Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Brady Hoke and Critical Thinking

Brady Hoke is the new head football coach at The University of Michigan. Some people are a little upset about the choice, and most of those folks start their criticism by pointing out that his record as a head coach is 47-50. They think that Michigan must have fallen pretty far to hire a coach with a losing record.

There is, however, more to the story of Brady Hoke than a losing record. One fact usually doesn't tell a whole story, and this is no exception. Hoke has coached at Ball State and San Diego State, and both were pretty bad when he took them over, and much improved when he left. At Ball State he was 4-8, 2-9, 4-7, 5-7, 7-6, and 12-1. At San Diego State he was 4-8 and 9-4. He also was an assistant coach for twenty years, including six years at Michigan. When at Michigan, he impressed the coaches and players he had contact with. He also has a reputation as a good coach, whose players work hard and play smart and as a team. He does not have a reputation as a gambler or poor clock manager, as does Les Miles, a name that many Michigan fans would have liked to see become Head Coach.

Regardless of how you feel about Hoke, the case is not won or lost with a single fact. The same is true for any issue, even ones that are more important than Michigan Football, if such things actually exist.

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