Mike Hankwitz has had a long and successful career as a college assistant and defensive coordinator that spans 51 years, and this season the Northwestern defense has been one of the best in the country.
Just a few weeks ago, Hankwitz made it known that he plans to retire at the conclusion of the 2020 season after stops at Michigan, Purdue, Arizona, Western Michigan, Colorado, Kansas, Texas A&M, and Wisconsin before joining Pat Fitzgerald's staff in Evanston back in 2008.
The Broyles Award, given annually to the top assistant coach in college football, announced an outstanding group of finalists last week, and Hankwitz was among them.
In the call to deliver the good news, the Broyles family called Pat Fitzgerald to thank him for nominating Hankwitz, and Fitz delivered the phone to his defensive coordinator to allow them to deliver the good news in person and congratulate the coaching veteran.
Coach Hankwitz gets emotional and shares how the award is really a staff award.
It's a really cool moment that often isn't captured.
Take a look.