With only one point from their first nine matches and a heavy 7-2 defeat to Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday, Bochum is in dire straits. Hecking has signed a contract that will keep him with the club until the end of the season and will immediately confront a challenging match against reigning champions Bayer Leverkusen this Saturday.
The 60-year-old Hecking previously led Wolfsburg to a German Cup victory in 2015 but has not been involved in the Bundesliga since departing Borussia Moenchengladbach in 2019, although he has coached two teams in the second division.
Bochum began the season under Peter Zeidler but dismissed him last month. Interim coaches Markus Feldhoff and Murat Ural have since managed the team, overseeing defeats against Bayern Munich and Frankfurt.