When the college football season started, University of Michigan Head Coach Brady Hoke made some very arrogant comments at Big Ten media day. He said “we’re not rebuilding,” and “we’re Michigan” a few times. He proved right, and us media types wrong as he was selected as the Maxwell Football Club Collegiate Coach of the Year for the 2011 season.
Hoke wasn’t the Wolverines first choice, or even the second or third, but the “Michigan Man” was named the 19th head coach in University of Michigan football history on Jan. 11, 2011.
A former assistant coach at U-M (1995-2002), Hoke led the Wolverines to an 11-2 record (6-2 Big Ten) and a quirky, controversial Sugar Bowl victory (which was a quirky, controversial BCS berth to begin with) in just his first season. Hoke had previous head coaching stints at San Diego State from 2009-10, where he earned a 13-12 record, and his alma mater, Ball State, where he went 34-38 from 2003-08. Collectively, Hoke is 58-52 in nine seasons as a head coach.
He wasn’t all that impressive a hire on paper last year, but look at the quick turnaround.
The Big Ten Conference’s coaches voted Hoke as the inaugural recipient of the Hayes-Schembechler Coach of the Year award, while the Big Ten media named him the Dave McClain Coach of the Year. He was also named a finalist for three other national Coach of the Year awards: Bear Bryant, Eddie Robinson and Liberty Mutual.
He is the third Michigan coach to be honored by the Maxwell Football Club joining Lloyd Carr in 1996 and (Bo) Schembechler in 1989.
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