Thursday, December 18, 2008

Knowing how to kick them in the rear and kiss them on the cheek

Former Ball State coach Brady Hoke has taken over at San Diego State, where the Aztecs went 2-10 this past season.

Coach Hoke also played at Ball State, where "he was an inside linebacker... who compensated for inferior speed with advanced malevolence."

In his words: "I couldn't run very well. But I'd get your ass."

At his press conference, it was clear that Coach Hoke, who guided Ball State to a 12-1 record this season, emphasized toughness, respect, accountability, and preparation:

"We're going to coach hard. Whether that's raising your voice a little bit or not, we're going to make our emphasis on the things that are important and how we want to do things and the attention to detail you need to take to be successful. We are demanding. We're going to be fair, but we're going to be brutally honest.

This program is going to be a program that is based on toughness. You have to be physically tough and mentally tough. This is also going to be a program that is going to play with unbelievable effort every time we take the field.

This program is going to have people in it that respect each other. If we respect each other, then we are going to take the opportunity to lean on each other and hold each other accountable. When you have accountability on a team, then you have a chance to be very successful.

Ralph Waldo Emerson said that, `Success comes to those who prepare.' Well our preparation started today. We look forward to it; we are ready to hit the ground running and get this thing going."

Says his wife, Laura: "Brady believes in what he does. He's very demanding of the players, but he loves them, too. He knows how to kick them in the rear and kiss them on the cheek.”