post-season college football bowl game that has been played annually at 40,000-seat Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. since 1992. From 1992 to 1996, matchups featured the champion teams from the Big West and Mid-American...
. After the 2010 season, a reporter for the Orange County Register wrote that Hoke had given San Diego State "swagger."
Michigan
Following the firing of Rich RodriguezRich Rodriguez
Richard A. "Rich" Rodriguez is an American football coach and former player. He is currently the head football coach at the University of Arizona. Rodriguez previously served as the head football coach at Salem University , Glenville State College , West Virginia University , and the University...
as Michigan's head football coach, Hoke's name was discussed prominently as a replacement along with Jim Harbaugh
Jim Harbaugh
James Joseph "Jim" Harbaugh is an American football coach and former player. He is currently the head coach for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League. Harbaugh agreed to a five-year deal with the San Francisco 49ers on January 7, 2011. Previously, he was the head coach at...
and Les Miles
Les Miles
Leslie Edwin "Les" Miles, nicknamed "The Mad Hatter", is an American college football coach and the current head coach of the Louisiana State University football team. Prior to holding that position, he was head coach at Oklahoma State...
. Fox Sports analyst and Ball State alumnus Jason Whitlock
Jason Whitlock
Jason Lee Whitlock is a sportswriter for Foxsports.com, as well as a former columnist at the Kansas City Star, AOL Sports writer, contributor to ESPN, and radio personality for WHB and KCSP sports stations in the Kansas City area.-College and sports:Whitlock was an all-state offensive lineman at...
wrote an impassioned column calling Hoke "the perfect coach for Michigan." Whitlock observed:
"Brady Hoke loves hard. He loves his family, his players, his assistant coaches, Ball State football and Michigan football. You think winning 12 games and getting into the BCS conversation is difficult at Stanford? Try doing it at Ball State. ... Jim Harbaugh's 12–1 can't touch Brady Hoke's 12–1. ... Michigan is his destination job. He has no interest in auctioning himself off to the highest bidder. He loves Ann Arbor. He'd crawl on hot, broken glass to work inside Schembechler Hall as the head coach. ... He has an uncanny ability to get kids to believe in him and believe in themselves. He doesn't do it with smooth words. He's not smooth. He does it by being the same genuine person day after day. ... He connects. The kids hang on his words, respond to his tough love and accept his discipline."
Writing in The Detroit News
The Detroit News
The Detroit News is one of the two major newspapers in the U.S. city of Detroit, Michigan. The paper began in 1873, when it rented space in the rival Free Press's building. The News absorbed the Detroit Tribune on February 1, 1919, the Detroit Journal on July 21, 1922, and on November 7, 1960,...
, Lynn Henning noted: "(Hoke) is straight from the Bo Schembechler-Lloyd Carr schools of football control: Practices are closed. Media are to be kept far behind the moats. His preference is football over just about anything else planet Earth offers. And his players love him. Not because he's soft or cuddly or sympathetic to the tackle they just missed. Rather, it's because they believe in him and the football he coaches."
Hoke had reportedly long considered the head coaching position at Michigan to be his "dream job". San Diego State University president Stephen Weber revealed that when Hoke interviewed for the Aztecs' head coaching position in 2008, Hoke told Weber that he saw the Michigan job as his "ultimate career goal".
On January 11, 2011, Hoke was named the 19th head football coach of the Michigan Wolverines football
Michigan Wolverines football
The Michigan Wolverines football program represents the University of Michigan in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. Michigan has the most all-time wins and the highest winning percentage in college football history...
team. Michigan athletic director David Brandon
David Brandon
David A. Brandon is the director of intercollegiate athletics for the University of Michigan. He was formerly chairman of the board, chief executive officer, and manager of Domino's Pizza. He is also a former regent of the University of Michigan. Brandon took over Domino's in March 1999 when...
described some of the factors that influenced his selection of Hoke: "The reason I wanted him to be prominent in this process was simply the combination of turning around two programs, being known as a terrific recruiter, and being a defensive-minded coach with a lot of experience. Everybody that I ever talked to just raved about the quality of person he is and how much he loves Michigan." Although many speculated that Hoke had been a third choice behind Harbaugh and Miles, Brandon stated, "The job was never offered to them."
Hoke has placed a renewed emphasis on beating Ohio State
Ohio State Buckeyes football
The Ohio State Buckeyes football team is an intercollegiate varsity sports team of The Ohio State University. The team is a member of the Big Ten Conference of the NCAA, playing at the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, formerly Division I-A, level. The team nickname is derived from the state...
, a rivalry that Hoke claimed was "almost personal". Hoke refuses to refer to Ohio State by name, calling it "that school in Ohio" or simply "Ohio". Though each of the two schools Hoke previously coached at used red as a team color, Hoke wore black or white polo shirts on game days because red reminded him of Ohio State. Hoke has installed clocks inside the locker room that count down to both the Michigan State game and the Ohio State game.
On November 26, Hoke's Wolverines defeated Ohio State in Hoke's first season as the Wolverines' head coach, clinching Michigan's first 10-win season since 2006. Hoke's 2011 team also held Michigan's first winning record in Big Ten conference play since 2007. Michigan's win over Ohio State in the long-standing rivalry was its first since 2003.
Following the 2011 Big Ten Conference football season
2011 Big Ten Conference football season
The 2011 Big Ten Conference football season is the 116th and current season for the Big Ten. The conference started its season on Saturday, September 3, as each of the conference’s teams began their respective 2011 season of NCAA Division I FBS competition...
, Hoke swept the Big Ten Coach of the Year awards, earning the Hayes-Schembechler Coach of the Year, as selected by conference coaches, and the Dave McClain Coach of the Year, as picked by the media.
Family
Hoke is married to Laura (Homberger) Hoke, who is also a Ball State graduate. Hoke and his wife have a daughter, Kelly, who was born in 1986 and was also a Ball State graduate. Hoke is the younger brother of Jon HokeJon Hoke
Jon Hoke is currently the defensive backs coach for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League.-Playing career:...
, who is the secondary coach of the Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
.