A Legacy of Excellence

Cradle of Coaches Portrait

Miami University has a long and proud tradition of producing exceptional coaches. In 1959, Bob Kurz (Class of 1958) coined the term the 'Cradle of Coaches' in reference to the many star football coaches to have passed through Miami University.

Since 1959, the term has come to reach beyond football and to all sports at Miami and in 1992, the Cradle of Coaches association was formed to recognize the accomplishments of these coaches. The first four inductees were: Weeb Ewbank (Class of 1928), John Pont ('52), Bob Kurz ('58), and Bill Narduzzi ('59), and the list has since grown to many more, including: Paul Brown ('30), Paul Dietzel ('48), Ara Parseghian ('48), and Carmen Cozza ('52).

Cradle of Coaches Constitution

In 2000, the Walter Havighurst Special Collections Library at Miami University received a generous donation of the materials of Weeb Ewbank from Gerald and Steve Stout and Nick Selvaggio and, like the Cradle itself, the Cradle of Coaches Archive has since grown.

In Fall 2013, Special Collections presented The Cradle of Coaches: A Legacy of Excellence. The exhibit featured many of the items now available on this webpage. On October 19th, a tour and reception for the exhibit were held. The exhibit was designed and curated by John Cooper.

Paul Brown

Paul Brown signing autographs

Paul Eugene Brown was born on September 7, 1908 in Norwalk, Ohio, where he lived with his parents Lester and Ida until he was nine years old. At this time his father, who was a railroad dispatcher in Norwalk, was transferred to Massillon, Ohio.

At Washington High School is Massillon Brown played football, basketball, baseball and also ran track. As a starting quarterback Brown led the Tigers to a 15-3 record in two years. While at Washington High, PB also met his first wife Kathryn (Katie) Kester. It was during a fire drill his junior year that the sophomore Katie caught his eye. They were later married on June 10, 1929 and lived happily until Katie died of a heart attack in 1969. They had three kids; Robin, Mike and Pete.

In the fall of 1926, after graduating high school, Paul Brown enrolled at Ohio State University with the dream of suiting up for the Buckeyes football team. However, this dream came to an abrupt end when an assistant coach told him he was too small and was not even allowed to try out for the team. His time in Columbus only lasted one year and he transferred to Miami University that next fall.

Paul Brown in his football uniform Fortunately for Brown, Chester Pittser and the Miami coaching staff did not find him to be too small, and allowed him onto the team. Due to injuries, Brown was named the starting quarterback his junior year and never let go of it. He guided the Redskins to records of 6-2 as a junior, and 7-2 as a senior.

In 1930, after graduating from Miami, Brown moved from Oxford to Maryland to teach/coach at Severn Prep High School. Brown was only at Severn for two seasons, 1930 and 1931. They went 12-2-1 in his two seasons and won the state championship in 1930.

After the 1931 season the head coaching job in Massillon, Brown's alma mater, became available. Brown was named their next head coach. So in 1932 he returned to his hometown and would stay there for the next nine years. Along with coaching football, he also taught History and English.

When Brown got to Massillon the team was coming off a 2-10 season, and he knew the team had a long way to go. While they improved to 5-4-1 in his first year, it was still well below his standards. In 1933 they improved to 8-2, and again to 9-1 in 1934. In 1934 Brown was named athletic director in addition to his coaching duties. From 1935 to 1940 Brown's Tigers won 58 games, including 35 straight wins, 6 state championships and 4 national championships. He was also named Director of Recreation for the city of Massillon. His final record at Washington High School was 80-8-2. Due to the success of the team, in 1937 they were able to afford to build a new stadium. This was later renamed to Paul Brown Tiger Stadium.

Paul Brown's Playbook While at Massillon, Brown invented the playbook. He gave every player a ring notebook to help memorize the plays. He believed that the playing field was only a part of learning football. He was also the first to use hand signals to call plays. This later developed into a messenger system of having a player (in this case guards) running the plays into the quarterback, which is still widely used in high school and college.

With his nationally recognized success Brown became the youngest coach in Big Ten history and took over as head coach of Ohio State University in 1941. In his second season at Ohio State, Brown led the Buckeyes to their first ever National Championship. The following year the nation was in the midst of World War II and after finishing his third season at Ohio State, Brown was sent to the Great Lakes Naval Academy, in Chicago, and took up the head coaching position for their football team. He left Ohio State with a record of 18-8-1 (68.5%).

Great Lakes Flyer In his two years at Great Lakes his teams went 15-5-2 with a memorable victory over Notre Dame in 1945. While in Chicago, Brown was stationed with future successful head coaches Weeb Ewbank, who served on his coaching staff, and Ara Parseghian and Bud Grant, who were both players on the team.

While things were wrapping up at Great Lakes, Brown was approached by Arch Ward about coaching a professional football team in Cleveland, in the new All-American Football Conference. He was hesitant at first but eventually accepted the position to coach the Cleveland Browns. Until Brown finished his Naval obligations he hired John Brickels to sign the players he wanted. Brickels would later go on to become the Athletic Director at Miami from 1949 to 1964 (when he died of a heart attack).

The Cleveland Browns came into existence, along with the All American Football Conference (AAFC) in 1946. The Browns won the AAFC league championship all four years of its existence, 1946-1949. After the 1949 season the AAFC disassembled and the Cleveland Browns and San Francisco 49ers joined the NFL.

In 1950, Cleveland's first year in the NFL, they won the league championship, making it five straight championships. From 1946 to 1955, they won titles 7 out of 10 years and were runners up the other three years. In 1962, due to conflict with Browns owner Art Modell, Paul Brown was fired as the head coach. In his 17 season with the Browns they amassed a record of 158-48-8, with 7 league championships, and 11 division titles.

After a few seasons off Brown was approached to coach numerous teams but declined, because he didn't feel like they were the right situations for him. This changed when he met with one of his former Ohio State players, Bill Hackett. This meeting laid the groundwork for the forming of the Cincinnati Bengals.

The Bengals officially joined the AFL in 1967, and played their first game in 1968. Two seasons later, the AFL merged with the NFL. In his six seasons with the Bengals in the NFL, Coach Brown went 48-36-0 winning two division championships. However, they failed to win a playoff game in those six years. After the 1975 season Paul Brown stepped down as head coach of the Cincinnati Bengals, but stayed on as team President until his death on August 5th, 1991.

Paul Brown being carried on the shoulders of Bengals playersIn 45 years of coaching Paul Brown was 338-127-15 (72.0%). He won 7 league championships (4 in the AAFC and 3 in the NFL), 1 NCAA championship (1942 Ohio State), 4 high school national championships, and 7 state championships (6 in Ohio, 1 in Maryland). His 213 professional football wins currently rank him 5th all time, and his 66.7% place him 9th (minimum 100 games coached). He was named Coach of the Year in 1957, 1969 and 1970 and was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in 1967 (one year before the Bengals joined the AFL). He is also credited with inventing the playbook, the facemask and the draw play. Brown was also instrumental in developing the West Coast offense along with his offensive coordinator, at the time, Bill Walsh. In 2000, the Bengals built a new stadium on the Ohio River in downtown Cincinnati and named it Paul Brown Stadium. After his death Paul Brown was buried at Rose Hill Cemetery in Massillon, Ohio.

 Paul Brown by the Numbers


Total Wins & Losses

Team Wins Losses Ties Win % Championships
Severn Prep (Maryland) 12 2 1 83.3% 0
Washington High School 80 8 2 90% 4
Ohio State University 18 8 1 68.5% 1
Great Lakes Naval Academy 15 5 2 72.7% 0
Cleveland Browns (AAFC) 47 4 3 89.8% 4
Cleveland Browns (NFL) 111 44 5 70.9% 3
Cincinnati Bengals (AFL) 7 20 1 26.8% 0
Cincinnati Bengals (NFL) 48 36 0 57.1% 0

Championships

12


Overall Win %

72%


Paul Brown by the Numbers

Total Wins & Losses

338-127-15

Championships

12

Overall Win %

72%


Weeb Ewbank

Weeb Ewbank in Uniform at Miami University

Wilbur "Weeb" Charles Ewbank was born on May 6, 1907 in Richmond, Indiana. He was very active as a child playing every sport imaginable. This was apparent when he came to Miami University and played football, basketball and baseball. In football he was coached by Chester Pittser and was a teammate of Paul Brown.

Ewbank graduated from Miami in 1928 and accepted a position at Van Wert High School in Ohio that same year. In two seasons as the football coach Ewbank amassed a record of 3-14-2 (21.0%). From there Ewbank returned to Oxford as the coach of all sports at the McGuffey School. He remained in this position for fourteen season (1930-1943) with a record of 72-27-9 (70.8%)* with four conference championships (1934, 1936-1937, and 1940) and one state championship (1937).

Ewbank left McGuffey when he joined the Navy in 1944. He was stationed at the Great Lakes Naval Academy in Chicago. Here he was reunited with Paul Brown. Ewbank served as Brown's assistant with the football team. Another Miami legend, Ara Parseghian, was a member of this team. When Ewbank's service was complete, in 1946, he accepted an assistant coaching position under "Rip" Engle at Brown University. Future Penn State University head coach, Joe Paterno, was a member of that Brown team.

Ewbank left Brown after one season to be the head coach at Washington University in St. Louis. In two seasons he led the Bears to a record of 14-4-0 (77.7%). Ewbank then moved into the NFL as an assistant for his old friend Paul Brown and the Cleveland Browns. Ewbank held this position from 1949-1953.

Weeb Ewbank Diagramming a Play on a Chalkboard for the Baltimore Colts

In 1954 Ewbank became head coach of the Baltimore Colts. The Colts were a new franchise in only their second season of professional football. Because of this the talent level was low when Ewbank first came to Baltimore. After a few years of acquiring talent, like Johnny Unitas, Raymond Berry, Alan Ameche and Lenny Moore, Ewbank led the Colts to the NFL title in 1958 (known in NFL lore as "The Greatest Game Ever Played") and again in 1959. After a couple of mediocre years, Ewbank was fired in Baltimore. His overall record in Baltimore was 59-52-1 (53.2%).

Ewbank was not unemployed for long before he became the head coach of another new franchise, this time with the AFL's New York Jets. This was the franchise's fourth season and had failed to produce a winning record in any of the previous three seasons. He began building the team from the bottom up and acquired talent like Joe Namath, Don Maynard and Emerson Boozer. In his fifth year, Ewbank led the Jets to the AFL championship and appearance against his former team, the Baltimore Colts, in Super Bowl III. Some were hailing the Colts as the greatest team ever and Ewbank's Jets were heavy underdogs. After a guaranteeing a victory, Jets quarterback, Joe Namath, helped Ewbank upset his former and win the Super Bowl. This was the first time the AFL had defeated the NFL in the Super Bowl and Ewbank is the only coach to win an NFL title, and AFL title and a Super Bowl. The two leagues merged a year later.

Weeb Ewbank with Joe Namath

In eleven seasons with the Jets, Ewbank had a record of 71-77-6 (48.0%). He stepped down as head coach after the 1972 season, but remained as the team's General Manager. Ewbank's career record was: 130-129-7 (50.2%) in professional football; 14-4-0 (77.7%) in college football; and 75-41-11 (63.4%) in high school football. His total record, at all levels, was 219-174-18 (55.5%). Ewbank was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in 1978. "Weeb" Ewbank passed away on November 17, 1998.

 Weeb Ewbank by the Numbers


Total Wins & Losses

Team Wins Losses Ties Win % Championships
Van Wert High School 3 14 2 21.1% 0
McGuffey High School 72 27 9 70.8% 4
Washington University 14 4 0 77.8% 0
Baltimore Colts 59 52 1 53.1% 2
New York Jets 71 77 6 48.1% 1

Championships

7


Overall Win %

55.5%


Weeb Ewbank by the Numbers

Total Wins & Losses

219-74-18

Championships

7

Overall Win %

55.5%


Ara Parseghian

Ara Parseghian Standing on Sideline with Player at Notre Dame

Ara Raoul Parseghian was born on May 21, 1923 in Akron, Ohio, to Armenian and French parents. While growing up in Akron, Ara was a four sport star at Akron South High School: football, basketball, baseball and golf.

After high school Ara served in the Navy and World War II. He was stationed at the Great Lakes Naval Academy and played on their football team coached by Paul Brown in 1944. When he returned from the Navy he enrolled at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, where he played three sports: football, basketball and baseball and lettered in all three. Ara Parseghian on the Field for Miami University 1948 Miami's head coach at this time was the legendary Sid Gillman. Ara started for Gillman in both 1946 and 1947. Ara was named little All-America (award for smaller schools) in 1947 and already being married went into professional football to support his family.

Ara played for the Cleveland Browns of the All-American Football League (AAFL) and his former coach Paul Brown. He played two years for the Browns, 1948-1949 before suffering a career ending hip injury. While with the Browns Ara gained 199 yards, scored two touchdowns and intercepted one pass.

Ara's career coaching record is 170-58-6 (73.9%) with two National Championships with Notre Dame. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1980. After retirement Ara worked as a play-by-play announcer for ABC (1975-1981) and NBC (1982-1988). He also has a statue at the Miami University Cradle of Coaches Plaza outside of their football complex.

 Ara Parseghian by the Numbers


Total Wins & Losses

Team Wins Losses Ties Win % Championships
Miami University 39 6 1 85.9% 2
Northwestern University 36 35 1 50.7% 0
University of Notre Dame 95 17 4 83.6% 2

Championships

4


Overall Win %

73.9%


Ara Parseghian by the Numbers

Total Wins & Losses

170-58-6

Championships

4

Overall Win %

73.9%


Additional game footage at https://bit.ly/1pRhqZJ

John Pont

John Pont in Miami University Football Uniform

John Pont was born on November 13, 1927 in Canton, Ohio. Growing up in Canton John played football at Timken High School. After graduation he spent a few years in the military and then came to Miami University on the G.I. Bill.



He was a varsity starter at halfback from 1949-1951. In his three years starting for Miami, he led the nation in rushing (1949), was named All-Mid-American Conference (MAC) three times, and honorable mention All-American twice, while playing for Woody Hayes and Ara Parseghian. John Pont's football number 42 was retired in 1951, and was the first of three numbers to be retired by Miami University (Bob Hitchens-40; and Ben Roethlisberger-7). He was also a member of the Sigma Chi Fraternity. His career totals include 2,457 rushing yards and 27 total touchdowns, both school records at the time.

Upon graduating from Miami John served one tour as a Navy submariner. After his tour he played one year of football in Canada for the Toronto Balmy Beach Beachers in the Ontario Rugby Football Association. He won the Imperial Oil Trophy as league MVP for the 1952 season, his one and only season.

Miami University Coaching Staff 1956

In 1953, then Miami head coach Ara Parseghian asked John to coach the freshman team for Miami. He served as an assistant from 1953 to 1955. After the 1955 season Ara left Miami to be the head coach of Northwestern University. John Pont was named the new Head Coach for Miami and became the youngest head coach in the country at 27.

In his years at Miami (1956-1962) John Pont went 43-22-2 (66.2%). Miami won two MAC championships under John Pont in 1957 and 1958. They were also chosen to play in the Tangerine Bowl after the 1962 season.

After seven successful seasons at Miami, John left to be the head coach of Yale University. He coached there for two seasons, 1963 and 1964, and went 12-5-1 (69.4%). In 1965 he was named the head coach of the Big Ten's Indiana Hoosiers where he coached for eight years (1965-1972). In 1967 Coach Pont led the Hoosiers to their first and only Rose Bowl appearance and their last Big Ten Championship. That year he won the AFCA Coach of the Year Award.

John Pont with a Player

In 1973 John left Indiana for Northwestern University. He was the head coach for the Wildcats from 1973 to 1977. In 1975 the athletic director resigned and Coach Pont was named the new athletic director in addition to his coaching duties. After performing both duties for a few years, he resigned as head coach in 1977 and was solely the athletic director. He performed this duty until 1980.

In 1984 he got back into coaching at Hamilton High School in Hamilton, Ohio, where he was the head coach from 1985 to 1987 with a record of 12-17-0 (41.4%). After two more seasons off Pont became head coach of the College of Mount St. Joseph, in Cincinnati, as they were looking to start a football. He coached at Mount St. Joseph until 1992. His record at Mount St. Joseph was 9-20-0 (31.3%).

Starting in 1993 Pont spent his summers in Japan coaching football for ROCBULL in Japan's X-League. In nine seasons he was 41-15-3 (72.0%). They went 21-0 in Pont's first three seasons winning the league championship each year. They won another league title in 1999. Pont retired for good in 2004. His final career record at every level is 194-206-10 (48.5%). He died on July 1, 2008 in Oxford.

 John Pont by the Numbers


Total Wins & Losses

Team Wins Losses Ties Win % Championships
Miami University 43 22 2 65.7% 2
Yale University 12 5 1 69.4% 0
Indiana University 31 51 1 38% 1
Northwestern University 12 42 0 22.2% 0
Hamilton High School 12 17 0 41.4% 0
College of Mount St. Joseph 9 20 0 31% 0
ROCBULL (Japan) 42 16 3 71.3% 4

Championships

7


Overall Win %

48.5%


John Pont by the Numbers

Total Wins & Losses

194-206-10

Championships

7

Overall Win %

48.5%


Bo Schembechler

Bo Schembechler

Glenn "Bo" Schembechler was born on April 1, 1929 in Barberton, Ohio, a suburb of Akron. He attended Miami University and played football for Sid Gillman, George Blackburn and Woody Hayes. He graduated in 1951.



After graduating he followed his former coach, Woody Hayes, to Ohio State University as a graduate assistant. He then served on year in the military before working as an assistant coach at Presbyterian College, Bowling Green State University, with legendary Doyt Perry, and Northwestern University under Ara Parseghian. In 1958 Bo returned to Ohio State to be an assistant under Hayes. He remained there for five seasons before earning his first head coaching job at Miami University, his alma mater.

Bo spent six seasons at Miami with a record of 40-17-3 (69.2%) and two MAC Championships. He left Miami in 1969 to become head coach at the University of Michigan. This began what is known as the "Ten Year War" between Bo and the University of Michigan and Woody Hayes and Ohio State University. During this time Ohio State or Michigan won the Big Ten Conference every year, and six of those years they tied for the Championship. The series was split 5-5 during those ten years. Hayes was fired in 1978 for hitting a player from an opposing team, ending the "War", but not the rivalry between the schools.

Bo Schembechler on the Sidelines

Bo retired from coaching in 1989. His record at Michigan was 194-48-5 (79.6%) with thirteen Big Ten Championships. While at Michigan he developed the motto "Those that stay will be champions." This proved true in that every player who stayed for four years won at least one Big Ten Championship and never endured a losing record. Bo was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1993. His final career record is 234-65-8 (77.5%). His 238 wins currently rank him twelfth among FBS coaches.

 Bo Schembechler by the Numbers


Total Wins & Losses

Team Wins Losses Ties Win % Championships
Miami University 40 17 3 69.2% 2
Michigan University 194 48 5 79.6% 13

Championships

15


Overall Win %

77.5%


Bo Schembechler by the Numbers

Total Wins & Losses

234-65-8

Championships

15

Overall Win %

77.5%


Carmen Cozza

Carm Cozza in football uniform

Born on June 10, 1930 in Parma, Ohio to Italian immigrants, Carmen (Carm) Cozza was the youngest of five children and the only boy. His parents, James and Carbita Cozza, came to American from Italy with their parents when they were children.

Cozza met his future wife, Jean, in second grade: they lived on the same block. They would eventually get married after they both graduated from college (Jean graduated from Ohio State) on June 28, 1952. They had three daughters: Kris, Karen and Kathy. Growing up Cozza played sports as often as he could and he was quite good at them too. At Parma-Schaff High School he played football, basketball, baseball and also ran a little track. He was an eleven time letter winner as well as team captain in basketball and baseball, MVP in football and baseball and class president. His senior year of high school he was offered a scholarship to play football and baseball (his better sport) at Miami.

Announcement of Carm Cozza's Joining the Miami Staff

While at Miami, Cozza was coached by George Blackburn, Woody Hayes and Ara Parseghian. He also roomed with fellow player, and future coach John Pont (who would later be the best man at Cozza's wedding). When Cozza left Miami he was the Miami record holder for interceptions in a game (4), season (6) and career (12).

Cozza finished his career with a record of 179-119-5 (59.9%) and 135-85-5 (61.1%) in the Ivy League (with ten conference championships), and, possibly more importantly, a winning record against Harvard (16-15-1). He coached five Rhodes Scholars (Tom Neville, Kurt Schmoke, Bill Crowley, Roosevelt Thompson and Chris Brown), 15 NFL players, 96 All-Ivy League players, 6 Ivy-League MVP's. Another amazing statistic, and in my opinion, the most impressive: over 99% of his players received degrees. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2002.

 Carmen Cozza by the Numbers


Total Wins & Losses

Team Wins Losses Ties Win % Championships
Gilmour High School 8 1 0 88.8% 1
Yale University 179 119 5 59.9% 10

Championships

11


Overall Win %

60.7%


Carmen Cozza by the Numbers

Total Wins & Losses

187-120-5

Championships

11

Overall Win %

60.7%


Sid Gillman

Sid Gillman 1945

Sid Gillman is considered by many to be the "Father of the Modern Passing Game." His principles and ideas were ahead of their time and are still widely used from the high school level to the NFL.







Before Gillman became a coaching legend, like most others, he was an assistant coach. He spent his early coaching career as an assistant at Denison University and then Ohio State. Eventually he became Stu Holcomb's assistant here at Miami, and when Holcomb left Miami in 1944, Gillman was named the new head coach.

Sid Gillman Playbook detail

Gillman would spend four seasons at Miami accumulating a record of 31-6-1 (82.9%), culminating in an undefeated season in 1947. Over the course of his fifty plus years in coaching, Gillman had head coaching tenures with Miami University, the University of Cincinnati, the Los Angeles Rams, the San Diego Chargers and the Houston Oilers. Gillman is the only coach in both the College Football and NFL Hall of Fames.

Though he was successful as a coach, Gillman is more known for his innovations in the passing game. Gillman believed in forcing the defense to defend the entire field, both vertically and horizontally. He also employed five-man routes, which was uncommon at the time, to stress the defense and attack zone coverages. These principles were later used by Bill Walsh when he engineered his "revolutionary" and widely used "West Coast" offense.

 Sid Gillman by the Numbers


Total Wins & Losses

Team Wins Losses Ties Win % Championships
Miami University 31 6 1 82.9% 0
University of Cincinnati 50 13 1 78.9% 3
Los Angeles Rams 28 31 1 47.5% 1
San Diego Chargers 83 56 6 59.3% 5
Houston Oilers 8 15 0 34.8% 0

Championships

9


Overall Win %

62%


Sid Gillman by the Numbers

Total Wins & Losses

200-129-9

Championships

9

Overall Win %

62%


Historic Highlights

Additional game footage at https://bit.ly/1pRhqZJ

Unfinished Legacies


While many of the coaches associated with the Cradle of Coaches have passed away, a handful of them left us while they were still coaching. Their legacy will always end with a question mark of what could've been.

Randy Walker had turned Northwestern into a consistent winner and perennial bowl team, could he have taken them to the next level, or found success with a "bigger" football program? Terry Hoeppner had Indiana on the verge of becoming relevant in the Big Ten, could he have maintained that success and built them into a consistent winner? Dave McClain had led Wisconsin to bowl games in three of his last five seasons including the first bowl victory in school history, were the Badgers and McClain heading towards becoming Big Ten contenders? Bill Narduzzi had been fired from Youngstown State after being one of the most successful coaches in school history before passing away two years later, where would his next head coaching job have been and what kind of success would he have had? This case is to honor these coaches who left us before their real greatness could be realized.


Bill Narduzzi

Bill Narduzzi

Bill Narduzzi played football at Miami for Ara Parseghian and John Pont. In eleven seasons guiding the Youngstown State Penguins, Narduzzi had a record of 68-51-0 (57.1%) including two conference championships, two playoff appearances, the first playoff victory in school history and the first National Championship Game appearance in school history. After his termination he became the defensive coordinator at Columbia University for two seasons before passing away on February 4, 1988.

Dave McClain

Dave McClain

Dave McClain, a graduate of Bowling Green State University, was an assistant coach at Miami from 1963-1966, under the legendary Bo Schembechler. He would later become head coach at Ball State University in 1971. At Ball State, McClain accumulated a record of 46-25-3 (64.2%) including a MAC Championship (1976) and a MAC Coach of the Year Award (1975). His success led to his hire at the University of Wisconsin. After eight seasons at Wisconsin, McClain died on April 28, 1986. His career record was 92-67-6 (57.6%).

Terry Hoeppner

Terry Hoeppner

Terry Hoeppner began his collegiate career at Miami University in 1986 as the linebacker coach for Tim Rose. Hoeppner became Head Coach in 1999 and would remain in that position until 2004, guiding the Redhawks to a record of 48-25-0 (65.7%), including a 13-1 2003 season, in which they won the MAC and finished #10 in the AP Poll. His success led to his hire at Indiana University. Hoeppner was starting to bring the Hoosiers out of the basement of the Big Ten when he passed away on June 19, 2007 from brain cancer.

Randy Walker

Randy Walker

Randy Walker played football for Miami from 1972-1975. Walker accepted a position at the University of North Carolina in 1978 as an assistant coach. He eventually found his way back to Miami as head coach in 1990. He is the all-time winningest coach in school history with a record of 59-36-5 (61.5%). In 1999 he became the head coach at Northwestern University and led them to a share of the Big Ten Championship in 2000. After leading the Wildcats to a 7-5 record in 2005, Randy Walker died of a heart attack on June 29, 2006.