Hoke Finalist for National Coach of the Year

Submitted by Raoul on

The Football Writers Association of America announced today the five finalists for the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award. Brady Hoke is one of them, along with: Mike Gundy (Oklahoma State), Les Miles (LSU), Bill Snyder (Kansas State), and Dabo Swinney (Clemson). The winner will be announced December 15.

The press release included this blurb on Hoke:

Brady Hoke, Michigan: Qualifying for a BCS bowl in his first season in Ann Arbor was probably not in Hoke's thoughts when he moved over from San Diego State. His 10-2 Wolverines are headed to the Allstate Sugar Bowl to play Virginia Tech. That, plus beating Ohio State to break a seven-game losing streak to the Buckeyes, makes the former Michigan assistant coach a worthy candidate.

According to the list of all-time winners, Bo is the only Michigan coach to have won the award, having done so in 1969. Lloyd Carr was a finalist in 1997 and 2006.

EDIT: The list of winners also includes the final AP ranking for each coach's team. Only about a half dozen or so times has the award gone to the coach of a team not ranked in the top ten. Of course, a win in the Sugar Bowl should vault Michigan into the top ten.

CLord

December 5th, 2011 at 4:07 PM ^

pet peeve: it's definitely, not definAtely.  not sure where the A got started but it's out of control with this next generation.

as for hoke, well merited to make the list.  guy is a 100% class act.  he evidences his love for michigan by how much he deflects all praise - an indication that merely having the job is all the confirmation he needs.  genuinely love the guy.  love how he handled stonum, osu, denard, the defense, etc., etc.  even if we somehow take a slide for the worst in the next few years (doubtful) i'll be a hoke fan for life.  true michigan man.

gratz to him, he deserves it.

Lampuki22

December 5th, 2011 at 4:10 PM ^

Fat Pacuto is "Ouraged" by this "Travesty"

Kirk Cousins wonders how Hoke could win this award "Sitting on his couch"

Mike Valenti is an asshole.

Sam Webb is so giddy he just pissed himself.

Mark Dantonio didn't see Hoke do anything.

Urban Meyer is unemotional about the announcement.

Drew Sharp doesn't understand the BCS Selection Criteria.

Jim Harbaugh is the best coach in the NFL (and they can have him)

Les Miles is the undefeated and going to the BCS Championship (and LSU can have him)

Pat FItzgerald is the Best Coach for Northwestern (and they can have him)

Ohio hired Urban Liar, the best coach with Ron Zooks talent who never had 1000 year rusher (apparent).  Good for Ohio.

Penn State's holier than though attitidue was a sham and JoPa will be remembered in infamy.  

Rich-Rod is employed and wants to play us (bring it on)

And our chubby lovable, pizza and doughnut eating, touch the players coach was the best damn hire in the Universe.  

 

What a difference a year make.s

 

 

 

Sarasota13

December 5th, 2011 at 4:19 PM ^

but  this honor is well deserved.   He ( and Mattison) not only brought us to a BCS bowl game,  he brought the UM alumni back to the fold,  put together a number one recruiting class and created a positive outlook for Michigan football in the future -  all in less than  a year.

 

Nice Job!

See you in N.O.

Meeeeshigan

December 5th, 2011 at 5:39 PM ^

I became a Brady Hoke fan after watching his introductory press conference. It seems that everything he's done this year has gotten better and better. All he's done is assemble an incredible coaching staff and then let them do their thing, recruited the lights out, coached a great group of players to an outstanding (and possibly slightly overachieving) season, and all the while he's as classy as they come. He constantly absorbs any criticism and deflects praise to his players and staff. Oh, and Michigan's his dream job. Home run hire.

Hope he adds "Coach of the Year" to the list. 

GRFS11

December 5th, 2011 at 5:49 PM ^

wonder if not making a bcs game could come back to hurt k st again in this way, as hoke can claim the same record, about equal expectations as k st, and a better bowl.  though k st is playing in a good bowl too, so who knows.

 

both are deserving, obviously i hope hoke wins.

The Man Down T…

December 5th, 2011 at 9:26 PM ^

during the Notre Dame game.  He had a 4th down and short where most people punt.  I was thinking "at least they'll box them in but I wish they'd just go for it".  Sure enough he went for it and has gone for it on 4th down repeatedly.  I like that kind of aggression in a coach.  When he won 7 games in 8 tries I was full on the wagon.  Nebraska chained me to the thing and OSU made me throw away the key.  I'm full on Hoke-a-mania.

Now, I'm a homer, yes, but if he doesn't win the award, it will be a travesty.  He took a team that was nearly identical to the one the year before.  He turned the defense from a sieve to a college version of the steel curtain and took the offense that was a one trick pony and made it "death from above" personified.   People had us struggling to make a bowl.  Our own people (myself included) were hoping for 7 wins.  He put up 10, was a couple breaks from 11 or even 12.  He's in a BCS game and he's recruited a top 5 class in his first shot.  If that isn't coach of the year, then what the heck is?

Miles is a good coach but he had a great team.  K State is a good team but they were supposed to be decent.  Being here in NC, I can tell you that the Clemson people are shocked that their coach is on it (as am I).  Of that list, Hoke is the top.  At least he should be. Mattison should be assistant of the year too.

UMgradMSUdad

December 6th, 2011 at 7:37 AM ^

i toke a peak @ teh priveous winers http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eddie_Robinson_Coach_of_the_Year

and was kind of surprised that Snyder hadn't won it before.  He might just get the award based on his earlier years at KSU, plus this year.  He is a guy that wins (then usually gets blown out in a bowl game) year in and year out without the level of talent most winning programs have.  Then again, there are a lot of great coaches who have never won the award (and some pretty mediocre ones who have).