The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
Wednesday, January 12, 2011 - 5A
* Defensive end Will Heininger:
"(It's) like this is a new start of
what Michigan always has been:'
From Page 1A
Diego State coach would be the
Wolverines' coach next season.
The room immediately erupt-
ed in a big cheer and a round of
applause.
Brandon told the players how he
had talked to Hoke's former play-
ers and coaches who knew him,
and those who knew Hoke painted
the picture of a good guy, a players'
coach.
"Dave Brandon was sold, and we
are too," junior wide receiver Dar-
ryl Stonum said.
Former Michigan All-American
Steve Hutchinson spoke to Bran-
don during the coaching search
and vouched for Hoke as well.
Hutchinson came to Michigan as
a defensive lineman initially and
Hoke was his position coach for
that short time before he switched
to offensive guard - Hoke was the
defensive line coach at Michigan
from 1995-2002 under Lloyd Carr.
And Hutchinson still stays in con-
tact with Hoke to this day.
"From everything I've heard
about (Hoke), you know, I grew up
watching Charles Woodson and
Steve Hutchinson and Brian Gri-
ese play and all of those guys called
Dave Brandon on their own behalf
and said this is the best coach,"
Heininger said. "Steve Hutchin-
son said this is the best coach he's
ever had - how could I argue with
that?"
Even with the high praise, many
STUDENTS
From Page 1A
However, Vashi added that Hoke
made it clear he truly wants to be
here.
"I think that there's a lot of criti-
cisms and a lot of negativity that
will certainly arise from certain
factions of the campus because he
doesn't have the pedigree, and he
doesn't have the resume that some
of the other candidates have,"
Vashi said. "But I think that one
good thing is he really wanted
to come here, unlike some other
people who might've just been
careerists."
LSA junior Connor Roncaioli
said he was in the Union when
the news hit and the reaction he
observed was largely negative.
"I was at the ballroom at Win-
terfest, and some guy stood up and
announced it," he said. "There was
more booing than cheering."
LSA freshman Nate Snyder
expressed a similar amount of neg-
ativity regarding the University's
new hire.
"There's a new dance called the
Hokey Pokey where you stab your
eyes out," Snyder said.
Less vocal but equally bleak,
LSA junior Bryan Fraley said he
simply didn't want to talk about it.
But some students like Engi-
VIGIL
From Page 1A
a correctional institute near Phoe-
nix, according to the AP.
Mariah Zeisberg, an assistant
professor of political science at the
University, attended the vigil and
read a personal statement to the
group. She said awareness of men-
tal illness is important to prevent-
ing shootings by young people like
Loughner.
"As we are looking at the acces-
sibility of guns, the damage our
words can do to each other and so
on, we also should create aware-
ness and resources and support for
families and individuals who are
struggling with mental illness,"
Zeisberg said.
Yonah Lieberman, co-chair of
the JustDems committee of Col-
lege Democrats, helped organize
the event and led a moment of
silence.
LSA junior Kaitlin Liroff, a
member of the student group
Human Rights Through Educa-
tion, attended the vigil. She said
violence can erode humanity, and
America is "better than that."
"I think that whenever people
get together to do something posi-
tive, the world becomes a better
place," Liroff said. "(The vigil)
might have been small, but I think
it was still meaningful."
LSA junior Elizabeth Hartig, a
member of College Democrats, was
also present at the vigil and also
thought the turnout was impres-
sive considering the weather.
"I think that tragedy shows that
there is some hate in America, but
the response to it is far greater
than the hate," Hartigsaid.
In a Jan. 8 press release, U.S.
Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich.)
of the players didn't know much
about the former San Diego State
and Ball State coach who has a
career record of 47-50.
Koger didn't know much more
about Hoke than where he had
previously coached. And Stonum
admitted he didn't know much,
either, but was eager to meet Hoke
on Tuesday.
"So far we know he's hard-work-
ing, (and) he's all about Michigan
- he's a 'Michigan Man,' " fresh-
man defensive end Jibreel Black
said. "We want somebody to come
in, where the atmosphere won't be
so new to him. He's been in the Big
House so we won't have to intro-
duce that to him. He knows pretty
muchwhat Michigan stands for."
Brandonmadeitclearduringlast
week's press conference announc-
ing Rich Rodriguez's termination
that the coach's successor would
have to have an understanding of
Michigan and the unique challeng-
es theschool presents. Hoke also fit
the bill as the defensive-oriented
coach whom Brandon wanted to
bring in - an attribute that drew
smiles from the defensive players
who emerged after the meeting.
They were also happy that this
time around, unlike when they
heard about Rodriguez's fate, the
players were among the first to
hear about Hoke - instead of the
news breaking long before they
were told.
"It's weird watching stuff on
TV and not really knowing what's
going on," said redshirtsophomore
running back Mike Cox. "And then
all of a sudden being told about
your coach not being here. It's defi-
nitely better (knowing first)."
According to a source with
knowledge of the situation, the play-
ers will meet Hoke sometime before
his scheduled introductory press
conference at1 p.m. tomorrow.
The Wolverines already have a
feeling that the atmosphere around
Schembechler Hall might could
revert back to the pre-Rodriguez
era - when the coaches were prod-
ucts of the building's namesake.
Many in the Michigan commu-
nity thought the former West Vir-
ginia coach just didn't understand
the school's tradition. A common
theme throughout the Michigan
players' reaction was that Hoke
justgotit.
"We're really glad this is all
over," Heininger said. "(It's) like
thisis a new start of what Michigan
always has been. And this is the
kind of coach you want. Dave Bran-
don really did have a process as he
explained in there and he stuck by
it no matter what everybody said.
He wanted the best person for us,
and that's who we got."
Added Stonum: "You're bringing
in a Michigan guy. (When) I was
recruited here I knew all about the
tradition. And all about the win-
ning. And all about everything else
that Michigan has to offer. From
what I hear, (Hoke's) goingto bring
that back."
HOKE
From Page 1A
gan's Jan.1 bowl game, many were
convinced that former Michigan
quarterback Jim Harbaugh -
tapped by many as a prototypical
"Michigan Man" - would spurn
his Stanford team to help return
his declining alma mater to its
glory days.
But when Harbaugh opted to
coach the NFL's San Francisco
49ers, the choice seemed to be
Les Miles, another Michigan
Man who played with Brandon
under former coach Bo Schem-
bechler in the 1970s. After meet-
ing with Brandon on Monday,
Miles quashed any speculation the
next day, announcing his return to
Baton Rouge, La.
With both Harbaugh and Miles
out of the picture, the door opened
for another Michigan Man - Hoke,
who served as the Wolverines'
defensive line coach during the
team's 1997 National Champion-
ship run.
Following the announcement,
Brandon denied that either Har-
baugh or Miles were ever offered
the job.
"The job vias never offered to
them," Brandon said. "We did have
different discussions with them
that were helpful and positive."
The athletic director main-
tained, six days after he cut ties
with Rodriguez, that Hoke was his
first choice.
Rodriguez was criticized
throughout his 15-22 tenure for
not understanding the tradition of
college football's most winningest
program. So when Brandon
announced that Michigan would
undergo its second coaching
search in three years, an under-
standing of the program's history
was naturally one of his criteria.
And with eight years in Ann Arbor
under his belt, Hoke definitively fit
Brandon's requirement.
"Brady Hoke understands
Michigan and he wanted this job
because it has been dream job,"
Brandon told the AP. "We won't
have to teach him the words to'The
Victors,' and I believe our players
will respond to him because I got
100 percent positive feedback from
anybody who played for him here
or since he left Michigan."
Aside from struggling to grasp
Michigan's traditions, Rodriguez's
teams were known for notoriously
bad defense, finishing 108th, 82nd
and 67th in total defense in the
coach's three years at the helm.
So when Brandon was asked
about improving the Wolverines'
defense with a new coach, Bran-
don made his intentions clear.
"Is there a thought of getting
a defensive-minded head coach?
- There's a thought of getting a
defensive-minded everything,"
Brandon said at last week's press
conference. "I want the ball boys
to be defensive-minded."
And with Hoke, the Wolver-
ines will get just that, as the coach
turned San Diego State's 114th-
ranked defense into the nation's
44th-ranked unit in just two years
as the Aztecs' coach.
Much of that may have been
due to his defensive coordina-
tor, Rocky Long, who runs a 3-3-5
defense similar to what former
Michigan defensive coordinator
Greg Robinson ran last season. But
with Long primed to replace Hoke
as Sari Diego State's head coach,
the Wolverines' coordinator posi-
tions are wide open. That includes
the offensive coordinator spot, as
Calvin Magee took the same job at
Pitt this afternoon.
Hoke's coaching pedigree, how-
ever, has been a cause for concern
for some - especially at the advent
of Michigan's coaching search
when Hoke was named as a pos-
sible candidate.
In eight years as head coach of
Ball State and San Diego State,
Hoke finished a modest 47-50,
with a 1-1 record in bowl games.
He also managed just one win
against a ranked team in both of
his previous jobs combined.
The Big Ten will offer Hoke
a serious competition upgrade
from the Mid-American Confer-
ence and the Mountain West, and
an offensive overhaul could be in
store - the Aztecs ran a pro-style
offense, with quarterback Ryan
Lindley accounting for -33 yards
on the ground in 2010.
And with Denard Robinson -
one of the most dangerous running
quarterbacks in NCAA history - at
his disposal, Hoke's approach to
Michigan's offense could be the
talk of the next few weeks, espe-
cially since Robinson has yet to
comment on whether he'd stay in
Ann Arbor without Rodriguez as
coach.
Question marks aside, Hoke
has made it clear all along that -
unlike Harbaugh and Miles - his
career goal was to become head
coach at Michigan. And with
Brandon's hiring of a Michigan
Man, many alumni and current
players have reacted positively to
their new coach.
"This is a new start of what
Michigan always has been," red-
shirt junior defensive end Will
Heininger said last night after a
players' meeting. "And this is the
kind of coach you want. Dave Bran-
don really did have a process as he
explained in there and he stuck by
it no matter what everybody said.
He wanted the best person for us
and that's who we got."
neering freshman Adam Zander
said he was optimistic about the
change.
"It's nice to get hyped about a
new coach," he said.
LSA junior Katy Tylus said Hoke
is a good fit, especially "after the
whole Rich Rod thing."
Two field managers for the
Michigan football team, who asked
to remain anonymous, said they
both supported Rodriguez and
were unhappy with the original
decision to fire him.
"I feel like most people inside
knew how hard everyone was
working, and that they were going
in the right direction," one of the
field managers said. "It's just there
was so much pressure from the
outside that the athletic director
couldn't really afford to keep him
around."
The other field manager said
that while he's willing to accept the
decision, he doesn't know enough
about Hoke to say whether he was
agood choice.
"I know that he was coach of
Ball State and San Diego State, but
as far as the specifics, like, I don't
really know what his philosophy is
and stuff," he said.
The field manager added that a
lot will depend on the staff Hoke
brings with him.
"We don't know yet who he's
bringing along with him. That's
a very underrated part," he said.
"The head coach gets all the glory
and blame, but the assistant coach-
es actually are a very important
part of it."
University alumni said it is cru-
cial for Michigan's fan base to be
supportive-of the Wolverines' new
coach.
University alum Ira Jaffe, who
graduated from the Law School in
1963, said he fully endorses Hoke
and hopes the University gives him
plenty of time to develop a strong
program.
"I'm happy that we have some-
body in place and can concentrate
on recruiting and the positive
things rather than the turmoil,"
Jaffe said. "I think it's the job of
alumni to get behind the new coach
and be patient so we're supportive
rather than destructive."
University alum Joshua Futer-
man, who graduated last month,
also stressed the need for unity.
"Now is the time that Michi-
gan faithful need to rally behind
Brady Hoke - whether they like
him or not," Futerman said. "And
he's a Michigan Man, which people
talk about a lot. I'm going to rally
behind him."
-Daily News Editor Joseph
Lichterman and Daily News
Reporter Jenna Simard
contributed to this report.
AUERBACH
From Page 1A
everything. I want the ball boys
to be defensive minded."
There's alot to like about this
guy, and I'm sure we'll all hear a
lot more about that in the coming
days. But what I like best is that
former Wolverines like this guy.
These are the same big-name
alumni who criticized Michi-
gan after humiliating losses to
Ohio State and Mississippi State.
These are some of the same for-
mer players who didn't show this
kind of support for former coach
Rich Rodriguez throughout his
tenure.
When you're a program like
Michigan and you pride yourself
in producing Michigan Men who
go on to compete in the NFL, it's
clear how important your alumni
network is. You want former play-
ers to effectively act as recruiters.
You want them pumping up the
program when it's down.
You want a guy like Steve
Hutchinson, a member of that
1997 national championship
team, to remain connected and
committed to Michigan. Accord-
ingto current players after their
team meeting Tuesday evening,
Hutchinson had previously called
Brandon to voice support for hir-
ing Hoke.
Maybe that's what the Wolver-
ines need here, as they transition
from the Rodriguez era into the
future.
They need a guy that former
stars support, and a guy that cur-
rent players can get excited about
- and they are. Several players
said they all applauded Brandon's
announcement in their team
meeting. Multiple players gave the
media thumbs up on their way out
of Schembechler Hall, where the
meeting was held.
The next step for the players?
"Everybody (has to) buy in,"
junior linebacker J.B. Fitzger-
ald told the assembled media. "I
think everybody realizes that. You
know, the first time it didn't really
go as well because everybody
wasn't really buying in.... The
chemistry is real good right now.
Everybody's excited, and every-
body's ready to get it started."
Maybe it's not always about a
big-name coach or even a guy with
a career head coaching record over
.500. Maybe alumni support and
players buying in means a lot more
than we originally thought.
If that's the case, then Michigan
fans should feel pretty confident
about the Hoke hire. A Wolverine
fan base excited about its coach? I
can't wait to watch.
- Auerbach can be reached
at naauer@umich.edu.
Man assaults Chi Psi fraternity
member, breaks house window
addressed the effects of the shoot-
ings on the nation's political cli-
mate and commended Giffords's
prior political successes.
"Our democracy was attacked
(on Saturday)," Dingell wrote in
the press release. "We are out-
raged and horrified by the violent
attack that occurred on our citi-
zens, including one of our great
young American leaders, Gabby
Giffords, who is one of the kind-
est and most dedicated members
of the U.S. House of Representa-
tives."
According to John Garcia,
research professor of archival
development at the University's
Institute for Social Research, the
shootingcame at a time when both
the nation and specifically the
state of Arizona have been facing
divisions regarding the issue of
immigration.
Garcia said in an interview
yesterday that he feels the state's
immigration debates have become
increasingly contentious.
"It's a climate that in the state at
large has become much more hos-
tile," he said.
Garcia, who taught at the Uni-
versity of Arizona for more than 30
years before coming to Ann Arbor,
added that the heated immigra-
tion debate in Arizona is especially
concerning because it extorts
anger and hatred and uses meta-
phors and references that are more
violent in nature.
It's especially ironic in Tucson,
Garcia said, since the city is con-
sidered one of the more liberal or
moderate in Arizona.
"In relation to the incident in
Tucson, immigration is (not) so
much the issue, but it's just the
tone around that issue," Garcia
said. "I think it's been more the
focus in terms of how do we deal
with issues that seem to divide
good segments of this country, and
it's a matter of saying, 'Well, what'
do we do about it?"'
Garcia also addressed the ris-
ing issue of Second Amendment
rights, following questions of the
shooter's mental stability and con-
cerns of his access to guns. Ari-
zona residents can attain firearms
with relative ease, Garcia said.
Arizona's gun law allows people
age 21 or older carry concealed
guns without a permit, according
to the AP.
Garcia said there was even a
proposal in the Arizona Legisla-
ture to permit individuals to carry
concealed weapons on college
campuses throughout the state.
"Allitdoesisitjustfeedsintothe
mindset that if you got a problem
with somebody, violence and guns
is not an uncommon response,"
Garcia said. "It's not unique to
that state because I think there's a
whole national climate that paral-
lels that type of mindset."
Garcia also mentioned the plans
of Westboro Baptist Church in
Topeka, Kan.- an anti-gay church
that has gained notoriety for its
protest activities throughout the
nation, including in Ann Arbor -
to protest the funerals of the vic-
tims in Tucson.
"That's always the most extreme
point of view, but that climate
there, it can't help but affect how
people see each other or how they
think about each other," he said.
"There's things going on in Ari-
zona that reflect a (heightened)
kind of hostility ... just in terms of
the relationship between anger
and debate and violence and guns
and symbols ... but atthesametime
I would suggest that you find it
elsewhere in the U.S. as well," Gar-
cia said.
AAPD says suspect
is still at large
ADAM RUBENFIRE
Daily StaffReporter
A man broke a window and
assaulted a student at the Chi Psi
fraternity house early. Sunday
morning, according to the Ann
Arbor Police Department.
According to AAPD Lt. Angella
Abrams, a caller reported that he
heard a commotion from the first
floor of the house. When fraternity
members went to investigate the
sound, they discovered a man - the
current suspect - with a bloody
right hand, Abrams said.
After a fraternity brother con-
fronted the man, the suspect
reportedly punched the student in
the face and fled, Abrams said. The
suspect remains at large.
LSA junior Chris Pry, president
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of the Chi Psi fraternity on cam-
pus, said he called the AAPD's
non-emergency line because he
didn't believe it was necessary to
have officers come to the house
and investigate the matter, which
occured between 1:30 a.m. and 2
a.m. Sunday morning.
Abrams said officers were not
dispatched to the scene to inves-
tigate, but a police report was
filed. The police report estimates
the cost of damage to the window
is $300, but officers weren't on
scene to observe the damage, she
said.
Pry said it appears that the sus-
pect - who's not affiliated with the
fraternity - was inside the vesti-
bule of the house when he punched
the window.
Pry said the incident occurred
following a social event hosted at
the fraternity house. When asked
whether the suspect attended the
event, Pry said he was not sure.
"It was someone that none of us
knew," Pry said. "Whether or not
he was in the event, I do not know."
Pry also said the member who
was assaulted was nothospitalized.
"It wasn't that bad of a punch,"
Pry said. "Just a little bump on his
head."
Pry added that he's unaware as
to why the suspect allegedly com-
mitted the assault and malicious
destruction of property.
Abrams said she doesn't believe
this incident is a sign of increased
violence among fraternities.
"I don't have anything to sub-
stantiate the allegation that fra-
ternities are a target," Abrams
said. "I believe this is an isolated
incident."
Similarly, both Pry and Inter-
fraternity Council President Jared
Jaffe said they don't believe the
incident reflects a trend of violence
in the Greek community on cam-
pus.
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