Brady Hoke

Brady Patrick Hoke (born November 3, 1958) is a former American football coach.

Hoke grew up in Ohio and attended Ball State University, where he played linebacker from 1977 to 1980.

Hoke graduated from Fairmont East High School in Kettering, Ohio, in 1977.

While at Fairmont East, Hoke played linebacker/defensive end and was also on the school's wrestling squad.

His father, John Hoke, played for future Ohio State coach Woody Hayes at Miami University, alongside future Michigan coach Bo Schembechler.

Despite his father's association with Hayes, Hoke recalled that, while he was growing up in Kettering, he was a Michigan fan.

He went on to play football as a linebacker at Ball State University, where he was a four-year letterman from 1977 to 1980.

Hoke helped the 1978 Ball State Cardinals football team win the Mid-American Conference (MAC) championship.

He tallied 99 tackles as a sophomore, 95 as a junior and 150 as a senior.

He was the captain of Ball State's 1980 team and was selected as a second-team All-MAC player.

He began his coaching career in 1982 and held assistant coaching positions at Grand Valley State (1983), Western Michigan (1984–1986), Toledo (1987–1989), Oregon State (1989–1994), and Michigan (1995–2002).

Hoke began his coaching career in 1982 as the defensive coordinator and offensive line coach at Yorktown High School in Yorktown, Indiana.

Hoke began his college coaching career as the defensive line coach at Grand Valley State University in 1983.

The following year, he joined Jack Harbaugh's staff at Western Michigan University.

He was Western Michigan's defensive line coach from 1984 to 1986.

Also on the coaching staff were current Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh, current Ohio State co-defensive coordinator Greg Mattison, and current Washington State offensive analyst Dan Ferrigno.

Hoke next served as the linebackers coach at the University of Toledo from 1987 to 1989.

Hoke served as an assistant coach at Oregon State University from 1989 to 1994 under head coaches Dave Kragthorpe and his successor Jerry Pettibone.

He was the Beavers' defensive line coach in every season except 1990, when coached the inside linebackers.

The Beavers went 4–7–1 and 1–10 in Hoke's first two years in Corvallis, resulting in the firing of Kragthorpe.

Hoke was retained in 1991 by Oregon State's new head coach, Jerry Pettibone.

The Beavers had consecutive one-win seasons in 1991 and 1992 and back-to-back four win seasons in 1993 and 1994.

Despite the team's struggles, Hoke later credited Kragthorpe with teaching him many lessons: "One of the big things coach Pettibone instilled in me was the recruiting process, and the work ethic that it takes to recruit, and the other factors, as far as trying to get a team ready every week, coming off a couple of lean years, and the intenseness of the rivalry with Oregon."

In February 1995, Hoke was hired as an assistant coach at the University of Michigan under head coach Gary Moeller.

He was the defensive end coach in 1995 and 1996 and defensive line coach from 1997 to 2002.

During Hoke's eight years at Michigan, the Wolverines compiled a 75–23 record, went to a bowl game every year and won the national championship in 1997.

While at Michigan, Hoke was assigned to recruit in California.

Hoke left his assistant coaching position at Michigan in December 2002 to become the head football coach at his alma mater, Ball State.

In six years at Ball State, Hoke was credited with turning around the football program.

In May 2002, Michigan head coach Lloyd Carr named Hoke as associate head coach, the only member of the staff with that distinction.

At the time, Hoke told the press, "Every year you learn more and more what the head coach has to do. I'm very honored to represent this school. I grew up a big Michigan fan, and I think it's a place that's special in a lot of ways."

He also served as the head football coach at Ball State (2003–2008) and San Diego State (2009–2010 & 2020–2023)

In his inaugural season with the Wolverines, he led them to an 11–2 record, taking Michigan to their first BCS Bowl game since the 2006 season, where Michigan defeated the Virginia Tech Hokies in the 2012 Sugar Bowl.

In 2008, he led the Ball State football team to a 12–1 record and the first appearance in the Associated Press Top 25 (peaking at No. 12) in school history.

In December 2008, Hoke was hired as the head football coach at San Diego State University.

He led the 2010 San Diego State Aztecs football team to the school's first season with at least nine wins since 1977 and a victory over Navy in the 2010 Poinsettia Bowl.

He was most well known for serving as the head football coach at the University of Michigan from 2011 to 2014.

He returned to Michigan after he was hired as the program's 19th head football coach on January 11, 2011.

On December 2, 2014, Michigan fired Hoke after four seasons.

He was also the interim head coach at the University of Tennessee at the end of the 2017 season.