SAN DIEGO - Brady Hoke, who led the San Diego State football team to its first bowl game in 12 seasons in his first stint on The Mesa from 2009-10 and has twice been chosen as national coach of the year, has been named the program's head coach, Aztec director of athletics John David Wicker announced Wednesday.
Hoke, 61, takes over for Rocky Long, who retired Wednesday morning following a nine-year tenure as the football head coach at SDSU from 2011-19, where he led the program to three Mountain West titles, and finished with the second-most victories (81) in San Diego State history and the third-best winning percentage (.681).
Hoke brings 35 years of coaching experience at the collegiate level, including 12 seasons as a FBS head coach at Michigan (2011-14), San Diego State (2009-10) and Ball State (2003-08).
"It's a great opportunity. You never get to do something twice that you really want to do in life," Hoke said. "I was very fortunate, Coach Long bringing me back and being back here at San Diego State. I can assure you, we are going to keep going in the direction that we are going, and we always want to be better every day, and that's what we're going to try and do.
"Obviously the hallmarks of San Diego State football is toughness and the effort that we're going to play where, that we're going to go to class with and how we're going to treat each other within our building and on campus, and I think that is important and that's something that Coach Long has done a great job with when you look at the accountability, the commitment, the respect and trust that we all have within this football program."
Hoke, who has received conference Coach of the Year accolades in three different leagues, returned to SDSU in 2019 as the defensive line coach, helping the Aztecs rank second in FBS in rush defense (75.4), third in scoring defense (12.7), and sixth in both total defense (287.8) and pass efficiency defense (110.25). Under Hoke's watch, San Diego State had two players (senior Myles Cheatum and redshirt freshman Cameron Thomas) earn first-team all-league honors for the first time since 1974 and three overall make the all-league squad, while another (sophomore Keshawn Banks) received second-team honors.
Despite losing four seniors from the defensive line prior to his arrival and entering the season with just one player with a start at the position (Cheatum), SDSU defensive linemen combined for 37 tackles for loss and 18.5 sacks in 2019 after recording just 23.5 TFL and nine sacks in 2018.
In his first stint as head coach of the Aztecs, Hoke took over a program that was 9-27 in its previous three seasons (2006-08) and went 13-12 in his two years at San Diego State from 2009-10. In 2010, SDSU finished with a 9-4 record, defeating Navy, 35-14, in the Poinsettia Bowl. It was the Aztecs' first bowl game since 1998 and started a stretch of 10 straight bowl games for San Diego State (2010-current), which is tied for the 11th-longest active streak in the country. As a result, Hoke was named the 2010 Mountain West Coach of the Year.
"As I began the search for our next coach, I knew continuity and the core values and culture of our program were a priority," SDSU director of athletics John David Wicker said. "The foundation built by Rocky and his staff the last nine years, the major factors for our success, the opportunity to get to know Brady over the last year and for him to have a season coaching in the program were key factors leading me to the decision today. Brady believes in the same values that I do. We are here for the total student-athlete experience. Winning on the field, winning in the classroom and ensuring that when young men leave our program, they do so with a degree and the opportunity to be successful in life."
Following his time at SDSU, Hoke served as the head coach at Michigan from 2011-14, leading the Wolverines to a 31-20 record. Hoke, who became Michigan's first head coach to go undefeated at home in his first two seasons since 1901-02, directed the Wolverines to an 11-2 record and a victory in the Allstate Sugar Bowl in his first year in 2011. For his efforts, Hoke was named the Maxwell Football Club Collegiate Coach of the Year and the George Munger Award Coach of the Year, and was a finalist for three other Coach of the Year honors. Additionally, Hoke was chosen as the Big Ten Conference Coach of the Year by both the media and head coaches.
Hoke earned his first head coaching job at his alma mater, Ball State, where he coached for six years, culminating with a 12-1 campaign in 2008 and an undefeated mark in Mid-American Conference play. That season, he led the Cardinals to their first-ever Associated Press top 25 ranking and he was named the 2008 MAC Coach of the Year.
Prior to rejoining the Aztecs in 2019, Hoke served stints with the NFL's Carolina Panthers (defensive line in 2018), and Power 5 programs Tennessee (defensive line in 2017, interim head coach for two games) and Oregon (defensive coordinator in 2016).
Hoke was also Michigan's defensive line coach from 1995-02 and was a part of three Big Ten champion teams (1997, 1998, 2000), including the 1997 national champion and Rose Bowl-winning squad, before his promotion to associate head coach in 2002.
In addition, Hoke had collegiate stints at Oregon State (1989-94), Toledo (1987-88), Western Michigan (1984-86) and Grand Valley State (1983). He began his coaching career as an assistant at Yorktown (Ind.) High School in 1981.
As a student-athlete, Hoke was a defensive standout for Ball State, lettering four times from 1977-80, and serving as team captain his senior season. As a sophomore, he ranked third on the team in tackles and helped the Cardinals to the 1978 MAC championship with an 8-0 record, the only other time Ball State finished a league campaign undefeated prior to 2008. He posted 95 tackles as a junior and a team-high 150 stops as a senior en route to earning second-team all-MAC honors. Hoke earned his bachelor's degree in criminal justice at Ball State in 1982.
Hoke is married to the former Laura Homberger and the couple has a daughter, Kelly. His brother, Jon, was an assistant coach at San Diego State from 1987-88 under Denny Stolz, and is currently the defensive coordinator at Maryland.
Brady Hoke Head Coaching Record
| Year | School | Record | League | Finish | Bowl Game |
| 2003 | Ball State | 4-8 | 3-5, MAC | T-4th, West | |
| 2004 | Ball State | 2-9 | 2-6, MAC | 6th, West | |
| 2005 | Ball State | 4-7 | 4-4, MAC | 5th, West | |
| 2006 | Ball State | 5-7 | 5-3, MAC | T-3rd, West | |
| 2007 | Ball State | 7-6 | 5-2, MAC | 2nd, West | International Bowl, Rutgers (L, 52-30) |
| 2008 | Ball State | 12-1 | 8-0, MAC | 1st, West | GMAC Bowl (did not coach in bowl game) |
| BSU | TOTALS | 34-38 | 27-20 | 0-1 | |
| 2009 | San Diego State | 4-8 | 2-6, MW | 7th | |
| 2010 | San Diego State | 9-4 | 5-3, MW | T-3rd | Poinsettia Bowl, Navy (W, 35-14) |
| SDSU | TOTALS | 13-12 | 7-9 | ||
| 2011 | Michigan | 11-2 | 6-2, BIG TEN | 2nd, Legends | Sugar Bowl, Virginia Tech (W, 23-20, ot) |
| 2012 | Michigan | 8-5 | 6-2, BIG TEN | 2nd, Legends | Outback Bowl, South Carolina (L, 33-28) |
| 2013 | Michigan | 7-6 | 3-5, BIG TEN | 5th, Legends | Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl, Kansas State (L, 31-14) |
| 2014 | Michigan | 5-7 | 3-5, BIG TEN | T-4th, East | |
| UM | TOTALS | 31-20 | 18-14 | 1-2 | |
| 2017 | Tennessee^ | 0-2 | 0-2, SEC | 7th, East | |
| UT | TOTALS | 0-2 | 0-2 | ||
| OVERALL | TOTALS | 78-72 | 52-45 | 2-3 |
^ interim head coach