Leon Michael Hart (born April 9, 1986) is an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

coach and former player. He currently serves as the running backs coach at

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

. Hart played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

as a

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offen ...

at the University of Michigan from 2004 to 2007 and holds the

Michigan Wolverines The Michigan Wolverines comprise 29 varsity sports teams at the University of Michigan. These teams compete in the NCAA's Division I and in the Big Ten Conference in all sports except women's water polo, which competes in the NCAA inter-divisio ...

career rushing record with 5,040 yards. He was selected by the

Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 2008 ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL) in the sixth round of the

2008 NFL Draft The 2008 NFL Draft was the 73rd annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players. The draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, New York, on April 26 and April 27, ...

. Hart played three seasons for the Colts, mostly in a back-up role, before the team released him in the spring of 2011. He has previously worked as an assistant football coach at

Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York. Established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church, the university has been nonsectarian since 1920. Locate ...

Western Michigan University Western Michigan University (Western Michigan, Western or WMU) is a public research university in Kalamazoo, Michigan. It was initially established as Western State Normal School in 1903 by Governor Aaron T. Bliss for the training of teachers ...

Eastern Michigan University Eastern Michigan University (EMU, Eastern Michigan or simply Eastern), is a public research university in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Founded in 1849 as Michigan State Normal School, the school was the fourth normal school established in the United Sta ...

, and

Indiana University Bloomington Indiana University Bloomington (IU Bloomington, Indiana University, IU, or simply Indiana) is a public university, public research university in Bloomington, Indiana. It is the flagship university, flagship campus of Indiana University and, with ...

Early years

Hart attended Onondaga Central High School just outside

Syracuse, New York Syracuse ( ) is a City (New York), city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, Onondaga County, New York, United States. It is the fifth-most populous city in the state of New York following New York City, Buffalo, New York, Buffa ...

where he set the national career record for rushing

touchdown A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone. In Ameri ...

s (204), career points (for a non-quarterback) with 1,246, and finished second in career rushing yards (11,045). Onondaga Central went 46–1 (), losing only a single game to

Mohawk Mohawk may refer to: Related to Native Americans * Mohawk people, an indigenous people of North America (Canada and New York) *Mohawk language, the language spoken by the Mohawk people * Mohawk hairstyle, from a hairstyle once thought to have been ...

Central School, and won three state championships (against

Dobbs Ferry Dobbs Ferry is a village in Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was 10,875 according to the 2010 United States Census. In 2019, its population rose to an estimated 11,027. The village of Dobbs Ferry is located in, and is a p ...

, Briarcliff and

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...

) during Hart's career. His national career touchdown record of 204 was surpassed by

Johnathan Gray Johnathan Gray (born April 22, 1993) is an American football running back for the Frisco Fighters of the Indoor Football League. He played college football for the University of Texas at Austin. He attended Aledo High School in Aledo, Texas. Gr ...

in 2011 although he remains first in career points. Hart also excelled academically in high school scoring 1280 on the

SAT The SAT ( ) is a standardized test widely used for college admissions in the United States. Since its debut in 1926, its name and scoring have changed several times; originally called the Scholastic Aptitude Test, it was later called the Schol ...

and graduating in the top five of his class with a 94% average.

College career

20070922 Ryan Mallett hands off to Mike Hart

In the 2004 season, Hart set a Michigan record for most rushing yards in a season by a freshman with 1,455. He rushed for nine touchdowns and had 26 receptions for 237 yards and a touchdown catch. For the 2005 season as a sophomore, Hart missed significant time due to a

hamstring In human anatomy, a hamstring () is any one of the three posterior thigh muscles in between the hip and the knee (from medial to lateral: semimembranosus, semitendinosus and biceps femoris). The hamstrings are susceptible to injury. In quadrupeds, ...

injury. He started eight of Michigan's 12 games and played sparingly in three of those. He finished the season with 662 yards and four touchdowns rushing and added 16 receptions for 154 yards and a touchdown catch. During the 2006 season, Hart rushed for 1,562 yards – the fifth-best season total in Michigan history – and 14 touchdowns. He also caught 17 passes for 125 yards. For his efforts, Hart was recognized as his team's co-MVP with

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, p ...

David Harris. He was also selected by both coaches and media to the All-

Big Ten Conference The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference) is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representati ...

First-team, named a finalist for the

Doak Walker Award Since 1990 the Doak Walker Award honors the top running back in college football in the United States. It is named in honor of Doak Walker, a former running back who played for the SMU Mustangs from 1945 to 1949 and in the National Football Le ...

, and placed fifth in

Heisman Trophy The Heisman Memorial Trophy (usually known colloquially as the Heisman Trophy or The Heisman) is awarded annually to the most outstanding player in college football. Winners epitomize great ability combined with diligence, perseverance, and hard ...

balloting. As a senior in the 2007 season, Hart was elected team captain along with

offensive tackle Offensive may refer to: * Offensive, the former name of the Dutch political party Socialist Alternative * Offensive (military), an attack * Offensive language ** Fighting words or insulting language, words that by their very utterance inflict inj ...

Jake Long and linebacker

Shawn Crable Shawn Crable (born December 26, 1984) is a former professional American football linebacker. He played college football at Michigan and was drafted by the New England Patriots in the third round of the 2008 NFL Draft. Crable was also a member of ...

. He entered the eighth week of the season as college football's leader in rushing yards, but after an

ankle The ankle, or the talocrural region, or the jumping bone (informal) is the area where the foot and the leg meet. The ankle includes three joints: the ankle joint proper or talocrural joint, the subtalar joint, and the inferior tibiofibular join ...

injury sidelined him for two games, he dropped in the rankings. Hart finished the season with 1,361 yards and 14 touchdowns. In his Michigan career, Hart rushed 1,015 times for 5,040 yards; both marks are school records. His 41 career rushing touchdowns are third-best in Michigan annals. Hart's 28 career games with at least 100 yards rushing and 5 games with at least 200 yards rushing are each the most in Michigan history. Hart lost three

fumble A fumble in gridiron football occurs when a player who has possession and control of the ball loses it before being downed (tackled), scoring, or going out of bounds. By rule, it is any act other than passing, kicking, punting, or successful ...

s in his college career, two of which came in his last game as a Wolverine in the

2008 Capital One Bowl The 2008 Capital One Bowl was held on January 1, 2008 at the Florida Citrus Bowl in Orlando, Florida. The game featured the University of Michigan Wolverines—who finished the 2007 season tied for second in the Big Ten Conference with an ...

. In that game, Hart also passed the 5,000 yard rushing mark for his career, becoming only the fourth player in Big Ten history to do so.

Awards and honors

20071117 Mike Hart and family on Senior Day

National awards * 2006

finalist * 2006

Maxwell Award The Maxwell Award is presented annually to the college football player judged by a panel of sportscasters, sportswriters, and National Collegiate Athletic Association head coaches and the membership of the Maxwell Football Club to be the best all ...

semifinalist * 2006

Walter Camp Award The Walter Camp Player of the Year Award is given annually to the collegiate American football player of the year, as decided by a group of National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I FBS head coaches and sports information directo ...

watchlist * 2006

fifth place * 2007

semifinalist * 2007

finalist Conference honors * 2004 All-Big Ten Conference First-team (coaches and media) * 2004 Big Ten Freshman of the Year (coaches and media) * 2006 All-Big Ten Conference First-team (coaches and media, unanimous) * 2007 Big Ten Preseason Offensive Player of the Year (media) * 2007 All-Big Ten Conference First-team (coaches and media) Team awards * 2006 Michigan football team co-MVP with David Harris * 2007 Michigan football team MVP

Statistics

Professional career

Indianapolis Colts

Hart was selected in the sixth round (202nd overall) of the

by the

. Third on the Colts depth chart behind

Joseph Addai Joseph Kwaku Duah Addai Jr. ( ) (born May 3, 1983) is a former American football running back in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected in the first round (30th overall pick) of the 2006 NFL Draft out of Louisiana State University b ...

and

Dominic Rhodes Dominic Dondrell Rhodes (born January 17, 1979) is a former American football running back. He played college football at Midwestern State and was signed by the Indianapolis Colts as an undrafted free agent in 2001. Rhodes was also a member ...

, Hart saw little action during the 2008 season, rushing for nine yards on two carries. During the second quarter of the Colts victory over the

Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays its ...

in Week 6, Hart sustained a knee injury on an 18-yard reception from

Peyton Manning Peyton Williams Manning (born March 24, 1976) is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 18 seasons. Nicknamed "the Sheriff", he spent 14 seasons with the Indianapolis Colts and four with th ...

. On October 15, Hart was placed on

injured reserve The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in th ...

, ending his season. Hart missed the 2009 pre-season opener with an ankle injury. On September 5, Hart was cut by the Colts then was signed to the Colts practice squad on September 6. On October 4, Hart was reassigned to the Colts active roster, replacing

Chad Simpson Chad Simpson (born August 22, 1985) is a former American football Running back. He was originally signed by the Indianapolis Colts as an undrafted free agent in 2008. He played college football at South Florida and Morgan State. He has also be ...

. On November 24, Hart was waived by the Colts. He was re-signed to the practice squad on November 25. Hart was promoted to the active roster on December 2. On December 6, Hart got his first touches of the 2009 season. He had 11 rushing yards and two receptions for 27 yards. He had 28 rushing yards on December 13. On January 3, 2010 in the first quarter against the Buffalo Bills, Hart scored the first touchdown of his NFL career on a one-yard run on a hand-off from

. On February 7, 2010, Hart had two carries in

Super Bowl XLIV Super Bowl XLIV was an American football game between the National Football Conference (NFC) champions New Orleans Saints and the American Football Conference (AFC) champions Indianapolis Colts to decide the National Football League (NFL) champ ...

. During a 2010 matchup against the

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The tea ...

, Hart scored his second career touchdown. It was the only touchdown of the game, as the Colts won 19–9. On November 1, 2010, in a Monday night game against the

Houston Texans The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division, and play their home ga ...

, Hart rushed for an NFL career-best 84 yards on 12 carries. Hart was released by the Colts on July 26, 2011.

Coaching career

In August 2011, Hart accepted a job at

as the offensive quality control coach for the Eastern Michigan Eagles football team. He served in that capacity for the 2011 season and then for two seasons, 2012 and 2013, as the team's running backs coach. On February 4, 2014, Hart was announced as the running backs coach at

. On January 4, 2016, he was announced as the new running backs coach at

. It was announced on March 2, 2017 that Hart was leaving Syracuse to assume the vacant running backs coach position at

under his former coach

Mike DeBord Mike DeBord (born February 7, 1956) is an American football coach who was most recently the offensive coordinator at the University of Kansas. He was previously the offensive coordinator of the San Diego Fleet of the Alliance of American Football ...

. On January 13, 2021, Hart was named the new running backs coach at the

. On October 8, 2022, during the first quarter of Michigan's game against

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

, Hart suffered a seizure on the sideline at Memorial Stadium in

Bloomington, Indiana Bloomington is a city in and the county seat of Monroe County, Indiana, Monroe County in the central region of the U.S. state of Indiana. It is the List of municipalities in Indiana, seventh-largest city in Indiana and the fourth-largest outside ...

. He was carted off the field in a stretcher and taken to a hospital for evaluation.

References

External links

*
Michigan profile

Indiana profile
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hart, Mike 1986 births Living people American football running backs Eastern Michigan Eagles football coaches Indiana Hoosiers football coaches Indianapolis Colts players Michigan Wolverines football coaches Michigan Wolverines football players Syracuse Orange football coaches Western Michigan Broncos football coaches Coaches of American football from New York (state) Players of American football from Syracuse, New York African-American coaches of American football African-American players of American football 20th-century African-American sportspeople 21st-century African-American sportspeople