Western Pennsylvania native and long-time Pittsburgh Steelers player and coach Dick Hoak has died at the age of 86. Hoak was a Jeannette native who went to Penn State after graduating high school, and was a dominating two-way player at both levels. He joined the Steelers as a seventh-round draft pick in 1961. He went on to spend 45 total years with the Steelers — 10 years as a running back who led the team in rushing three times, before spending the next three-plus decades shaping players as a coach. No other person outside of the Rooney family, spent more time in the Steelers organizaiton.
The Pro Football Hall of Fame honored Hoak in June 2025 with its Award of Excellence as an assistant coach. In 2024, he was inducted into the National High School Football Hall of Fame after being an All-State quarterback and defensive back at Jeannette.
He once turned down an opportunity to become a head coach – because of his respect for the Rooney family.
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