Hoke announces new coaching roles

Submitted by Wolverine Devotee on

EDIT: LINK


ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- University of Michigan head football coach Brady Hoke announced today (Thursday, Feb. 20) the following coaching responsibilities for the defensive staff in 2014:

Greg Mattison - Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers
Curt Mallory - Safeties
Roy Manning - Cornerbacks
Mark Smith - Defensive Line

Additionally, graduate assistants Jerry Milling and Ernie Lawson will work with the linebackers and defensive line, respectively.

"Everyone on the staff and the kids are really excited about these changes," said Hoke, the J. Ira and Nicki Harris Family Head Football Coach. "Greg and I met and felt this was the best for everyone, including him and his ability to coach a position group and run a defense from the middle. When you look at Mark's experience on the defensive line, then being able to split the secondary, where you have five positions and 20-plus guys, and with the way offense and passing has changed in college football, I think it balances our staff on that side of the ball."

Offensive staff responsibilities will remain the same with the addition of offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier.

Doug Nussmeier - Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks
Dan Ferrigno - Special Teams Coordinator/Tight Ends
Darrell Funk - Offensive Line
Jeff Hecklinski - Wide Receivers
Fred Jackson - Running Backs

Graduate assistant Kevin Koger will continue to work with the tight ends, while new offensive graduate assistant Michael Switzer will assist with the offensive line.

MGoBoard
Football

JamieH

February 20th, 2014 at 7:10 PM ^

is such an ego-maniac that they feel that they have to have their name mentioned EVERY time the Michigan head coach is ever talked about in order to get them to donate money, then I question whether their donation is actually worth it.  It makes the university look like a giant sell-out.    Yeah he game them a lot of money.  Good for him.  Michigan has a lot of rich alumni, and a lot of them love football.  You're telling me you coudn't have figured out a way to get donations from people who weren't constantly looking to have their name ego-stroked in the press?  I don't care about the stuff on the locker room--he certainly deserves recognition on the buildings he helped to build and naming buildings after the people who donated money has been standard practice forever.  But including his name in football team press releases is utterly ridiculous.  He has NOTHING to do with this year's football team.

Joined: 09/05/2009

MGoPoints: 28331

nMegoblue

February 20th, 2014 at 7:44 PM ^

Come on, now. There is a difference in how much publicity each position receives and how much the regular public gives a damn about them. It doesnt matter what we think about it but we can at least objectively acknowledge the very real differences between the two situations. The title is awkward at best, and, dare I say...wait for it...Hokey*. 

*my bad, I couldn't resist. I am a weak and terrible random dude on the internet

Joined: 02/05/2014

MGoPoints: 81

snarling wolverine

February 20th, 2014 at 7:55 PM ^

So a coaching position is "sacred" but a professorship isn't?  Really?  That seems backwards.

In any event, this practice is quite common - probably a lot more than you think.  Some here seem to think that the media is going to mention that guy's name everytime Hoke is mentioned.  They're not actually going to.  You're only going to see that title on official U-M releases.

 

 

 

Joined: 12/14/2011

MGoPoints: 98771

nMegoblue

February 22nd, 2014 at 2:18 PM ^

Who said anything about sacred? I personally dont really care about this but I do think its really dumb and unnecessary. Not the endowment part (I dont care what people do with their own money) but rather the appendix to the title part.

When the appendix gets added to the title of a symphony director or university professor, yawn; those positions are ones the general public has virtually zero awareness of so the "look at me and how much money I have" aspect of it is way more low key and the need for the endowment is much more elevated.

When the appendix is added to the title of Athletic Director and Head Coach at a marquee university its a totally different matter. Michigan's Athletic Depertment is very much able to afford whatever salary is needed to fill those position with a high performing individual. The only reasons for universities to do that are to take money off some people who aparrently want very public recognition so as to validate something, I guess.

Why not endow programs that aren't financially self-sufficent such as professorships and symphony directoships? There are plenty of coaching positions that would fit the bill:  cross country, swimming, gymnastics, etc. Endow the scholarships for the athletes in those propgrams. And so on..

Again, I don't care that this happened but I think its dumb, am not impressed, and think it makes the Athletic Department look like some money grubbing clowns. Its an opinion, Sue me.

Joined: 02/05/2014

MGoPoints: 81

Mr Miggle

February 20th, 2014 at 7:58 PM ^

1. The idea that turning down eight figure donations leads to the money being replaced by other donors. LOLOLOL They're still trying just as hard to get donations from those other people.

2. What makes you think these donors are insisting that their names be mentioned in every official press release? Do you have reason to believe the school doesn't do the same thing with every other endowed position? I'm sure you're happier just insulting them than bothering to check that out..

3. What's more likely, that wealthy people are approaching the school with ideas to get their own names in the press or that the school's fundraisers are pitching these ideas to get bigger donations?

 

 

Joined: 10/07/2010

MGoPoints: 47773

JamieH

February 20th, 2014 at 7:51 PM ^

I actually upvoted your post when someone else negged it.  My pissiness is 100% directed at the stupid "J. Ira and Nicki Harris Family head football coach" garbage.  If they want to name every room in the stadium after J. Ira Harris go ahead.  I don't care about buildings or rooms, though I would prefer Michigan Stadium remain unblemished.

Joined: 09/05/2009

MGoPoints: 28331

jmblue

February 20th, 2014 at 7:39 PM ^

If that is your view, you shouldn't be this angry, because endowing coaching positions is becoming commonplace.  As of two years ago, seven of the eight Ivy League schools had endowed their head football coaching positions - and the eighth school, Brown, had been endowed by Joe Paterno but stripped him of the title after the Sandusky scandal.

 

 

 

Joined: 11/07/2008

MGoPoints: 103092

Jonesy

February 20th, 2014 at 7:38 PM ^

This is absolutely ridiculous  and pathetic, that one line made the entire block quote look like it came from an Onion article.  As we all know from the peach bowl -> chick-fil-a presents peach bowl  -> chick-fil-a bowl pretty soon we won't have a head coach we'll have a J. Ira and Nicki Harris walking the sidelines.  This is so trashy, naming every single room after a donor is almost as bad.  "Be right back guys I need to go to the Jones Family bathroom, I hope the Smith Family stall is availabe because I love the feel of the Johnson Family toilet seat and I hear it just got a Jackson Family bidet!"  Things are things, they don't need family names attached to them.

Joined: 03/14/2012

MGoPoints: 10702

maizenbluenc

February 20th, 2014 at 8:33 PM ^

the "Bob Ufer Home Radio Booth sponsored by Regent Andrea Fisher Newman and Frank Newman".

And if I were the Dillon family, I would be embrassed to have my name on the scoreboard/sound booth, or threaten to pull my sponsorship until those two functions got fixed.

Joined: 07/21/2009

MGoPoints: 10630

BayWolves

February 20th, 2014 at 8:36 PM ^

The difference, however, is that you don't see the rooms refered to in their royal titles everytime they are mentioned. 

I'm sure if their is a get together in the Nathan and Catherine Forbes Family Lobby, Brandon doesn't tell the press:

"Hey everybody coming down to Michigan this weekend is going to be led by Madonna in a singalong in the Nathan and Catherine Forbes Family Lobby.  Don't forget, the J. Ira and Nicki Harris Family head Football Coach will be there too after he finishes his interview in the Regent Andrea Fischer Newman and Frank Newman Home Radio Booth.  By the Way, Professor Saxenhouse will be there too."

Joined: 06/21/2011

MGoPoints: 11056

JamieH

February 20th, 2014 at 6:58 PM ^

Other than being unbelievably stupid?  Look, you want to name the locker room after the uber-rich dude, fine.  But naming the HEAD COACHING position after him is just unbelievably dumb.  I don't care if other schools have done idiotic things.  That doesn't mean we have to be idiots to.  Maybe we should paint the guy's face on the field.  That will only cost him another 20 million too.

Joined: 09/05/2009

MGoPoints: 28331

JamieH

February 20th, 2014 at 7:02 PM ^

when MIchigan does stupid crap like this.  Michigan has tons of rich alumni that love football and probably would support it without having a huge ego about it.   Are you telling me Brandon couldn't cobble together donations from alumni to renovate the lockerroom and stadium from alumni who didn't also demand renaming the head coaching position as well?  Of course, knowning Brandon he would have gone ahead and sold the head coaching position to someone else anyway then, because he's shown he'll sell pretty much everything that isn't welded to the ground, including his dignity.

Joined: 09/05/2009

MGoPoints: 28331