a 8A - Thursday, December 1, 2011 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com This award transcends the numbers Hoke named Big Ten Coach of the Year adies and gentlemen, meet your 2011 Big Ten Coach of the Year: Brady Hoke. He was an Ohio-born boy who now perfectly depicts a Michigan man - a coach who players love and opponents can't help but respect. He looks like Fred Flintstone but leads like Mohan- das Gandhi (OK, maybe that's a bit of a stretch, KEVIN but the man RAFTERY knows how to bring people together. We'll get to that later.) He's a guy everybody can relate to. He stumbles over his words almost as often as his look- alike stumbles on his approach at the bowling alley. And the numbers will tell you he was the best coach in the Big Ten this year. Hoke led Michigan to a 10-2 record. In doingso, he became just the second coach in Michi- gan history to win 10 games in his inaugural season. The other was Fielding H. Yost, who went 11-0 in his first season at the helm in 1901. If there's anyone reading this who was alive then, I'd love to meet you. Back then, the forward pass didn'teven exist. Helmets looked more like one of those embarrassing floppy ear hats that the kids are wearing nowadays than protective headgear. Football wasn't football like it is today. Hoke may be second behind Yost to win 10 games in his first year, but he's first in the modern age of Michigan football. On top of that, the Wolverines finished third in the Big Ten in total defense after finishing dead laset a vorbfore under former MAISSA MCcLAIN/Daily Michigan coach BradF Hoke is the third Michigan football head coach to be named Big Ten Coach of the Year. coach Rich Rodriguez. The list of Michigan's impres- sive statistics goes on. But that's not the reason Hoke deserved this award. Brady Hoke is a coach in every sense of the word. He's a leader. A role model. A teacher. A friend. Senior center David Molk said it best: "He is every single thing that you want a college coach to be, and he does it flawlessly." With a group of 115 football players, it'd be easy to leave a few behind and focus on the ones who will help you win games on Saturdays. Not for Hoke. "We have some seniors that didn't play a snap, but they've played plenty of snaps on the look team and the scout team," Hoke said after Michigan's 30-24 victory over Ohio State last Sat- urday. "They've been tough, and they get in the weight room at 5:15 three days a week and go to class. One of them's goingto law school. "I'm proud of all of them. It doesn't matter who caught a touchdown. This is a team." And this is a team that loves its coach. If I had a dollar for every time one of the players said they loved Hoke this season, I'd be a much richer man - even if that's not saying much. Players say they love Hoke so often, I often forget I'm covering a football team. "He is us, we are him," Molk said after the Ohio State game. "I love him." Wait a minute. Was this a post- game press conference or a Mor- mon wedding reception? David, please explain. "I love how he coaches, I love his leadership ability and how he does it," Molk continued. "I'd do anything for him. "If I ever (come) back, 20 years from now, the first guy I would call is Coach Hoke. That's who he is." OK, now it makes more sense. Thati o eserious lovne- roTt's a love shared by everyone in that Michigan locker room, and it's the main reason the Wolverines have been so successful this season. It's not easyto inherit a situ- ation like Hoke did - the whole world was watching, just waiting to see him fail. But Hoke never thought of it that way. "Look, I've got the best job in the world," he said. "Because at 2:30 every day, I get 115 guys that I get a chance to make a differ- ence in their lives. What could be funner?" Pause. Look around. "Or more fun. It's 'funner,' right?" Sure, Coach. As if the Coach of the Year award wasn't evidence enough, it's safe to say Brady Hoke is right where he belongs. And Michigan would have it no other way. - Raftery can be reached at kraftery@umich.edu STEPHEN J. NESBITT Daily SportsEditor After leading the Michigan football team to a 10-2 season, Michigan coach Brady Hoke was named the Hayes-Schembechler Coach of the Year and and the Dave McClain Coach of the Year on Wednesday. "It's a great honor, it's hum- bling and all those things," Hoke said in a video released by the Athletic Department. "But there are so many people involved with awards, whether it's the Heis- man Trophy or the balloon toss, it's one of those things that (goes to) ... everyone who assists us in the football program. That's an award for everybody." Hoke inherited a 7-5 team from former coach Rich Rodri- guez in January and, with the help of offensive coordinator Al Borges and defensive coordina- tor Greg Mattison, transformed the Wolverines into a confer- ence contender. This season's Michigan team collected its first-ever 8-0 record at Michi- gan Stadium. "He deserves (Big Ten Coach of the Year)," said senior captain David Molk of Hoke on Monday. "I love him. He's a great coach. He's a great mentor. He's a great friend. He's every single thing you want a college coach to be and he does it flawlessly." Hoke was the first Michigan coach since Fielding H. Yost in 1901 to win 10 games in his first season. Hoke was also just the fifth Big Ten coach to win 10 games or more in his first sea- son as coach, joining Wiscon- sin's Bret Bielema (12-1, 2006), Ohio State's Earle Bruce (11-1, 1979), Yost (11-0, 1901) and Min- nesota's Henry Williams (10-0- 2, 1900). "Anytime you get to be around 115 guys and any time you get to represent the winningest pro- gram in the history of college football and the global degree that it is, it's always fun." Hoke is no stranger to Coach of the Year honors, as this is his third selection in four seasons. He was named Mountain West Coach of the Year at -San Diego State last season and Mid-Amer- ican Conference Coach of the Year at Ball State in 2008. Hoke is just the sixth first- year coach to win the McClain * Coach of the Year award, which dates back to 1972. This is the inaugural award- ing of the Hayes-Schembechler Coach of the Year, named after Ohio State's Woody Hayes and Michigan's legendary coach Bo Schembechler. The only thing Hoke missed in his first season at the helm was a Big Ten title - that award will be given to the winner of Michi- gan State and Wisconsin in the Big Ten Championship Game in Indianapolis on Saturday. Under Hoke, Michigan went 6-2 in Big Ten play. It took former coach Rich Rodriguez three full seasons to collect that many conference 6 wins, and this season the Wol- verines are poised for a potential BCS-bowl bid. Does a 10-2 season, a bowl game and this award make this season a complete success? "Well, no, because we didn't win the (Big Ten) champion- ship," Hoke said. "I think we made some growth. I think those guys playing their last football representing Michigan, I think they did a tremendous job. "But the expectation here is to win Big Ten championships, and we didn't do it. So, we've gotta get ready after this bowl game and win it next year." 0 ACT. SERVE. INSPIRE.0 T, Wohlberg LIZ VUKELICH Daily Sports Writer No player on the Michigan hockey team wants to be invis- ible for an extended period of the season, least of all a captain. But until last weekend, senior forward David Wohlberg was in danger of going more than a month without putting any points on the board. This was unsettling for Michigan coach Red Berenson. "Wohlberg should be a marked man," Berenson said. "But right now, no one knows he's on our team." It's certainly a turnaround for someone who has already prov- en himself as a capable scorer - Wohlberg currently leads the team with 89 career points. And it's a disappointment for a player that suffered a season-ending collarbone injury last March and was sidelined during Michigan's run to the national champion- ship game. Even earlier this season, Wohlberg was making noise. He posted the team's season-high number of points in a game, and his position as an alternate cap- tain made him a valued com- mander of the forward corps. But then came Oct. 27. As Michigan celebrated a 5-2 vic- tory over Ferris State, no one would have suspected it would be the beginning of a month-long point drought for Wohlberg. Now No. 19 Michigan (3-5-2 breaks point drought CCHA, 7-7-2 overall) wants to the pairing with juniors Chris get him back in the box score. Brown and Kevin Lynch was "(Wohlberg) got into this welcomed. mode where every time you get "When you're in a slump, to the puck, you slow down and you've got to change something try and do something cute," up," Wohlberg said. "I think Berenson said. "That doesn't (changing lines) might have work. He should know this by helped my game to the point now (and) we've had to revisit where I got out of my comfort this with him." zone and I needed to do more." All season, Berenson has said There's never a good time for a that the Wolverines aren't using month-long pointless streak, and their speed effectively to chase Berenson knows that Wohlberg the puck and make important is a better player than what the plays. Wohlberg sees the wisdom box score has indicated. in those words now. But there's also outside pres- The dry spell was broken sure on Wohlberg to play well. in the game against Union on As one of the team leaders, Sunday when skaters piled up there's an expectation for him to in front of the Dutchmen net. be racking up the points. Wohlberg found the loose puck Wohlberg is all too aware of in the commotion and slid it in this and admits that it's motiva- past the bodies. tion to put points on the board. The goal wasn't particularly "I feel like since I'm an older pretty - more of being in the guy, I should step up and be one right place at the right time - but of those (scorers)," Wohlberg it did the trick. And Wohlberg said. "I put pressure on myself knows he has to convert on those because we don't have that guy opportunities more frequently. yet." "It's just working hard, going With the Wolverines in the to the net and playing gritty," midst of a six-game winless Wohlberg said. "You have to streak, Berenson hopes that move forward. You can't sit back Wohlberg's return to the stat and expect (the puck) to come to sheet will coincide with a team you, you have to go to the puck revival. and put it in." "The team needs him to take Berenson also switched the a step (and) hopefully this week- lines on Sunday, hoping that end he'll take another," Beren- different dynamics would help son said. "All you need is a goal jump-start Wohlberg's game. to jump-start confidence. But in Though Wohlberg has skated the meantime, he knows, we're with fellow senior Luke Glen- not satisfied with what he's done dening for nearly four years, at this point." 0 0 0 4 . If you have volunteered 10 or more hours since Sep. 6, 2011 you are eligible for a $1,000 scholarship from the Big Ten Network. Winner will be announced at the last home basketball game of the season! HURRY AND APPLY BY DEC 9TH! ONLY 200 APPLICATIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED. www.btnlivebig.com/scholarship FOR COMPLETE RULES AND TO APPLY. MICHIGAN 0 JED MOCH/Daily Senior forward David Wohlberg has 89 career points in four seasons for the Wolverines.