Hoeppner to miss spring practices for health reasons

IU football coach Terry Hoeppner will miss all of the spring practice session to attend to “personal health matters,” according to a statement released late Sunday night by the IU Athletics Department.\nHoeppner missed two games in the 2006 season while recovering from brain surgery – the second brain operation the coach had undergone since December 2005.\n“Coach Hoeppner has indicated a need to take some time to regain his strength and energy and to receive proper medical care,” IU Director of Athletics Rick Greenspan said in a statement. “We have encouraged Terry to make his family and health a top priority.” \nThe football team begins spring practice Tuesday and will hold 15 practice sessions before the Cream and Crimson Spring Game on April 14. \nOffensive coordinator Bill Lynch will step in for Hoeppner and handle the day-to-day operations of the football program in his absence. \n“Coach Hoeppner is one of the strongest men I’ve ever been around and his health is the most important thing to everyone who cares about him,” Lynch said in a statement. “Our coaching staff will effectively guide this program’s progress throughout the spring practice period as we look to prepare for a successful season.” \nLynch filled in for Hoeppner during last fall’s football season when Hoeppner underwent surgery to remove scar tissue resulting from previous surgery for a benign brain tumor. \nThe Hoosiers went 0-2 during Hoeppner’s absence, falling 35-28 to Southern Illinois and 14-7 to Connecticut. \nLynch has served as IU’s offensive coordinator for two seasons and also has experience as a head coach at Ball State, Butler and DePauw. \nNo timetable has been set for Hoeppner’s return, though he said he intends to return “to guide this program into the 2007 season and beyond.”\n“My faith, my family and the Indiana football program are the most important things in my life,” Hoeppner said in a statement. “In order to serve them best and make a full recovery, I need to take some time away to regain my strength and energy.”