But Hoke didn’t want to hear the news without his wife at his side, and she was at the neighborhood YMCA getting in her daily swim.
“She has always been there,” he said of the former Laura Homberger, who became his girlfriend when they were seventh-graders at John F. Kennedy Junior High. “When I took the assistant job at Oregon State, we were together. When I got the (assistant) job at Michigan, we were together. When I got the job at Ball State, we were together. And San Diego State, we were together.
“I went and got my little workout in and missed one call from Dave, and then he called two other times. The guy who represents me called, and I said, ‘I’m waiting for Laura.’ ”
Hoke kept texting his wife with emergency-type messages of “911” and “411.” She hurried home and was there when Brandon made the offer. Without even discussing contract terms, Hoke accepted.
“I can tell you we were obviously thrilled because it’s a goal and it’s a special place, but I can remember telling her, ‘It’s time to go to work,’ ” Hoke said.
He’s been working virtually nonstop since that January day, going full-bore with recruiting, reaching out to former players who had been alienated by the previous staff, conducting his first preseason camp this month and indoctrinating the current Wolverines in the Michigan way. He’ll make his coaching debut in the Big House against Western Michigan on Saturday, and there’s no place he’d rather be.
Hoke’s arrival has brought optimism to a proud program looking to regain its former glory. His blue-collar mentality, rapport with players and, above all, the fact that he’s a Michigan Man have led many to believe he’s an ideal pick for the job.
He may be the Maize and Blue version of former Ohio State coach Jim Tressel, who also came along for the Buckeyes at the right time because he was the antithesis of his predecessor. Like Tressel, Hoke first served as an assistant at the school (coaching defense from 1995-2002), has talked reverently about the program’s place among the college football elite and has embraced the Michigan-OSU rivalry in a way that resonates with Wolverine fans.
But while Tressel came across as senatorial for his smooth public speaking and trademark tie and sweater vest, Hoke lacks the same polish. His success in building winners at San Diego State and Ball State shows he knows how to connect with people and motivate his teams, but the former linebacker sometimes dresses just like the players he coaches.
He was working in his office one afternoon last week in a Michigan T-shirt and trunks, no socks and high-top gym shoes he left untied. He may have signed a six-year contract that will average $3.25 million annually — about five times what he made at San Diego State — but Hoke remains as unpretentious as ever.
“What you see is what you get,” Laura Hoke said. “He’s no different if he’s talking to you or a player or the mother of a player. Some people are born that way. Brady is a people person. He’s very natural.”
Respect of players
Hoke’s down-to-earth nature has been a hit with the Wolverines.
“He’s just real. He’s genuine,” said senior running back Michael Shaw, a Trotwood-Madison graduate. “Every time he comes in the meeting room, he demands attention. He demands attention every time he speaks. But it’s also a level of respect that he has for his players. There’s a love he has for his players.”
“I love his personality as far as communicating with his players,” said starting receiver Roy Roundtree, another Trotwood product. “We really take that in and embrace it. A lot of us didn’t have that in high school or in the past experience we’ve had at Michigan. ... When we eat dinner, he’s right there talking to me and asking about my family. You need that from a head coach. That’s how you can get the respect from players.”
Hoke didn’t want any frills when he moved into the office once occupied by his mentor, Lloyd Carr. Hoke’s secretary asked how he wanted it decorated, and he told her to put up pictures of former players.
Photos of Heisman Trophy winner Charles Woodson and other stars adorn the shelves along with three snapshots of his 26-year-old daughter, Kelly. There also are a few mementos from his career. When asked which one meant the most to him, he picked up a mountain-climbing pick that Carr distributed to the 1997 team, which won a share of the national title. The theme that season: Climbing the mountain top.
“I think the world of Coach Carr,” Hoke said while sitting in a wing of his office at Schembechler Hall, overlooking a new indoor practice field. “I learned a lot from Coach Carr about being a head coach and about managing a team and preparing a team, and I always thought he was tremendous in how he handled the daily and weekly grind of a season.”
But Hoke plans to put his own stamp on the Michigan program. One of his trademark moves is to run out of the tunnel with the team in the middle of the pack, intentionally not taking a position at the front.
“That’s for our seniors,” he said. “We will always coach and play — as long as I’m a head football coach, wherever that may be — for our seniors.
“This is all about their senior year. And if I have to lead the team in any shape, then we’re not going to be very good. If seniors can lead your team, then you’ve got a chance to be champions. It’s the old saying, whoever runs the locker room runs the team.”
Experts believe the Wolverines will need more than just senior leadership to return to their dominant ways this season. They haven’t claimed a Big Ten title since 2004 and never won more than seven games in Rodriguez’s three years, going 6-18 in the league.
The Sporting News picks them to finish fifth in the six-team Legends Division.
Recruiting has lagged in recent years, but Hoke is already turning that around. He’s snared five four-star recruits from Ohio and 10 from the state overall, including Northmont’s Kaleb Ringer. UM’s 2012 class is ranked second nationally by Rivals.com.
“Michigan needs Ohio,” Hoke said. “We’ve got great high school football in this state, but the population in the state of Ohio and ... the commitment they have to Ohio high school football is huge.”
As for rebuilding the Wolverines, he said: “I don’t think there’s any secret formula anywhere. But when you’re honest and your players feel that and they know you’re trying to help them, that, to me, is what this is all about.”
Respect for OSU
Although he’s been coaching elsewhere, Hoke has kept track of the OSU rivalry. And he wants his players to realize no other game means more on their schedule. There is a clock in the team’s headquarters that clicks off the days since the last victory over the Buckeyes.
“It’s 2,840,” he said, without looking.
Asked if he counts the Buckeyes’ vacated win from 2010 as a victory, he said, “No. Heck no. No way.”
He’s even added fuel to the rivalry by refusing to call his team’s arch-enemy “Ohio State.” It’s always just “Ohio.” He claimed it’s not meant as a dig at the Buckeyes, although that won’t make it any less offensive to OSU fans.
“It’s probably not to tweak (them) as much as I’ve always just called them that,” he said. “I don’t have a good reason besides I’ve always called them that.
“I’ve got great respect for everything they’ve done and the program they’ve run, and the competitiveness and rivalry is second to none in any sport. It’s fun. In the eight years I was here previously, you never had to worry about the guys that week. They were always going to come to practice and they were going to come understanding about that rivalry.”
Telling the folks
The parents of Brady and Laura Hoke still live in the Dayton area. The families were friends when they were growing up, and Laura’s folks even encouraged Brady to consider dating their daughter one day. The couple wed in 1980.
“Married my best friend,” he said. “Still is my best friend.”
When they learned they were Ann Arbor-bound, they couldn’t call their families right away because Michigan wanted time to inform the team before word leaked out.
“When we could start spreading the news, we called Brady’s mom and dad. And then we ‘Skyped’ my mom and dad, and we both had Michigan jackets on,” Laura said. “That’s how we broke it to them. They were like, ‘What’s going on?’ ”
Laura said she still gets goose bumps thinking about that day. And it’s also caused her to reminisce about Brady’s initial head coaching job at Ball State.
“I remember our first game had about 4,000 people there, but it was the right place for Brady. It was his alma mater,” she said.
She gets the same sense about Michigan. And while there will be about 110,000 fans instead of 4,000 at that first game, she knows she can count on at least one thing remaining unchanged: Hoke himself.
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2125 or dharris@DaytonDaily News.com.
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