They brought in a band, cheerleaders and Willie the Wildcat for David Braun's press conference today. Northwestern president Dr. Michael Schill and athletic director Dr. Derrick Gragg were there. There were rows and rows of seats reserved for VIPs -- though very few showed and they eventually gave the seats to media. They made a video for announcing him as the permanent head coach.
But if you want to know the real David Braun, you could find him several minutes after the press conference, after the band, the cheerleaders, the administrators and the VIPs had all cleared out. He had just taken a picture with his wife and three kids in front of the podium. Matt Shelton and I walked over to shake his hand and offer our congratulations, and we started talking. About anything and everything. Eventually, Adam Rittenberg walked over and joined us.
The newly hired coach stood there and talked to us for maybe 15 minutes, while holding his four-month-old baby girl, Blake, loosely in his left arm. We talked about how much of a whirlwind the last few months have been for him and his family. We talked about the last couple days, when the program offered him the job that he's been dreaming about his whole career. We talked about recruiting. We talked about NIL. We talked about transfers. He was an open book, just a guy talking football with a few guys. He wasn't guarded. You felt like you could ask him anything.
He seemed more at home there than he did at the podium, then he did having to listen to people shower him with praise. He was wearing a suit, and he was now a Big Ten head coach making millions of dollars a year, but for those few minutes, he was just a guy talking to a few reporters -- and genuinely enjoying it. We were in cavernous Ryan Fieldhouse, but it just as well could have been in his yard, talking over the fence. Or in a bar, maybe. He shared his thoughts. He laughed. He listened. We cracked a few jokes.
That's who David Braun is. That's why his players love him. That's how he got the job. He connects with people, plain and simple. He likes engaging them. He's easy to talk to, earnest and genuine. When you talk to David Braun, you get David Braun -- not a Big Ten head football coach who is careful about what he says and is conscious of certain things he can't say. He's the same guy I talked to back in March, when he was a defensive coordinator. I imagine he was the same guy at North Dakota State and Winona State, too.
That's the secret of David Braun's success. It's not the Xs and Os. It's not the experience and resume. As long as David Braun keeps being David Braun, he'll be just fine.
But if you want to know the real David Braun, you could find him several minutes after the press conference, after the band, the cheerleaders, the administrators and the VIPs had all cleared out. He had just taken a picture with his wife and three kids in front of the podium. Matt Shelton and I walked over to shake his hand and offer our congratulations, and we started talking. About anything and everything. Eventually, Adam Rittenberg walked over and joined us.
The newly hired coach stood there and talked to us for maybe 15 minutes, while holding his four-month-old baby girl, Blake, loosely in his left arm. We talked about how much of a whirlwind the last few months have been for him and his family. We talked about the last couple days, when the program offered him the job that he's been dreaming about his whole career. We talked about recruiting. We talked about NIL. We talked about transfers. He was an open book, just a guy talking football with a few guys. He wasn't guarded. You felt like you could ask him anything.
He seemed more at home there than he did at the podium, then he did having to listen to people shower him with praise. He was wearing a suit, and he was now a Big Ten head coach making millions of dollars a year, but for those few minutes, he was just a guy talking to a few reporters -- and genuinely enjoying it. We were in cavernous Ryan Fieldhouse, but it just as well could have been in his yard, talking over the fence. Or in a bar, maybe. He shared his thoughts. He laughed. He listened. We cracked a few jokes.
That's who David Braun is. That's why his players love him. That's how he got the job. He connects with people, plain and simple. He likes engaging them. He's easy to talk to, earnest and genuine. When you talk to David Braun, you get David Braun -- not a Big Ten head football coach who is careful about what he says and is conscious of certain things he can't say. He's the same guy I talked to back in March, when he was a defensive coordinator. I imagine he was the same guy at North Dakota State and Winona State, too.
That's the secret of David Braun's success. It's not the Xs and Os. It's not the experience and resume. As long as David Braun keeps being David Braun, he'll be just fine.
