Dick Hoak

Hoak was born on December 8, 1939, in Jeannette, Pennsylvania. Hoak was a star quarterback, and defensive back, at Jeannette High School. He led Jeannette to a Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League (WPIAL) 3A title in 1956. He was named All-State and All-WPIAL. Hoak additionally played three years on Jeannette's basketball team, leading the team in scoring as a senior and setting a single game scoring record (39 points). He was named All-WPIAL in basketball, as well as to the All-Section basketball team. Hoak also earned three letters in track. He graduated in 1957. ==College career==

Hoak attended Penn State University, where he played varsity football for the Nittany Lions from 1958 to 1961. As a sophomore he played halfback and safety, and continued as a running back as a junior. He was playing quarterback, as well as safety, by his senior year. As a junior in 1959, Penn State won the first Liberty Bowl (7–0 over Alabama). Penn State was again in the 1960 Liberty Bowl, winning 41–12 over Oregon. Hoak was named the game's Most Valuable Player (MVP) passing for two touchdowns, running for two touchdowns, and intercepting two passes. As a senior in 1960, he was voted the Nittany Lion's MVP by his teammates and by the Penn State Quarterback Club. Over his three-year career he had 767 rushing yards and 251 receiving yards, scored eight touchdowns, and had a 55.8% pass completion rate. He graduated in 1961 with a bachelor's degree in social studies. He roomed with Jim Ragano his freshman year at Penn State. ==Professional career==

Chosen by the Steelers in the seventh round of the 1961 NFL draft (90th overall), Hoak had an impressive career, amassing 3,965 rushing yards in 1132 attempts (3.5 avg) with 25 touchdowns. He also caught 146 passes for 1,452 yards (9.9 avg) and 8 touchdowns. and led the team in rushing three times. He retired after the 1970 season as Pittsburgh's number 2 all-time rusher, and is currently eighth all time in rushing yards out of all Steelers (as of the 2025 season). ==NFL career statistics==

After a highly successful playing career, Hoak was hired by then-coach Chuck Noll as the Steelers' running backs coach in 1972, and served in that position for 35 seasons. He passed on the head coaching job with the USFL's Pittsburgh Maulers when offered it in 1983 because it would have been disloyal to the Rooneys (the Steelers ownership family). and Hoak was the only one of Noll's assistants retained under his successor, Bill Cowher. During his tenure, the Steelers rushed for over 30,000 yards (the only team to do so in this time period) and led the league in rushing yards three times. He was the position coach for Steeler greats Franco Harris and Jerome Bettis. Harris and Bettis are the first and second all-time Steeler leading rushers, Hoak being number eight on that list (through the 2024 season). Over his 35 years as a Steeler's coach, the team won five Super Bowls and numerous AFC Championships. == Honors ==

The Pro Football Hall of Fame honored Hoak in late June 2025 as an assistant coach, with its 2025 Award of Excellence. In 2017, Hoak was inducted as an inaugural member of the Steelers Hall of Honor. In 1968, he received the Dapper Dan Award. ==Personal life==

Hoak lives in Hempfield Township, Pennsylvania. Hoak's wife, Lynn, died March 9, 2019. ==References==