The final season for Northwestern defensive coordinator Mike Hankwitz was a good one. The 50-year veteran of the college football coaching ranks helped lead the Wildcats to a 7-2 record, a B1G West title and a victory over Auburn in the Citrus Bowl.

On Monday, Hankwitz received a major honor for his role in Northwestern’s outstanding season in 2020. FootballScoop.com named Hankwitz the Defensive Coordinator of the Year.

Northwestern’s defense allowed a stifling 15.9 points per game, best scoring defense in the B1G. The Wildcats also only gave up 341 yards per game during the 9 games, the fourth-best average in the conference.

Hankwitz announced his retirement following the 2020 season.

From 2008 to 2020, Hankwitz was the defensive coordinator at Northwestern. He also had stops at Michigan, Arizona, Purdue, Colorado, Kansas, Texas A&M, Wisconsin and Western Michigan during his coaching career.