Coach Hep Passes

Terry Hoeppner, head coach at Indiana University passed away on Tuesday morning. I don't personally know Coach Hep at all, but I can honestly tell you that he meant more to Indiana University and the state of Indiana than anyone really knows. Here was a man who was changing the landscape of Indiana football, and fighting like crazy to instill in everyone how to do things the right way. From the traditions that he started to reach out to the community, most notably, "The Walk." Which was when the entire team would walk from Assembly Hall through parking lots down to Memorial stadium through a long line of people just to shake hands and chat on the way to the game. Obviously, there is a lot of coverage in Indiana about Coach Hep right now and every time I see a replay of some of the "Walks" he is right there with all the players, shaking hands with everyone that he can see. He wanted to get the community support and people to the games. He wanted to bring IU football back to bowl games, and eventually a trip to the Rose Bowl. You could see it in him. It wasn't like he did it just to schmooze people, he was real. Real enough that if I was going to go play football, I would have wanted to play for Hep. The nickname that he gave to Memorial Stadium was "The Rock." He wanted to always protect and defend "The Rock." The thing that I take away from that is that you have to have your priorities in line at home, and in your surroundings for it to carry beyond the walls of the stadium or locker room. You can see that Hep was the same no matter where he was, whether it be on the sideline or in a press conference. He wanted everyone to be a part of what he was doing, because "Coach Hep Wants You."

The state of Indiana lost a well respected man this week. Please be in prayers for the Hoeppner family, the team, and Indiana University.

Last night, on one of the Local News channels they interviewed some of the players and Josiah Sears, a FB, said that he will remember one saying that Coach Hep would say and that is "Never Give Up."

I think that most people know where Hep headed, but I will quote Brent Glasgow from the Hendricks County Flyer in which he said, "Although he wasn’t able to lead the Hoosiers to the promised land, if there is a place called Heaven, I know Terry Hoeppner will be there."

Image Courtesy of Indiana University.