Coaching in college football for over five decades is a feat only a handful of men can claim. Northwestern defensive coordinator Mike Hankwitz is one of those rare men.
Hankwitz told head coach Pat Fitzgerald before the start of the 2020 season that he intended to retire at the conclusion of the season, according to Brandon Marcello.
At 73, Hankwitz (a nominee for the 2020 Broyles Award) considered stepping away each of the last few years, according to 247.
Born on the opposite side of Lake Michigan in Ludington, Hankwitz will end his career on the opposite side of the big lake. It's a career that has seen him criss-cross the country in coaching stops at Michigan, Arizona, Purdue, Western Michigan, Colorado, Kansas, Texas A&M, back to Arizona and Colorado, and then to Wisconsin before landing at Northwestern with Pat Fitzgerald in 2008. He's been in Evanston ever since.
He's called defenses at a number of those stops, including at Arizona (where he served as interim head coach in 2003), and Kansas (when the Jayhawks creeped into the AP top 10), and was let go by Bret Bielema at Wisconsin following the 2007 season before landing on his feet at Northwestern. Alongside good friend Pat Fitzgerald, Hankwitz has successfully transformed the Wildcat defense into one of the Big Ten's best, and he's highly regarded as one of the best defensive minds in college football.
With the Big Ten title game against Ohio State on the horizon, Hankwitz has been a part of 399 wins as a college assistant coach.
How cool would it be for #400 to come in the Big Ten title game against the Buckeyes?
If you needed an extra reason to tune into the Big Ten title game, now you've got it.