We’d roll into Lambert Fieldhouse three times a week and scatter around the lecture room as this big blond dude with a big moustache held court, explaining concepts like the Junk Defense and introducing guest lecturers like Bob Spoo.
One guy sat near the back, always wearing a sock hat. No doubt he passed, because he wound up with four Super Bowl rings for the 49ers. Now he wears their red sports coats. Keena Turner.
The fellow presiding over us way back when was a rising young assistant coach for Purdue who’d played the game at Michigan, became a grad assistant for Bo Schembechler, then coached linebackers and the secondary at Arizona.
After five years of assisting the defense at Purdue, he became the defensive coordinator for Western Michigan. Then Colorado. Then Kansas. Then Texas A&M. Then back to Arizona. Then back to Colorado. Then on to Wisconsin.
And now, in 2020, in his 52nd year as a college football coach, Mike Hankwitz will return to his early haunts at Purdue while serving in his 13th year as the defensive coordinator for Northwestern’s Wildcats.
All that moving. All that defense. Conference titles. A national championship. Pro products galore. All springing from … the Junk in the trunk.
One guy sat near the back, always wearing a sock hat. No doubt he passed, because he wound up with four Super Bowl rings for the 49ers. Now he wears their red sports coats. Keena Turner.
The fellow presiding over us way back when was a rising young assistant coach for Purdue who’d played the game at Michigan, became a grad assistant for Bo Schembechler, then coached linebackers and the secondary at Arizona.
After five years of assisting the defense at Purdue, he became the defensive coordinator for Western Michigan. Then Colorado. Then Kansas. Then Texas A&M. Then back to Arizona. Then back to Colorado. Then on to Wisconsin.
And now, in 2020, in his 52nd year as a college football coach, Mike Hankwitz will return to his early haunts at Purdue while serving in his 13th year as the defensive coordinator for Northwestern’s Wildcats.
All that moving. All that defense. Conference titles. A national championship. Pro products galore. All springing from … the Junk in the trunk.
