Indiana's new football coach

[Kodos]

IU will name Hoeppner football coach

By Terry Hutchens
terry.hutchens@indystar.com
December 17, 2004


BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Miami of Ohio football coach Terry Hoeppner will be named the next coach at Indiana University today, sources confirmed.

Hoeppner, 57, who has led Miami to two consecutive bowl bids, reportedly met with his players late Thursday to inform them of his decision. It's unclear whether he will coach the RedHawks in their Dec. 28 Independence Bowl game against Iowa State.

Late Thursday, a spokesperson for the Miami of Ohio athletic department said Miami had not been contacted by IU to talk with Hoeppner about the job. In a press conference at Miami Thursday, Hoeppner was noncommittal when asked about the vacant IU job.

"I'm from Indiana, which is probably why my name has come up," said Hoeppner, who is from Woodburn, outside of Fort Wayne. "I've spent one-third of my life here at Miami, and my roots are pretty deep. I don't know if I could pull them up if I tried."

Still, ever since Gerry DiNardo was fired after three seasons as the IU coach on Dec. 1, it has been believed that Hoeppner would be a good candidate for the job.

Hoeppner's roots run deep in Indiana. He attended Franklin College for his undergraduate and master's degrees, and coached high school football at East Noble in Kendalville and Eastbrook in Marion. He returned to Franklin College for six seasons as the defensive coordinator from 1980-85.

In six seasons as the head coach at Miami of Ohio, Hoeppner has a record of 48-24, including a 21-5 mark the past two seasons. Before that he spent 13 seasons as an assistant coach at Miami.

In 1999, he took over for Randy Walker as the Miami head coach after Walker took the job at Northwestern.



From what I've heard, this is actually a pretty good acquisition for IU. What do you guys think?

[digamma]

I'm very glad you didn't hire Tim Murphy, who was listed as an interviewee earlier this week.

[Klinglerware]

But why would Murphy want to leave Cambridge to get spanked around in the Big 10?

[digamma]

Originally Posted by Klinglerware

But why would Murphy want to leave Cambridge to get spanked around in the Big 10?

To coach in D-IA?

He came to Harvard from Cincinnati, so he has some midwestern ties (though he is a Mass native).

[Klinglerware]

Originally Posted by digamma

To coach in D-IA?

He came to Harvard from Cincinnati, so he has some midwestern ties (though he is a Mass native).

And he did a great job at UC. But going from a div 1-aa program that dominates year in year out, to a div 1-a program where it might be more difficult to compete may be a bit of a risk. I think he's a great coach and I wonder what he would have to gain by going to Indiana if he already has a winning program and a tremendous amount of job security at Harvard--unless it was for a hell of a lot more money.

Of course this is all moot, since Indiana gave it to someone else...

[damnMikeBrown]

"The Cradle of Coaches" spits out another one. At least I'm outta here in another semester.

Oh yeah, anybody need a tallish, semi-literate, enthusiastic sim playing, Finance major?

[cody8200]

Yes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We finally got a coach worth having!!! I'm fricking excited about this. I'm the only guy I have ever met that has went to every home IU footbaLL GAME IN THE LAST 4 YEARS....weve sucked so damn bad. I hope finally we will now be able to turn this around!!!!!!

[Kodos]

I went to every home game when I was there. Of course, that was in the relative "Glory Years" when Mallory was coach and we went to minor bowls most years. 1989-1993.

[Kodos]

More. There's actually a little hope in Hoosier football land!

Indiana hires Miami of Ohio's Hoeppner as football coach

By MICHAEL MAROT, AP Sports Writer
December 17, 2004

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) -- Miami of Ohio's Terry Hoeppner was hired as Indiana's football coach Friday and vowed to take the Hoosiers to the Rose Bowl for the first time since 1968.

Hoeppner, 48-23 in six seasons at Miami, takes over a team with 10 straight losing seasons.

``Can we win here? There is no doubt about it,'' Hoeppner said. ``We're going to build a championship football team here. That is no joke.''

Indiana fired Gerry DiNardo after ending a 3-8 season with a 63-24 loss to rival Purdue. DiNardo went 8-27 in three years.

School president Adam Herbert said he expected Hoeppner to ``reinvigorate'' a football program that's also had a steep decline in attendance recently.

Indiana hasn't had a winning season since going 6-5 in 1994, and crowds averaged about 28,500 this season in 52,000-seat Memorial Stadium -- down from about 35,000 the year before.

Hoeppner, 57, grew up in the northeastern Indiana town of Woodburn and coached high school football in Indiana before starting his college coaching career as defensive coordinator at Franklin College, his alma mater.

He was an assistant at Miami of Ohio for 13 years before becoming head coach in 1999. His 2003 team, led by current Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, went 13-1 and was ranked 10th in the final Associated Press poll.

Miami went 8-4 this year. Hoeppner will coach the RedHawks against Iowa State in the Independence Bowl on Dec. 28.

[hoosierdude]

Depends on the patience of the fans and alumni three years from now. Trouble is , he will probably need 6 to 10 years to do anything , but hard to see an empty stadium at a IU game.

Will he get the time? Doubt it. Will he do better? Only if he can recruit better than the previous 3. Doubt that too.

[Kodos]

Hoosiers get their man in Hoeppner

By Ryan Worden
Date: Dec 17, 2004

The Indiana Hoosiers have a new football coach, after a long 17 day wait for a program without direction. Indiana announced today that Terry Hoeppner would become the next Indiana University head football coach. Hoeppner will replace recently fired coach Gerry DiNardo after three years on the job.

Hoeppner, 57, has spent the last nineteen years at Miami of Ohio, working his way up the coaching ranks to eventually become head coach six years ago. He complied a 48-24 mark, including a 21-5 record during the past two seasons at Miami.

Hoeppner has roots in Indiana, as he grew up just outside of Fort Wayne in Woodburn. He also attended Franklin College for his undergrad and masters degree, and then was their defensive coordinator from 1980-1985. His roots in Indiana and success on the football field are two of the biggest reasons why the Hoosiers wanted Hoeppner.

Indiana defense has been a weakness of the team for the last several years, and Hoeppner will look to improve that weakness. The Hoosiers will have several returning starters for him to work with, and a talented group of redshirt freshmen. The offense will also be a major concern, as the Hoosiers will be looking for a new offensive coordinator after Steve Addazio left to help Urban Meyer down in Florida. There will also be a new quarterback in Bloomington, with Matt LoVechio graduating, but there are plenty of choices for next year’s QB.

Hoeppner will face many challenges as the Hoosiers new head coach, but he will have an upper edge in recruiting already. Hoeppner knows the Midwest very well, and has been successful recruiting in the nation’s heartland for years. He used to compete with Indiana for recruits, now he can tout his new school to the kids. Indiana will honor all the commitments that were made under head coach Gerry DiNardo, and many kids have indicated that Indiana is where they want to spend their college years.

During the press conference to announce the new coach, Indiana University Athletic Director Rick Greenspan made his expectations of the team clear by bringing out a glass bowl with a rose inside of it. Greenspan said, “It was time to add a Hoosier to Indiana football”. He then thanked the committee that helped him find a new coach and introduced Hoeppner.

Hoeppner said that he wants to take IU to the Rose Bowl, and that any goal of less than that is unacceptable. He also spoke of getting students out of the tailgate zone and into the stadium. His intentions are for the team to walk through the tailgate zone before the game and into the stadium. He said the team will also sing the fight song to the student section after wins, in an attempt to get the students out to the game.

He set a series of goals for IU, number one on the list was a 100% graduation rate. The only senior not to graduate under Hoeppner at Miami was QB Ben Rothlisberger who will be completing his degree in the offseason. He also set the goal of being a champion on the field and off, and getting involved in the community.

Hoeppner will coach Miami in their bowl game December 28th against Iowa State in the Independence Bowl. He also said that he will meet with the current Indiana staff before making any decisions, but that he will be bringing some of his staff to ease the learning curve.

In regards to recruiting, Hoeppner will look to hit the trail hard. Letters have already been sent to all Hoosier verbal commitments affirming Indiana’s position with them, and all have been asked to attend. He mentioned that he will hit the road hard on Jan 2nd and have a month to fill in the remaining nine scholarships. When asked what type of recruits he was looking for, Hoeppner responded, “I’m gonna recruit guys with character who can run fast”. The quiet period beings on Sunday, so Hoeppner and the assistant coaches will have a lot of phone calls to make in the next few hours.

He also mentioned that Hoosiers will now have a spread offense with multiple sets. He wants to pressure the opposing defense and control the ball through balance. On defense he will be focusing on stopping the run by crowding the line of scrimmage.

Indiana got their man in Terry Hoeppner, and will look to have their first winning season in over 10 years under their new head coach. Only time will now tell the tail of the Hoosier football program, but things are off to a good start

[Balldog]

Good coach, bad job, bad move. He could have done better had he waited, imo.

[cougarfreak]

Originally Posted by Balldog

Good coach, bad job, bad move. He could have done better had he waited, imo.

He had it better at Miami IMO.

[Poli]

Originally Posted by Kodos

I went to every home game when I was there. Of course, that was in the relative "Glory Years" when Mallory was coach and we went to minor bowls most years. 1989-1993.

Alex Smith and Trent Green days?

[Kodos]

Trent Green/Anthony Thompson days.