ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- University of Michigan football head coach Brady Hoke announced today (Monday, March 4) the hiring of former Wolverine star linebacker Roy Manning as U-M's outside linebackers coach. Manning was a four-year letterwinner at Michigan from 2001-04, played in the National Football League for three seasons and was an offensive graduate assistant for the Wolverines in 2011.
"I'm excited to come back home to the University of Michigan," said Manning. "I played and went to school here, and there is no place like it, anywhere. I want to thank Coach Hoke and the rest of the staff for giving me this opportunity. I understand the significance of saying, 'I am a Michigan Man,' and I will work every day to make our kids better players, students and most importantly, people. It is a tremendous honor to be here, and now it is time to go to work."
"We couldn't be more excited to have Roy back as part of our staff," said Hoke. "As someone who played here and went on to play in the NFL, the passion, energy and integrity he coaches and lives with every day, he will be a great asset to our program.
"Roy was a graduate assistant for us in 2011, and we always knew if there was ever an opportunity to bring him back, we would love to. We think he's one of the top young coaches in our profession. He knows our expectations. He knows what it means to wear that winged helmet. He knows Michigan."
Prior to joining the Wolverines, Manning was the running backs coach at Northern Illinois University (2013) and the University of Cincinnati (2012).
At Cincinnati, Manning's group led the Big East in rushing in 2012, averaging 201.5 yards per game. Running back George Winn totaled the second-best rushing season in school history with 1,334 rushing yards (102.6 per game) and 13 touchdowns, both conference-bests.
Prior to joining Cincinnati, Manning served as an offensive graduate assistant at U-M, where he worked with the offensive line and was part of a coaching staff that led the Wolverines to an 11-2 record and a victory in the 2012 Allstate Sugar Bowl.
Manning's first coaching experience came at Cincinnati in 2010, when he worked as a defensive assistant.
Prior to his appointment in Cincinnati, Manning spent three seasons in the NFL with five different teams. He signed as a free agent with the Green Bay Packers in 2005. He played in 15 games and started two contests as a rookie, tallying 41 tackles and one pass breakup. Manning tied for third on the team with 21 stops on special teams. He also had stints with the Houston Texans, Buffalo Bills, Jacksonville Jaguars and Cincinnati Bengals.
Manning played in 37 career games at Michigan and made 10 starts at linebacker as a fifth-year senior. He was named the Roger Zatkoff Award winner as the team's top linebacker in 2004 after posting 39 tackles, six tackles for loss and one sack. Manning finished his career with 72 stops, nine TFLs and three sacks.
Manning earned his bachelor's degree in general studies from U-M in 2004. He is a 2000 graduate of Saginaw High School in Saginaw, Mich. Manning lettered in football, basketball, baseball and track and was named the male scholar-athlete of the year at Saginaw.