By Tom Shanahan, San Diego Hall of Champions
San Diego State football coach Brady Hoke spent June 15 at Chabot College in Hayward, June 16 at Fresno City College and was back home June 17 for the third of his summer football camps at San Diego State.
Those stops were all about finding recruits for rebuilding San Diego State's program that has suffered in the win column and consequently in attendance for the past decade.
But despite those priorities that took him on the road for the first two legs of his statewide traveling camps, Hoke did more than go through the motions when he spoke before a group of 145 Pop Warner football coaches on June 13 at Oceanside High.
Hoke was one of three speakers along with Oceanside High coach John Carroll and University of San Diego defensive coordinator George Darlington, a former Nebraska assistant, at the Champions Sports Academy Youth Coaching Clinic.
When Hoke was introduced by Carroll, he bounded off his seat on the bleachers in the Oceanside gym -- the clinic had to be moved from a lecture hall to the gym because of the large turnout -- before quickly launching into his talk.
In fact, the youth coaches got a feel for what it must be like for Hoke's players in meeting rooms and on the practice field. He voice was closer to bellowing coach than a lecturing professor.
All that was lacking from the intensity he exhibited was a whistle to keep things moving.
"If you can't hear, it's your fault," he said sharply. "Move up."
That drew some nervous chuckles.
The first point Hoke made was discussing five defensive principles he learned as an assistant at Western Michigan under Jack Harbaugh -- father of Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh and Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh -- that still apply.
He pointed out Jack Harbaugh learned the principles as a Michigan assistant under the late Bo Schembechler, who learned them as an Ohio State assistant under the late Woody Hayes.
"Jack learned it from Bo and Bo from Woody," Hoke said. "And those principles still work today."
At one point as Hoke went through the principles of defense, he was dissatisfied with the lack of questions and comments coming from the audience.
"Are you guys bored or what?" Hoke barked. "This is interactive."
The coaches laughed, but listening to Hoke, it was easy to picture his players in a meeting room sitting up in rapt attention.
When Hoke got around to teaching defensive stances and explaining how he wants his defensive linemen's hands above their eyes for leverage, he did more than casually demonstrate the moves himself or with a coach as a prop.
Oceanside's gym is one of those old gyms with a stage behind one of the baskets. When Hoke spotted the padded wall on four-foot wall that fronts the stage, he told the coaches to get up from their seats and follow him as he headed for the padded wall.
He then had four coaches popping out of their stances and hitting the pads with force.
Although Hoke spoke of relying on principles that date back to Woody Hayes, he also emphasized the need to keep up with the game. That was something he learned as an assistant under former Michigan coach Lloyd Carr.
"We had to improve as coaches every year," Hoke said. "Lloyd Carr said the game changes and you have to change with it."
Hoke wrapped up his talk by encouraging the youth coaches to hold their players accountable.
"People say kids are different today, but we don't allow them to be different. We're recruiting kids of character. Our kids understand they're part of a team and they have to be accountable. That's what's lacking in youth today. Kids want discipline.
"We want our guys to represent San Diego State, this community and the legacy of 18 championships."
When Hoke finished speaking, he wasn't done for the day. He headed back to campus for the second day of San Diego State's annual passing tournament, where the Aztecs coaches could observe more potential recruits.
