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NCAA blogger Josh Centor posted the following about the passing of Indiana University, Bloomington, football coach Terry Hoeppner June 19 on the Double-A Zone (http://www.doubleazone.com), the official blog of the NCAA:
I was out of the office for a bit Tuesday morning and returned to some devastating news — Indiana football coach Terry Hoeppner had died after a long battle with brain cancer. He was 59.
In late February, I had the chance to spend some time with coach Hoeppner during his visit to the NCAA national office. Despite his health struggles, Hep wouldn’t break his commitment to take part in the Champions Speaker Series sponsored by the NCAA Hall of Champions.
I headed into our interview not quite sure what to expect. I’ve spoken with many coaches over the past few years, but Hep was the first Big Ten football coach to sit down with me, and I was slightly nervous. After spending just a couple of minutes with the man, I knew my apprehension was unfounded.
An Indiana native, coach Hoeppner returned to the Hoosier state in 2004 after six seasons as the head coach at Miami (Ohio). In our interview, Hep expressed the thrill of standing on the IU sidelines: “When the job was open, I was excited. For it to become a reality has been very special, not only for me, but for my family.”
I told coach Hoeppner after we chatted that I had been to a football game at IU during the 2005 season and commented on how much I enjoyed the experience. He beamed when I told him that and was most gracious in extending an invitation for me to return. It hurts that I won’t be able to say hello when I do head back to Bloomington.
Coach Hep was a lovely man and it was an honor to have been able to spend some time with him recently. While his family is going through the grieving process, I hope they know there are so many people whose lives have been touched because of their loved one.
I was out of the office for a bit Tuesday morning and returned to some devastating news — Indiana football coach Terry Hoeppner had died after a long battle with brain cancer. He was 59.
In late February, I had the chance to spend some time with coach Hoeppner during his visit to the NCAA national office. Despite his health struggles, Hep wouldn’t break his commitment to take part in the Champions Speaker Series sponsored by the NCAA Hall of Champions.
I headed into our interview not quite sure what to expect. I’ve spoken with many coaches over the past few years, but Hep was the first Big Ten football coach to sit down with me, and I was slightly nervous. After spending just a couple of minutes with the man, I knew my apprehension was unfounded.
An Indiana native, coach Hoeppner returned to the Hoosier state in 2004 after six seasons as the head coach at Miami (Ohio). In our interview, Hep expressed the thrill of standing on the IU sidelines: “When the job was open, I was excited. For it to become a reality has been very special, not only for me, but for my family.”
I told coach Hoeppner after we chatted that I had been to a football game at IU during the 2005 season and commented on how much I enjoyed the experience. He beamed when I told him that and was most gracious in extending an invitation for me to return. It hurts that I won’t be able to say hello when I do head back to Bloomington.
Coach Hep was a lovely man and it was an honor to have been able to spend some time with him recently. While his family is going through the grieving process, I hope they know there are so many people whose lives have been touched because of their loved one.
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