HANCOCK – Ted Holmstrom is returning to his coaching roots.

After 16 years at Michigan Tech University as a running backs and scout team coach, and a four-year head coaching stint in Wyoming, Holmstrom was named the new Hancock High School football coach on Monday after it was approved by the school board.

Holmstrom led Hancock to its first playoff berth in 1995 and was named the WestPac Coach of the Year that season.

“It’s like coming home,” Holmstrom said. “We’ve always lived in Hancock; even when we moved away, we left our houses. It’s a very much homecoming-type feeling.”

Holmstrom was one of three people selected to interview for the job after multiple candidates applied for the position. For Hancock athletic director Steve Aho, it was Holmstrom’s extensive experience that separated him from the others.

“Through the interview process, Ted’s football knowledge and diverse experience across high school and the collegiate level stood out,” Aho said. “He has a great wealth of football knowledge.”

“The piece I like about him is he really has a strong conviction for developing good attitudes, good life habits and character education. Those are big pieces for him.

“He’s a person living in our community, has kids in our school and he believes in Hancock schools. All those pieces definitely tied (into his hiring).”

During his time at Michigan Tech, Holmstrom served under three head coaches: Ron Marciel, Bernie Anderson and Tom Kearly. Each of those coaches shaped Holmstrom’s style of coaching.

“I’ve learned an awful lot from all three of them,” Holmstrom said. “Marciel was a brilliant tactician – just wonderful at the leading of men; Anderson was a dynamic fire-up guy, really great leader and resurrected that program; Kearly is an outstanding offensive mind and just a great football X’s and O’s guy.”

So what can the Hancock faithful expect from the Bulldogs when they open the season at McAfee Field against the Lake Linden Hubbell-Lakes on Aug. 26?

“We’ll run a fast-paced style, both offense and defense,” Holmstrom said. “You’l see a lot of energy on the field; we’ll play with a sense of urgency and enthusiasm.

“If you go and look at my Hancock teams from the mid 90s, you’ll see the same type of enthusiasm and same type of urgency.”

With Holmstrom being hired during the summer months, he has yet to meet the majority of his team. Teams across the state will be able to begin practice on Aug. 8, giving Holmstrom a limited amount of time to install his offensive and defensive packages – but for now, that’s not his primary concern.

“It all starts with academics,” Holmstrom said. “We’ll be really focusing on that through the preseason and throughout the season. What happens is I found that whether at Michigan Tech, coaching at Michigan or Wyoming, the best football players are your smartest players – it goes hand in hand. That’s why academic excellence has to be the cornerstone of any program.”

Holmstrom replaces Matt Walter, who vacated the football and boys varsity basketball coaching positions. Aho said he is still in the process of hiring a basketball coach.