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Posted on Mon, Jan 30, 2012 : 11:12 a.m.

Michigan's Brady Hoke secures coach of the year award on fourth try

By Kyle Meinke

BRADY-HOKE-MUG.jpg

Brady Hoke

Michigan football coach Brady Hoke missed out on three national coach of the year awards. Not this one.

Hoke has been named the Collegiate Coach of the Year by the Maxwell Football Club, Michigan announced Monday in a news release. He also was a finalist for the Bear Bryant, Eddie Robinson and Liberty Mutual coach of the year awards, but missed on each of them.

He is the third Wolverines coach to win the award, joining Lloyd Carr in 1996 and Bo Schembechler in 1989. He'll be honored March 2 at the Maxwell Club awards ceremony in Atlantic City, N.J.

Hoke guided the Wolverines to an 11-2 record in his first season as coach. They ended a seven-year losing streak to rival Ohio State and captured their second BCS game victory in the Sugar Bowl.

"Coach Hoke has engineered a tremendous turnaround in the Michigan football program in just one year and it was obvious that his team improved each week," Maxwell Football Club executive director Mark Wolpert said in the release.

"It is quite an accomplishment to compile an 11-2 record playing a rigorous Big Ten schedule in his first year at the helm. Coach Hoke has set the tone for a high degree of future success for the Michigan program."

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

azwolverine

Tue, Jan 31, 2012 : 2:25 a.m.

Well deserved, Coach Hoke! 11-2, BCS bowl champion in year one when NO ONE truly expected that. Michigan is back, and Hoke and his staff (and the well-coached players, of course) are the reason for it.

D21

Mon, Jan 30, 2012 : 7:47 p.m.

Congrats Coach Hoke, We know you won't care too much about the individual accolades and you would spread em around amongst your coaching staff and other people. GO BLUE! Just drove up north from Columbus, OH and couldn't help but noticed several car dealerships sprouting up with the signs: Urban Meyer Packard/AMC/Nash 4 Buckeye players...with automated self tattoo booths inside.

D21

Mon, Jan 30, 2012 : 7:52 p.m.

Notice not noticed

umgoblue47

Mon, Jan 30, 2012 : 6:55 p.m.

congratulations coach HOKE!! you are a CLASS ACT!!! GO BLUE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tru2Blu76

Mon, Jan 30, 2012 : 6:22 p.m.

Sorry - glad to see Brady Hoke getting positive recognition whatever the source. But the Maxwell Award is kind of obscure. And I'm not the only one to notice another example of poor headline writing. Coach Hoke DID NOT TRY for any of the 'COTY' awards. The headline - in Standard English- actually says he did and since it was the "fourth try" it makes him look bad. Please, Kyle, don't do this anymore.

jcj

Tue, Jan 31, 2012 : 9:59 p.m.

He also was a finalist for the Bear Bryant, Eddie Robinson and Liberty Mutual coach of the year awards, I suspect more people have heard of the Maxwell awards than these others!

Tru2Blu76

Mon, Jan 30, 2012 : 5:45 p.m.

Recipe: Add one Hoke, one Mattison, one Borges, one Jackson, throw in 110 Wolverines. Stir well during the off season. Instant Michigan Greatness!! Dry Roasted Buckeyes: Remove skins from 110 buckeye nuts to remove unsightly discoloration. Add one urban Meyer. Toss this mixture with: 200 pounds of Wanna Be Like Michigan seasoning mix. Put the buckeye nuts in a pressure cooker for one football season... Watch carefully to ensure the urban Meyer doesn't disintegrate under heat and pressure. Oh heck, the urban Meyer always disintegrates under heat and pressure.

N. Todd

Mon, Jan 30, 2012 : 5:04 p.m.

When I read the title, I thought that I had seen Mike Gundy got the award. After reading the second paragraph, I realized I was correct. Then I thought, "Doesn't (a minimum of) four Coach of the Year awards devalue the honor in a way? I don't follow athletics as closely as I used to, but I don't ever remember hearing of this Maxwell Football Club. Am I wrong for associating the Bear Bryant award with the 'true' COTY? Either way, congratulations to coach Hoke and thanks for helping get the team back on track.

MRunner73

Mon, Jan 30, 2012 : 5:52 p.m.

Agreed. It is confusing as to how many Coach of the Year Awards are out there. Brady Hoke certainly derserves the award. I also did not know such an award existed. I guess we learn something new all the time.

Wally the Wolverine

Mon, Jan 30, 2012 : 5:24 p.m.

N. Todd, you comments mimmick what I was thinking. I guess if there are enough awards, a finalist is bound to pick up an award somewhere along the way. It still doesn't diminish what he's accomplished this past season.

Gary Haller

Mon, Jan 30, 2012 : 4:43 p.m.

To All Of You Meechigan Detractors ~~ You Know who You Are ! Yeah~~ We Were Down For a Minute With The Rich Rod Mess How Ever We Are Back In A Big Way ! Thank You Coach Hoke ! Its Always Brighter In Ann Arbor When U Of M Football Wins ! Its Just Something Sweet I Really Cant Put My Finger On It. When Michigan Wins Its Just Better ! JUST WAIT TILL NEXT SEASON !

7718

Tue, Jan 31, 2012 : 12:31 a.m.

Ufer, the kicker was 1-5. He held a tryout for the student body, what 's wrong with trying to find the best kicker for your team? Many fans said the kicking game stunk...and it did.

uferwasawsome

Tue, Jan 31, 2012 : 12:25 a.m.

7718...you're discounting the athletes (Jr/Sr) that were at Michigan when RR came to town. Wish RR success in Arizona (I hope he does well)...but don't give him any credit for Hokes success this year. If you can't see, hear and feel the deference then you're not looking, hearing or understanding. RR mocked the defense in the media and humiliated our kicker publicly. Just look at those two examples and the deference this year is as obvious as the nose on your face.

7718

Mon, Jan 30, 2012 : 6:20 p.m.

Hoke should have a good season again, many of the "RichRod Mess" recruits will be back again for another season. Don't get me wrong, Hoke did a great job last year but I think too many people are discounting the athletes RichRod brought to Michigan. These players have had a chance to mature as athletes and are now juniors and seniors instead of the freshmen and sophomores that he had available to him. I wish Hoke the best next year and also wish RichRod success at Arizona.

David Briegel

Mon, Jan 30, 2012 : 4:32 p.m.

Congratulations on your well deserved award! And Thank You!