Mike Hankwitz Mike Hankwitz ( born December 14 , 1947 ) is an American football coach and former player . He is currently the defensive coordinator at Northwestern University , a position he has held since 2008 . Hankwitz has twice served as an interim head football coach , for seven games in 2003 at the University of Arizona and for one game in 2005 , the Champs Sports Bowl , with the University of Colorado – Boulder , compiling a career head coaching record of 1 – 7 . Hankwitz played college football at the University of Michigan from 1966 to 1969 . He has spent most of his coaching career as an assistant at a number of schools . Teams for which Hankwitz has coached have had a winning record in 34 of his 40 years . Ten of those clubs won conference championships and 12 more were league runners - up . Hankwitz has coached in 25 bowl games , including every major New Year ' s Day bowl game — Rose Bowl , Sugar Bowl , Fiesta Bowl , Orange Bowl , Cotton Bowl Classic , Outback Bowl and Capital One Bowl . In his 25 years as a defensive coordinator , his defense has ranked in the nation ' s top 25 on 14 occasions . As coordinator , his teams have 36 wins over ranked programs , including nine wins over top - five clubs and two wins over # 1 - ranked teams . Hankwitz also has coached 14 first - team All - Americans , including four straight punters at Colorado , five conference defensive players of the year , 47 first - team all - conference choices and 12 team MVPs . He has recruited eight players who went on to play in the NFL . As a coordinator , Hankwitz has won 202 games and seven conference championships . Playing career . Hankwitz was a three - year football letterwinner for the Wolverines and started on the 1969 Big Ten championship squad that played in the Rose Bowl . Hankwitz earned a B . S . in education from Michigan in 1970 . Coaching career . Including his work as a graduate assistant at Michigan and his stints as an interim head coach , Hankwitz has made 11 different coaching stops . Hankwitz is considered an X ' s and O ' s guru , having built top - five defenses at multiple stops . He has served as an assistant under a number of accomplished head coaches , including Bo Schembechler at Michigan , Jim Young at Arizona and Purdue , Bill McCartney at Colorado , Glen Mason at Kansas , R . C . Slocum at Texas A & M , John Mackovic at Arizona , and Gary Barnett at Colorado . Michigan , first stint at Arizona , Purdue , Western Michigan . Hankwitz began his coaching career as a graduate assistant from 1970 to 1972 at his alma mater , the University of Michigan , under head coach Bo Schembechler . There he helped the Wolverines to two Big Ten Conference titles , a 30 – 3 record , three top - ten national rankings and an appearance in the 1972 Rose Bowl . Hankwitz was the outside linebackers , secondary , and punt return / punt rush coach at the University of Arizona from 1973 to 1976 . He then moved to Purdue University as the outside linebackers and punting coach from 1977 to 1981 . Next Hankwitz was the defensive coordinator with additional responsibilities for the secondary , punters , and punt team at Western Michigan University from 1982 to 1984 . The 1982 Western Michigan defense allowed only 72 points , the fewest in Division I that season . First stint at Colorado . Hankwitz enjoyed a successful 10 - year run in his first stint at the University of Colorado at Boulder ( 1985 – 1994 ) . After coaching outside linebackers and punters his first three years with the Buffaloes , he was named the program ' s defensive coordinator in 1988 . Colorado put together the nation ' s fifth - best record ( 58 – 11 – 4 ) from 1989 to 1994 , won a share of the national title in 1990 , captured three Big Eight Conference titles , made two appearances each in the Orange and Fiesta Bowl , and finished top - 20 all six years including three top - five finishes . The Buffs ' 1989 and 1991 teams set the school record for fewest points allowed ( 150 ) in a season . Among Hankwitz ' s standout players at Colorado were Jim Thorpe Award winners Deon Figures ( 1992 ) and Chris Hudson ( 1994 ) , and Butkus Award winner Alfred Williams ( 1990 ) . Kansas , Texas A & M . Hankwitz spent two seasons ( 1995 – 1996 ) as defensive coordinator and inside linebackers coach for head coach Glen Mason at the University of Kansas . The 1995 Jayhawks recorded the school ' s first 10 - win season since 1905 , played in the Aloha Bowl and ranked 10th in the final national polls . Hankwitz was the defensive coordinator , linebackers coach , and punting coach at Texas A & M University from 1997 to 2002 , where he guided the Aggies ' famed " Wrecking Crew " defense . During that span he had three top - 10 ranked defenses and two more top - 20 defenses as Texas A & M won the Big 12 Conference championship in 1998 and also captured Big 12 South Division title the year before . Among Hankwitz ' s standout players at Texas A & M was Dat Nguyen , who won the Lombardi and Bednarik Award s . Returns to Arizona and Colorado , interim head coaching stints . After his stint at Texas A & M , Hankwitz returned to Arizona and served as defensive coordinator in 2003 . After head coach John Mackovic was fired four games into the season , Hankwitz was named interim head coach for the rest of the season and compiled a record of 1 – 6 . The next season , Hankwitz returned to Colorado where he spent two seasons as defensive coordinator and outside linebackers coach there . He served as the program ' s interim head coach for the Buffaloes in the 2005 Champs Sports Bowl against Clemson after Gary Barnett was forced to resign , though Colorado credits the game to Barnett . Colorado won the Big 12 North Division title in both 2004 and 2005 . Wisconsin . Hankwitz next moved on to the University of Wisconsin , where he served as the Badgers ' defensive coordinator . In 2006 , Wisconsin touted one of the nation ' s best defenses , ranking first in the nation in pass efficiency defense ( 84 . 19 rating , third - lowest in Big Ten Conference history ) , second in scoring defense ( 12 . 1 point per game ) , and fifth in total defense ( 253 . 1 yard per game ) . The Badgers limited six of their opponents to ten or fewer points and allowed only three foes to reach the 20 - point mark . In two years with the Badgers , Hankwitz coached 13 players who received at least honorable mention All - Big Ten honors . Eight of the 11 defensive starters from the 2006 squad received at least honorable mention All - Big Ten recognition , including first - team cornerback Jack Ikegwuonu and second - teamers Matt Shaughnessy and Roderick Rogers . Northwestern . Hired on January 18 , 2008 , Hankwitz is currently Northwestern ' s defensive coordinator while assisting with the safeties . He made an impact in first season in 2008 , coach the Wildcats defense to fifth - best improvement in the nation from the previous season . After allowing 31 . 0 points per game in 2007 , Northwestern surrendered just 20 . 2 in 2008 to rank 27th in the country and fourth in the Big Ten . The Wildcats also ranked in the top - 30 nationally in sacks ( 18th ) , pass efficiency defense ( 25th ) and tackles for loss ( 28th ) . The defense was the best the Wildcat program had seen since their head coach , Pat Fitzgerald , led the unit on the field in 1995 and 1996 as an All - American linebacker . The Wildcats posted 20 defensive shutout quarters on the year and held four opponents to under 100 yards rushing — including a school record four - yard performance against Ohio . In the Alamo Bowl , Northwestern ' s defense held Missouri , which touted one of the nation ' s most potent offenses , averaging 497 . 5 yards of offense and 43 . 2 point per game ) , to just 286 yards and 17 points through four quarters of play . The Wildcats fell to the Tigers in overtime , 30 – 23 . Family . Hankwitz and his wife , Cathy , have a son , Jacob .