Miami University After spending 13 years as an assistant at Miami, Hoeppner became the
RedHawks' 31st head coach in 1999. He succeeded Walker, who was named head coach at
Northwestern. Hoeppner's first game at Miami was against Walker and the Wildcats, which resulted in a 28–3 Miami victory. Despite the win, his first year was considered by some to be a disappointment. The RedHawks were coming off a 10–1 season, and returned several starters including record-breaking running back
Travis Prentice, but were only able to post a 7–4 record. The dropoff was attributed in part to Hoeppner's installation of an open passing attack, rather than the running game Walker had used in the past. The change ended up paying dividends later, as Miami earned a 48–25 overall record under Hoeppner and finished among the top three in the
Mid-American Conference East in each of his six years at the helm. While at Miami, Hoeppner recruited and signed
Ben Roethlisberger by promising to play him at quarterback, whereas other programs were recruiting Roethlisberger as a wide receiver or a tight end. Roethlisberger went on to achieve great success in the
National Football League (NFL) as quarterback of the
Pittsburgh Steelers. Hoeppner's best season was 2003 when Miami, quarterbacked by Roethlisberger, went 13–1 and finished No. 10 in the final
AP Poll..
Indiana During his first year as head coach at
Indiana University, Hoeppner tried to resurrect life into the program through his campaign entitled "Coach Hep wants you." Hoeppner and the
Hoosiers began the season 4–1 before losing their last six games. After the season, Hoeppner was diagnosed with a brain tumor. The following year, the Hoosiers once again started strong, but eventually fell one game short of Hoeppner's goal of reaching a college bowl berth. His oft quoted mantra was "Play 13." In 2007, the inspired Hoosiers succeeded in Hoeppner's goal and became eligible to participate in the
Insight Bowl. In September
2006, Hoeppner required additional brain surgery, causing him to miss two weeks of the regular season. He returned to the team to coach against
Wisconsin. ==Death==