Brady Hoke
A football lifer whose passionate, defensive-minded coaching revived dormant programs but whose biggest job ended in unmet expectations.
Born 1958 (age 68)·American football player and coach·Birthday: November 3·Baby Boomers
Biography
Brady Hoke is pure football, a coach who wears his passion on his sleeve—often literally, in the form of a sweaty, rolled-up polo shirt. Born in Ohio in 1958, he played defensive line at Ball State, where his coaching career would later begin in earnest. His defining trait is his ability to build a culture and resurrect struggling teams. At Ball State (2003-2008), he took a program with a long losing history to a 12-win season and a national ranking. He repeated the feat at San Diego State (2009-2010), leading the Aztecs to their first bowl game in over a decade. In 2011, he achieved a dream, hired as the head coach at the University of Michigan, his alma mater's arch-rival. His first season was a smash success, an 11-win year that culminated in a Sugar Bowl victory. Hoke's old-school, physical style and unabashed love for the Wolverines' traditions made him an instant favorite. However, the momentum stalled. Offensive struggles and recruiting misses led to declining records over the next three seasons, and he was dismissed in 2014. He has since served as a defensive line coach at several major programs, respected as a master motivator and technician, forever remembered for the thrilling highs and frustrating lows of his tenure in Ann Arbor.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Brady was born in 1958, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Brady Was Born
The biggest hits of 1958
#1 Movie
South Pacific
Best Picture
Gigi
#1 TV Show
Gunsmoke
Brady's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1958Born
NASA founded
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Volare" — Domenico ModugnoBest Picture: Gigi
1963Started school
JFK assassinated in Dallas; Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,100Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Sugar Shack" — Jimmy Gilmer & The FireballsBest Picture: Tom Jones
1971Became a teenager
Voting age lowered to 18 in the US
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $18,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Joy to the World" — Three Dog NightBest Picture: The French Connection
1974Could drive
Nixon resigns the presidency
Gas: $0.53/galHome: $22,600Min wage: $2.00/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"The Way We Were" — Barbra StreisandBest Picture: The Godfather Part II
1976Could vote
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1979Turned 21
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1988Turned 30
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1998Turned 40
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
2008Turned 50
Barack Obama elected first Black US president; financial crisis
Gas: $3.27/galHome: $153,100Min wage: $6.55/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Low" — Flo RidaBest Picture: Slumdog Millionaire
2018Turned 60
Royal wedding of Harry and Meghan; Parkland shooting
Gas: $2.72/galHome: $211,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"God's Plan" — DrakeBest Picture: Green Book
2026Age 68 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Led the University of Michigan to a Sugar Bowl victory in his first season as head coach in 2011.
- Transformed Ball State's football program, guiding them to a 12-1 regular season record and a MAC West division title in 2008.
- Broke a long bowl drought at San Diego State, taking the Aztecs to their first postseason game in 12 years in 2010.
- Won multiple conference Coach of the Year awards at both the MAC (2008) and Mountain West (2010) levels.
Did You Know?
He began his coaching career as a graduate assistant under the legendary head coach Lloyd Carr at Michigan in 1995.
He is known for his intense, sideline demeanor and for always referring to Michigan's rival, Ohio State, as 'Ohio.'
He served as the defensive line coach for the Carolina Panthers in the NFL during the 2018 and 2019 seasons.
His brother, Jon Hoke, is also a longtime football coach who has worked in both the NFL and college ranks.
“This is Michigan, for God's sake. This is a place that has 900-plus wins, 11 national championships, 42 Big Ten titles.”
