Mike Hart (American football) facts for kids
Hart with Michigan in 2024
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| Personal information | |||||||||||
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| Born: | April 9, 1986 Syracuse, New York, U.S. |
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| Height: | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) | ||||||||||
| Weight: | 206 lb (93 kg) | ||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||
| High school: | Onondaga Central (Nedrow, New York) |
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| College: | Michigan | ||||||||||
| NFL Draft: | 2008 / Round: 6 / Pick: 202 | ||||||||||
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Leon Michael Hart (born April 9, 1986) is an American football coach and former player. He played as a running back for the Michigan Wolverines from 2004 to 2007. Mike Hart holds the Michigan Wolverines' record for career rushing yards with 5,040 yards. After college, he played three seasons in the NFL for the Indianapolis Colts. Today, Hart works as an assistant football coach at the University of Michigan and other universities.
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Early Life and High School Success
Mike Hart grew up near Syracuse, New York. He went to Onondaga Central High School. There, he became a football star. He set a national record for career rushing touchdowns with 204. He also scored 1,246 career points, which is a lot for a non-quarterback. He finished high school with 11,045 rushing yards, placing him second all-time.
During Hart's time, Onondaga Central had an amazing record of 46 wins and only 1 loss. They won three state championships. Mike was also a great student. He scored high on the SAT and was one of the top students in his class.
College Football Career
Mike Hart joined the University of Michigan in 2004. In his first year, he set a new Michigan record. He rushed for 1,455 yards, the most ever by a freshman. He also scored nine touchdowns and caught 26 passes.
In 2005, a hamstring injury caused him to miss some games. Even so, he rushed for 662 yards and four touchdowns. He also caught 16 passes.
The 2006 season was fantastic for Hart. He rushed for 1,562 yards, which was the fifth-best season in Michigan history. He scored 14 touchdowns and caught 17 passes. For his great play, he was named co-MVP of his team. He was also a finalist for the Doak Walker Award, which goes to the best college running back. He even finished fifth in the voting for the Heisman Trophy, a huge award for college football's best player.
As a senior in 2007, Hart was chosen as a team captain. He started the season as one of the top rushers in college football. An ankle injury later in the season caused him to miss two games. He still finished with 1,361 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns.
Michigan Records and Achievements
Mike Hart holds several impressive records at Michigan. He rushed 1,015 times for a total of 5,040 yards, both school records. His 41 career rushing touchdowns are the third-most in Michigan history. He also had 28 games where he rushed for at least 100 yards, and 5 games where he gained over 200 yards. These are also Michigan records. In his final college game, he passed the 5,000-yard rushing mark, becoming only the fourth player in Big Ten history to do so.
Awards and Honors
Mike Hart received many awards during his college career:
- He was a finalist for the Doak Walker Award in both 2006 and 2007.
- He was named to the All-Big Ten Conference First-team three times (2004, 2006, 2007).
- In 2004, he was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year.
- He was the Michigan football team's co-MVP in 2006 and MVP in 2007.
Professional Football Career
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In 2008, the Indianapolis Colts picked Mike Hart in the sixth round of the 2008 NFL draft. He was the 202nd player chosen overall.
During his first season in 2008, Hart didn't play much. He had a knee injury in October and was placed on injured reserve, ending his season.
In 2009, Hart was cut by the Colts but then signed to their practice squad. He later rejoined the active roster. On December 6, he got his first chances to play that season. On January 3, 2010, he scored his first NFL touchdown. It was a one-yard run from a hand-off by star quarterback Peyton Manning. He also played in Super Bowl XLIV that year.
In 2010, Hart scored his second career touchdown against the Kansas City Chiefs. This was the only touchdown in the game, and the Colts won 19–9. Later that season, he had his best NFL game, rushing for 84 yards on 12 carries against the Houston Texans. The Colts released him in July 2011.
Coaching Career
After his playing career, Mike Hart became a football coach. In August 2011, he started coaching at Eastern Michigan University. He worked as an offensive quality control coach and then as the running backs coach.
He later coached running backs at Western Michigan University (2014–2015) and Syracuse University (2016). In 2017, he moved to Indiana University Bloomington to coach running backs there.
On January 13, 2021, Hart returned to his old college team, the University of Michigan, as the running backs coach. In October 2022, during a game against Indiana, Hart had a sudden medical issue on the sideline. He was taken to a hospital for evaluation and recovered.
In 2023, Mike Hart took on a special role. He served as the interim head coach for the second half of Michigan's second game of the season. On September 9, 2023, he led the Wolverines to a 35–7 win. This was his first official win as a college football head coach. He also made history by becoming the first African American to be a head coach at Michigan.
Hart helped Michigan win the national championship in 2023. He coached Blake Corum, a running back who was named an All-American two years in a row.
Images for kids
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2007 team huddle with Mario Manningham (86), Ryan Mallett (15), Hart (20), Jake Long (77), Adrian Arrington (16), Mike Massey (83), Justin Boren (65), Carson Butler (85), and Stephen Schilling (52) against Penn State
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2004 Michigan Wolverines football team #20 Hart, #7 Chad Henne, #15 Steve Breaston, #8 Jason Avant, #88 Tim Massaquoi
