Lane Kiffin, as much an anybody, probably embodies the notion of “failing upward.” In both college football and sports in general. You know what “failing upward” is. For further clarification…look at the CV of George W. Bush. No one embodies “failing upward” more than Bush 43. Brady Hoke seems to fly under the radar on this topic. Instead, everyone talks about his imminent firing. (We’ll get to that in a moment)
But what’s over-looked is that Hoke shouldn’t even have been here in the first place. He wasn’t qualified.
This tweet from Grand Rapids radio personality Len O’Kelly sums up Michigan’s “win” yesterday.
Wait, does Michigan really get a win for that?
— Len O’Kelly (@LenOKelly) November 8, 2014
In case you missed it, here is the recap of the the UGLIEST. GAME. IN. RECENT. B1G. HISTORY.
The opposing quarterback (Northwestern’s Trevor Siemian) fell down on the game’s most critical play, That’s how Michigan got win #5. Maryland looks like a very likely win #6, and that means a bowl game. Yes, believe it or not Brady Hoke could very likely be coaching in a bowl game this year. It’s only because the Big Ten is truly that terrible. Yes, the Big Ten is the worst it’s been in a very, very long time.
So how did Hoke get to where he is today?
First off, Hoke’s being a “Michigan Man” gave him an unfair advantage over other more qualified candidates. Hoke left his assistant coaching position at Michigan in December 2002 (he had been there since 1995) 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 Ball State to a 12–1 record and the first appearance in the Associated Press Top 25 (peaking at No. 12) in school history. That’s the story you’ve been told. In reality, his first four season at BSU were all under .500 and he only turned in two winning seasons in Muncie, IN. Overall, he went 34-38 leading the Cardinals, 27-20 in conference.
In December 2008, Hoke was hired as the head football coach at San Diego State University. (failing upward part 1) He led the 2010 Aztecs to the school’s first nine-win season since 1971 and a victory over Navy in the Poinsettia Bowl. However, his career record at SDSU was 13-12, with a conference record of 7-9. It was failing upward part two as Brady Hoke got the Michigan job that Jim Harbaugh turned down.
In his inaugural season with the Wolverines, Brady Hoke led a team of Rich Rodriguez’s players to an 11–2 mark, taking Michigan to its first BCS Bowl game since the 2006 football season, where Michigan defeated the Virginia Tech Hokies in the Sugar Bowl. It’s been all downhill since.
So while everyone is waiting for Hoke to be sacked, his whole professional life has been one big “coverage sack.” He’s succeeded, but not because it’s deserved. Brady Hoke has embodied the phrase “better to be lucky than good”up to this point. And getting a bowl berth this season, doing it the way that he has, that truly is “failing upward”
Read this excellent piece from MLive about the Brady Hoke contract figures. Basically, they can’t fire him until after the new year. They could likely fire him on January 1, 2015, but it probably won’t be before then. According to Hoke’s contract, signed on March 28, 2011, he will be owed $2 million to buy out the remaining two years (2015, 2016) left on his contract. The second to last year of his deal begins on January 1. Firing him at any time in 2014 would cost that $2 million, plus even more money.
Paul M. Banks owns, operates and very often writes The Sports Bank.net ,which is partners with Fox Sports. Read his features stories in the Chicago Tribune RedEye edition. Listen to him on 1620 The Zone. Follow him on Twitter (@paulmbanks). His work has been featured in hundreds of media outlets including The Washington Post and ESPN 2