A new era has dawned for Ball State football.
Brady Hoke, a 1982 graduate and former inside linebacker for the Cardinals, has been hired to replace Bill Lynch, who was reassigned within the university in early December.
Hoke becomes the 14th head football coach in Ball State history, and brings with him a fresh philosophy, focusing on aggressive play and a multi-dimensional game.
"Overall, we'll be very aggressive in what we do," Hoke said. "Offensively, we'll try to take advantage of what the defense gives us and stretch the field. We'll use multiple sets and make people defend both the run and pass. We don't want to be one-dimensional."
"Defensively, we'll follow my personality and be as aggressive as we can. We're going to sit back and let the other team tee off on us," he said.
While the hiring of Brady Hoke from the University of Michigan is hopefully a step in the right direction for the football team, Cardinal fans must keep in mind that major personnel moves such as this usually involve a transition period in which the team and the program adjusts. With that in mind, this is by no means an overnight solution to the woes of Cardinal football.
However, this personnel move certainly makes Cardinal football interesting again. Students certainly should give Coach Hoke and his team the support - and attendance - that has been lacking in recent seasons.
Hiring a young, up-and-coming assistant from a storied program is a step that another Mid-American Conference School, Bowling Green, took when it brought in Urban Meyer from Notre Dame after the 2000 season.
Granted, Meyer recently left for Utah, but not after guiding the Falcons, who had suffered six straight losing seasons, to records of 8-3 and 9-3. The BG program is in a position that Ball State should be striving for.
Congratulations to Coach Hoke. May he lead the team to the promised land - or at least the end zone more often.
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