Well after another update on Coach Hoeppner with quotes from Rick Greenspan, and still nothing concrete about Coach's future either way. The Indy Star ran an article yesterday and Greenspan basically said he's standing by Coach and he doesn't want to make a change unless he has too. He also indicated that he didn't know what Coach was going to do, which sent fans into a frenzy on message board, and brought about more questions and what IU would do without Hoeppner in control.
Well, let me be the first to tell that Rick Greenspan is very much in control of this situation and he knows just exactly what he'll do. For now, until such time that the Coach's doctors say that he can't coach, Terry Hoeppner is the coach at Indiana. The plan that Rick, Terry, and Terry's doctors have created is this. First, Terry's health and future is the MOST important thing right now. Rick Greenspan is doing the media interviews and Bill Lynch and the assistants are coordinating the recruiting. Greenspan is basically keeping the masses happy by doing these updates and saying the company line that we are standing by Coach, we still expect him coach this fall, and Terry is the best thing to happen to IU. While all that is true, the current plan calls for the staff to stay intact this season, and if Terry can't do a practice, or a game a stretch of games, or even the season, then Bill Lynch is the man.
Second, since this season's plan is pretty much concrete, Greenspan has put together a committe of individuals, in the event that a search for a coach is needed after this season. Basically, this committee is just there to look into names, monitor and track who's out there, and what not. The consensus has always been, and I've said this on several emails, is that Coach Hoeppner will retire after this season. So the process has kind of started, but this is pretty hushed stuff, as you NEVER hear Rick Greenspan or the President or any Trustees say that this is the case. Coach Hoeppner promised a bowl team to the administration, the fans, the alumni, and the players, and he believes that this year's team will make that a reality. Coach wants to finish what he started, and I think he's earned the right to stay at the helm and try to make that a reality if at all possible.
However, don't think for a second that Rick Greenspan doesn't have a plan in place to move forward. While it's just to premature to mention any names or anything, it's a positive thing in my mind that Greenspan has a back up plan and is looking around and getting his ducks in a row in the event Coach can't go on as IU's coach or Coach retires. Rick has laid a pretty good foundation in making sure that he's got his "I's" dotted and "Ts" crossed, so that nothing will come as a shock to everyone.
As from all I've heard recently in regard to Coach is that he will not be doing anything related to coaching until right before Fall practice begins. I don't expect him at the camps, other than just spot appearance and pretty much all public speaking engagements and appearances have been cancelled. Coach is working from home, as I have mentioned earlier, and that's where he'll be until practice begins. The hope is to get Coach "charged up" enough to make it through the season and then a final decision will be made.
Time will tell, but I'm 99.9% convinced that IU will go with Coach Hoeppner for the season and then have a new coach for next season.
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4 comments:
Hep's condition is something we have no control over. I think Greenspan has done a wonderful job of evaulating coaching talent and matching the talent to IU's needs and abilities. My hope is that Hep is a part of the IU program for a long time, if not, I am sure Rick will do the right thing.
Thanks for the update.
Just read through all of your posts and thought they were very informative. Great job
Mac
Thank you for you insightful updates. I have been very impressed with how Rick Greenspan is performing as our Athletic Director. I'm also a huge fan of his assistant, Chris Reynolds.
Unfortunately, Coach Hep acquired one of the more aggressive cancers. If he has a Glioblastoma Multiforme then the survivability statistics are very poor. Patients with optimal therapy have a median survival of approximately 12 months. In a study of 279 patients receiving aggressive therapy only 1.8% survived longer than 3 years. Long-term survivors, defined as those who survive longer than 2 years, are rare.
http://www.emedicine.com/med/topic2692.htm
When Coach Hep became our Head Coach he had a bowl of Roses and Barry Alvarez's book in front of him as he gave his vision for the future.
So this is my current prayer list for Coach Hep:
1. That he will be completely healed of his brain tumor and will be counted among the 1.8% that survive longer than 3 years.
2. If Coach Hep is not healed and is not allowed to stay with us on planet earth then I pray that he will have a good quality of life with his family and that he will be able to interact with and be an inspiration to his team.
3. Since Coach Hep began his tenure with a vision of going to the Rose Bowl---then I pray and ask God that Coach Hep and the IU football team be successful enough to fulfill this vision this year.
James 3:3a states that "You ask and do not receive, because you ask with the wrong motives...
But my motive is pure and I pray for the very best for Coach Hep, his family and the IU Football family.
Knute Rockne was the coach of Notre Dame in the 1920's and George Gipp was his star player. The story goes that Gipp became ill and when dying he asked Rockne to promise that, when things were going badly for the team, he should inspire them by asking them to 'Win One for the Gipper'.
Ronald Reagan played the part of Gipp in the 1940 film Knute Rockne: All American. The screenplay has the line:
And the last thing he said to me, "Rock," he said, "sometime when the team is up against it and the breaks are beating the boys, tell them to go out there with all they've got and win just one for the Gipper."
So may Coach Hep continue to be an inspiration for us all. May our prayer that God will allow him to be completely healed be answered. And may Coach Hep's desire to have a successful IU Football program be realized.
So let's go have a winning successful football season for our beloved Coach.
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