A little less than three weeks after losing his running backs coach to the NFL, Bret Bielema has filled that coaching void.
And he did so by raiding a conference rival’s coaching staff.
The Badgers announced Wednesday night that they had hired Thomas Hammock as their new running backs coach. Hammock had spent the past four seasons coaching RBs at Minnesota, as well as holding the title of co-offensive coordinator in 2010.
“Much like the hiring of DeMontie Cross, Thomas is a coach that I have watched grow and am excited to finally have as a part of our staff,” Bielema said. “I first met Thomas when I was the defensive coordinator at Wisconsin eight years ago and I have been impressed with his coaching ability and work ethic ever since. He has worked his way up in the coaching ranks, and is a great addition to our coaching staff. He will help us in all three phases that are important to us, recruiting the right players for Wisconsin, developing players on the field and molding them into successful young men off the field.’
Gophers head coach Jerry Kill said that Hammock, who was a grad assistant at UW in 2003 and 2004, felt the opportunity for advancement was better at Wisconsin than if he had stayed at Minnesota.
“This is a situation where the stability in our staff hurt us a bit,” Kill said in his own statement. “This had nothing to do with money. It had to do with advancement in his career. Thomas felt that the stability of our coordinator situation meant that the opportunity to advance from running backs coach to offensive coordinator would come quicker at Wisconsin than it would here. I appreciate what Thomas has done for us in the transition and I wish him the best.”
In announcing Hammock’s departure, Kill also announced the hiring of Brian Anderson as Hammock’s replacement.