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It's Official: Brady Hoke Fired As Michigan Coach

By Ashley Dunkak
@AshleyDunkak

CBS DETROIT - A tumultuous season for Michigan ended Tuesday, as interim athletic director Jim Hackett announced head coach Brady Hoke has been fired after four seasons.

"This is not an easy decision," Hackett said.

Hackett went on to alternately call Hoke a "hero" and say he had enough time to produce results, but failed to do so. The interim AD would not comment on a potential replacement, though he did say a headhunting firm would be involved.

Hackett said his final meeting with Hoke underscored how "authentic and real" the coach is. "We took a lot of time together, I was not going to make this discussion just about wins and losses," he added.

Many expected news of Hoke's fate last Tuesday after a report from Sam Webb of Scout.com that Hoke would meet with interim athletic director Jim Hackett at some point prior to a previously scheduled meeting with the team at 3 p.m.

In terms of wins and losses, Michigan steadily declined during Hoke's tenure, going 11-2 in his first season, 8-5 in his second season, 7-6 in his third season, and 5-7 in his final season.

The Wolverines ended the 2014 season on a two-game losing streak, falling to Maryland at home on Senior Night and losing the season finale on the road at Ohio State.

Overall, the Wolverines went 31-20 in Hoke's four seasons. They won the Sugar Bowl in Hoke's first season but lost in their next two bowl games - the Outback Bowl in 2012 and the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl in 2013 - and did not qualify for a bowl this season. Michigan also finished with a losing record in Big Ten games for the second straight year.

Against rivals Ohio State and Michigan State, the Wolverines were 2-6 during Hoke's four years. Michigan has not beaten either team since 2012.

As unsteady as the Wolverines looked on the field, other issues also put the longtime powerhouse program under the microscope. The most serious came when quarterback Shane Morris continued playing after suffering what the school later termed a "probable mild concussion" - a diagnosis announced in a 1 a.m. press release by then-athletic director Dave Brandon.

Brandon, under intense scrutiny for the team's on-field struggles above all else, resigned Oct. 31. Brandon had also been maligned for ostensibly favoring a businesslike approach to the athletic department at the expense of tradition.

Shortly before Brandon's resignation, snide and condescending emails came to light that the athletic director apparently wrote to disgruntled fans. Neither Michigan nor Brandon denied he had written the emails.

Before the Minnesota game in which Morris suffered the injury, Coca-Cola had been giving away tickets to the Michigan-Minnesota game with beverage purchases. Michigan insisted it did not approve the giveaway, but the promotion seemed to exemplify how far the program has fallen.

When Michigan played rival Michigan State on the road later in the season, the Wolverines planted a stake in the turf in what Hoke and players termed a motivational tactic for their team. The Spartans interpreted it as a sign of disrespect, and while the Wolverines said they did not intend it that way, to those on the outside the gesture looked ridiculous. Michigan State beat Michigan soundly.

Many fans have clamored for the university to replace Hoke with San Francisco 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh, who played at Michigan under legendary coach Bo Schembechler, but ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Harbaugh could be traded to another NFL team.

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