Michigan's Brady Hoke edged out for one national coach of the year award, up for another
Brady Hoke is the Big Ten's Coach of the Year.
He is not the national coach of the year, according to the Football Writers Association of America, which on Thursday afternoon named Oklahoma State's Mike Gundy its Eddie Robinson Award winner.
Hoke, one of five finalists for the award, has received national recognition for guiding the Michigan football team to a 10-2 season and Sugar Bowl matchup against Virginia Tech (8:30 p.m., ESPN) in his first season as coach. The Wolverines were 15-22 in the three years that preceded his arrival.
They jumped 100 spots to No. 7 in the country in scoring defense, allowing only 17.2 points per game under Hoke's watch. They also ended a program-worst seven-game losing streak to Ohio State and mined a consensus top-five recruiting class for next year.
The only Michigan coach to win the FWAA's top coach award was Bo Schembechler in 1969, before it was called the Eddie Robinson Award.
Gundy guided Oklahoma State to an 11-1 season and its first outright conference title since 1948. The other finalists were Hoke, LSU's Les Miles, Kansas State's Bill Snyder and Clemson's Dabo Swinney.
Although Hoke was edged by Gundy, he also was named one of 10 finalists for the Paul "Bear" Bryant National Coach of the Year Award on Thursday. That honor is accorded by the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association, and the winner will be announced Jan. 19 in Houston.
The only Michigan coach to win it was Lloyd Carr in 1997, when he led the Wolverines to their most recent national championship.
Kyle Meinke covers Michigan football for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at 734-623-2588, by email at kylemeinke@annarbor.com and followed on Twitter @kmeinke.
Comments
Mick
Fri, Dec 16, 2011 : 6:39 a.m.
Oh hey, weren't we told by Theo himself that all we have to look forward to is Citrus/Capital Bowl Games and nothing more lofty, gee I'm glad he was wrong, I knew he would be anyway, wonder if he's still an M Fan, or AZ now, hmm?
Mick
Fri, Dec 16, 2011 : 6:34 a.m.
Hey Theo's Brother, thanks to you, I have an appreciation for your family, thanks to you specifically. How are the backyard BBQ's? Interesting conversations discussing supposed kings and being "all in", that saying was so lame and never fit IMO. Meanwhile, now we have real coaching and a real good outlook for M Football, Urban in ohio doesn't concern me at all, he might recruit well in the beginning but I don't think he will have that magic he had in FLA, specifically Tebow magic. I think Hoke will dominate him most of the time.
LHCarr
Fri, Dec 16, 2011 : 4:33 a.m.
Gundy is as deserving as anyone. I don't care who wins any of these awards, neither does Hoke, and neither did Bo nor Lloyd when they won them. All that matters, and should matter, to a Michigan coach is playing Michigan Football, winning the B1G, and competing for a national championship, AS A TEAM. We fell somewhat short on the latter two this year, and anything else is secondary. But we did show signs of playing Michigan Football this year and there's plenty more where that came from. The Sugar Bowl is a great honor nonethelsess. We now have a lot to look forward to once again. Thank you, Coach Hoke. GO BLUE!
Theo's Brother
Thu, Dec 15, 2011 : 11:45 p.m.
That was a consolation prize for Gundy. His team had a great season! Hoke definitely deserves a national coach of the year, but one way or another, it doesn't really matter. A trophy or award does no justice to what Hoke has meant to the resurgence of Michigan football. He would brush it off anyway and tell everyone, "We haven't done anything yet. We didn't win the Big Ten"
Theo's Brother
Fri, Dec 16, 2011 : 3 a.m.
I'm sure he will appreciate that! As long as it includes the quarterback snapping it to himself and 10 receivers, he's ALL IN, just like the King!
DonAZ
Fri, Dec 16, 2011 : 2:34 a.m.
Indeed. Gundy did a fine job at OSU. Hats off to him. Say Hi to your brother at this weekend's church get-together at mom's. Tell him I have another offensive play ... it's crazy, man ... crazy. It involves all of section 20 in Michigan Stadium! They're ALL wide-outs!!
Lorain Steelmen
Thu, Dec 15, 2011 : 10:21 p.m.
Ahh shucks..........Don't think Brady will lose a whole lot of sleep over this one. As he likes to say, this is 'all about those 115 kids!', and, this is about, 'team number 132'! I like that about him! This guy has his priorites right, namely, 'The team, the team, the team' It is SO refreshing, that we, at Michigan, don't have to put up with a 'prima donna', like Urban Meyers, or Nick Sabin. I think if you asked him right now, what's on his mind, he'd say, 'we gotta a lot of work to do, to get ready for Va Tech...we're not where we need to be yet! I know this, .......ol' Bo would be very proud, right now! ...........Welcome home Brady, Welcome home!!!
Lorain Steelmen
Fri, Dec 16, 2011 : 2:01 p.m.
DonAz, Yep, Brady WILL recruit a differnt kind of kid. At UM, character WILL count. And that's the way it was for Bo. And iIt'll be that way for Hoke. I personally like that fact that we won't be seeing any thugs, like Gohlstin, playing for the Wolverines.
DonAZ
Fri, Dec 16, 2011 : 2:32 a.m.
Amen, brother ... I'm sure Brady Hoke doesn't care one bit about this award. It is, as you say, all about the 115 kids. He *loves* those kids. Which is why they'll walk through walls for Hoke. I'm tellin' ya ... that deeper message resonates through the ranks of the worthy recruits. I'm not talking about the wishy-washy recruits, nor the thugs ... I'm talking about the under-rated 3-stars and the misunderstood 4-stars. Those are the kids that absolutely cry out for someone like Hoke to shape them ... to forge them into men of character. They'll come to Michigan, and they'll open their hearts and minds to Hoke. And he'll work 'em over, and they'll become football players of reknown. And they'll win. Go Blue. I've been bleeding blue since fall of 1973 (age 14). Go Blue!
heartbreakM
Thu, Dec 15, 2011 : 10:20 p.m.
Agree DVB. OK State had an impressive resume and were really smoking except for one game. You can make any number of arguments why they deserve consideration for championship contention, and their coach did a great job this year.
David Vande Bunte
Thu, Dec 15, 2011 : 10:13 p.m.
I wish Hoke had won it, but I really can't come up with a good reason why he was more deserving than Gundy. Oklahoma State plays the MSU to OU's Michigan. Second fiddle in statewide attention, second fiddle in recruiting battles. Oklahoma State is the Sooners lil' brother. They have always been the firm #2 football program in that state. Their only loss was in double overtime on the road, the day they found out that about the plane crash involving others in the athletic department. They didn't have time to cope with it, and were obviously distracted. Certainly understandable, given the timing. They beat 3 BCS bowl eligible teams in Kansas State, Baylor and Oklahoma, and also beat #24 Texas. These guys played a very tough overall schedule (tougher than Alabama's, BCS voters) and were one play away from being 12-0. That tops even the remarkable turnaround Brady Hoke helped bring about in Ann Arbor.
MRunner73
Sat, Dec 17, 2011 : 6:10 p.m.
DVB; a very good and objective post. Putting my maize and blue glasses aside, I see it your way and am glad that Brady Hoke was in contention on that list.