Merril Hoge
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Merril Hoge | |
|---|---|
| Date of birth | January 26, 1965 |
| Place of birth |  Pocatello, Idaho |
| Position(s) | Running back |
| College | Idaho State |
| NFL Draft | 1987 / Round 10/ Pick 261 |
| Statistics | |
| Team(s) | |
| 1987-1993 1994 |
Pittsburgh Steelers Chicago Bears |
Merril DuAine Hoge (born January 26, 1965 in Pocatello, Idaho) is a former professional football player. He played eight seasons at running back for the NFL's Pittsburgh Steelers and Chicago Bears, retiring after the 1994 season. He is currently a football analyst for ESPN television.
Contents |
[edit] College career
Hoge graduated from Highland High School in Pocatello in 1983. He stayed in town for college and was a four-year starter as a running back on the Idaho State football team. Hoge set 44 ISU and Big Sky conference records (22 of them still intact), and still holds two NCAA records. He is a member of the ISU Hall of Fame and his ISU Bengals jersey has been retired. He graduated with a degree in Education and a minor in Health and Fitness.
[edit] Pro career
The Pittsburgh Steelers selected Hoge in the tenth round of 1987 NFL Draft with the 261st pick overall. He became a key member of the offense and led the team in rushing and receiving in four of his seven years. He is one of only two Steelers to rush for more than 100 yards in back-to-back playoff games (the other was Franco Harris). Hoge was named the Steelers' Man of the Year in 1989 & 1990, and was named to the All-Madden team in 1989.
After seven seasons with the Steelers, Hoge signed with the Chicago Bears as a free agent in 1994, but played in just five games with only six carries and 13 receptions. He retired after suffering a series of concussions. He gained 3139 rushing yards and 2133 receiving yards, along with 34 touchdowns, playing fullback for the Steelers two-back offense.
[edit] Broadcasting career
He is now a television commentator for ESPN and is noted for being outspoken.
Hoge is known for his partiality towards the Steelers team on ESPN's NFL Matchup, NFL Live, and on ESPNEWS. Hoge, who has admitted his bias towards the Steelers, will often pick the Steelers or comment positively about them on the show, often with humorous reactions from the other analysts.
[edit] Battle with Cancer
On February 14, 2003, Merril was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma-cancer. Chemotherapy treatments began soon after, and went on for five months. Finally, on July 2, 2003, after completing the chemotherapy, Merril was cancer-free.
[edit] External links
- Database Football.com - Merril Hoge - career statistics
- Highmark Caring Foundation (PA) - Merril Hoge profile
- 1987 NFL Draft round 10, 261st overall
