The Leadup

  When we were putting together the initial post on Hoeppner we scoured through our contacts in the Athletic Department.  Some are employees and some are student athletes but they were uniform in what information they gave us, which was little.  What we believed to be factual, minus a few details we determined to be privileged, went into the article when we summed up the situation.  We never predicted what came next (actually Cobra did and Bruce Paine did not).  The support was immediate and tremendous.  Within the 100 or so emails were the six emails I mentioned above.  Though all the correspondents asked for anonymity (and got it) they all said they knew for certain that Hep would not return.  They all received essentially the same reply.  Since various news outlets  had been making an issue out of the contract situation in Hoeppner's case, I asked all six individuals if their knowledge was based from information regarding his contract being voided or if he intended to step down.  I then told them that if their information was medically based I didn't want to know about it.  The Cobra Brigade never had any intention of investigating that or breaking that sort of news.  Regardless, five individuals responded to the query and all said that it was based on medical information.  Two were very specific and after a few phone calls to a third party, were confirmed to our satisfaction to be truthful.  Cobra wisely decided that reporting on Hoeppner's health, at that stage, was not our place.  On June 15, when IU announced that Bill Lynch would take over as head coach, the Cobra Brigade took that as a sign that Hep's situation was deteriorating.  We then received emails from some of the same individuals that had initially contacted us indicating that to be the case.  Cobra again made the sage decision to post a support blog for Hoeppner and Lynch and leave it there.  That brings us up to today, when we learned that Terry Hoeppner had passed away this morning.

Moving On

I am sure many folks will begin to speculate as to how Indiana University will move on in the next season.  The majority of the talk will concern who follows Hoeppner as coach of the Hoosiers.  While I am sure that it is a situation Athletic Director Rick Greenspan has pondered, I find it hard to believe that the routine will change much from what it has been since the spring.  Bill Lynch, as IU told us last Friday, will be leading the Hoosiers during the 2007 campaign.  He brings to the field a young team with an exciting offense that has a year of experience under its belt and a few interesting seniors who look to make big impacts.  James "Jimmy Real Deal" Hardy at wide receiver, Tracy Porter at corner, and Marcus Thigpen at tailback will be the highest profile.  As for who will be taking over for the 2008 season, I will move it to the backburner.  There are simply too many stories inside the state of Indiana in the college football world to be focusing on a decision we won't hear about until the 2008.  Bill Lynch will have a good season at IU, probably even a winning season and maybe even a... well we aren't going to use that word until October 20th.  

The Wrap Up

 The story of Terry Hoeppner at IU is a really good one until you say the word "cancer".  With the spirit he put back into the program, it may even have a happy ending the Hoosiers around the nation can be proud of.  I can't begin to fathom the heartbreak Coach Hep's family is going through, but I can only take it as a good omen for the future that Hep's wife and kids were at the groundbreaking today for the improvements to Memorial Stadium.  When I learned how dire the situation regarding Hep's health had become, it was a bodyblow I am still feeling.  The Hoosier fanbase feels it, too.  But the story is over now, and the time should really belong to the Hoeppners.  The Hoosier fans out there have to begin looking forward to the start of 2007 season with anticipation instead of the anxiety we have felt for a the moment that has now come and gone.  I part with a contribution from the Hot Tub who emailed me this picture and added a great idea.  Hot Tub thinks that somewhere in the pockets of Indiana University there ought to be money enough to buy a piece of bronze and imbue it with the image of Terry Hoeppner in this pose, and that it should be placed here next to his beloved Rock, and that all IU fans may see it and be reminded of the titanic inspiration that radiated from one man. 

You can contact Bruce Paine by emailing him at brucelikespaine@yahoo.com

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