Hoak retires
Everyone knows that Cowher retired (or stepped down or whatever), but no one seems to have noticed that Dick Hoak retired a few days earlier.
Dick Hoak was the Steelers’ running backs coach for 45 35 years, going back to 1972. Pittsburgh has been a running team all of those years and Dick Hoak was the reason that usually worked. Franco Harris was coached by Hoak. Barry Foster had 12 100 yard games in a season under Hoak. Jerome Bettis was transformed from a good, but faltering running back to a Hall-of-Fame runner under Hoak. Willie Parker had two 200 yard games this season (the record for a career is six) under Hoak. I wonder how Parker will continue to develop without him.
Here’s a bio and nice article about him from 2004.
January 7th, 2007 at 2:51 pm
Is that a Cosby sweater that Cowher is wearing in that NY times article? It’s a pretty wild one to wear for the announcement of your retirement.
The Jerome Bettis show last night said that Hoak has been to every Steeler playoff game. That’s quite an accomplishment.
January 7th, 2007 at 8:24 pm
Maybe the idea of the sweater was to have black and gold (to honor the past) and other colors (for folks he might work for in the future.)
Nice tribute to Hoak.
January 7th, 2007 at 10:13 pm
45 years? Is it 2017 already? I think I missed a few years in there, somewhere.
January 7th, 2007 at 10:55 pm
Oops, I mean 35.
January 12th, 2007 at 7:51 am
Without Hoak, hopefully Willie Parker’s development will degrade and the Steelers enter a future of perpetual beatdowns from the Cleveland Browns.