Coach Hep

I was out of town, flying to California for the face-to-face part of my summer internship, when I got the news that Terry Hoeppner died. Although his time as the Indiana head football coach was short, he had a long-lasting impact on the program and the community. I can’t imagine anyone will end the traditions he established.

The Big Ten and the Indianapolis Colts remembered him, as did his former stomping grounds in Miami of Ohio. The program there established a scholarship in his name, honoring the former leader who went 48-25 and won a conference championship. His star quarterback that year, Ben Roethlisberger, who won a Super Bowl in his second year as a pro.

“Coach Hoeppner has inspired me to be who I am today,” Mr. Roethlisberger said in a statement. “He has been a second father, a teacher and a friend.

“He believed in me and I owe everything to him for where I am in life. I hold the deepest love and respect for him, his wife Jane and their family. He has been a role model for so many young men. I aspire to be as honorable and touch as many lives as Coach Hep. I will miss him more than words can describe.”
From the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Most importantly, Coach Hep is fondly remembered by fans and townies who were inspired by his generosity, determination and community awareness. The Hoosier Scoop gets many kudos for devoting posts to sharing the loss with Bloomington by providing an outlet for information and comments. They also live-blogged the groundbreaking ceremony on June 19, which turned into an impromptu memorial.

My introduction to Indiana Football came as a fan of Iowa quarterback and former hometown hero Chuck Hartlieb, who was setting some records in the late 1980s with the Hawkeyes. David Schnell was tossing lots of touchdowns to Ernie Jones at the time, so the Sunday morning boxscores were always of interest. It was about a decade before the program again caught my interest in the form of Antwaan Randle-El, a do-everything quarterback and Super Bowl hero on the same Pittsburgh Steeler team as Roethlisberger. Winning seasons still eluded, but every game was exciting to watch. That feeling went away with Antwaan, but it returned when Coach Hep showed up. He immediately involved the community in his work and established some traditions, like the Walk and the Rock, that were intended to last longer than his tenure. Hopefully, that will be the case even though he only got to coach two seasons with the Hoosiers.

Memorial contributions at IU should be made to the Varsity Club, in lieu of flowers, in support of the new North End Zone Facility at Memorial Stadium. The Hoeppner family can be emailed or contacted the old-fashioned way through Indiana Football at Memorial Stadium, 1001 East 17th Street, Bloomington, IN 47408.