Sports · American Football · 59 mins ago
Longtime Steelers player and coach Dick Hoak dies at 86
Dick Hoak, a longtime Pittsburgh Steelers player and coach, has died at 86.
The team announced his death, but did not give a cause.
Hoak joined the Steelers in 1961 as a seventh-round draft pick and played running back for 10 seasons.
After retiring as a player, he coached the team’s running backs for 35 years, working under coaches Chuck Noll and Bill Cowher.
He helped develop standout players including Franco Harris and Jerome Bettis, and was part of five Super Bowl-winning teams.
His career spanned the Steelers’ rise from a struggling club to one of the NFL’s leading franchises.
Hoak retired from coaching in 2007, and his contributions were later recognized with a place in the Steelers’ Hall of Honor and the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Award of Excellence.
Dick Hoak, who spent more than 45 years with the Pittsburgh Steelers as a player and assistant coach, has died at 86.
The Steelers announced his death on Wednesday, but did not give a cause.
Hoak played in Pittsburgh’s backfield for 10 seasons and later coached the team’s running backs for decades.
He was part of five Super Bowl-winning Steelers teams and mentored players including Franco Harris and Jerome Bettis.
- Who
- Dick Hoak, a longtime Pittsburgh Steelers player and assistant coach.
- What
- He died at 86 after spending more than 45 years with the team.
- When
- The team announced his death on Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2026. The sources do not state when he died.
- Where
- Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; the sources do not state where he died.
- Why
- Not stated. The team gave no cause of death.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
The Steelers selected Hoak in the seventh round of the NFL draft.
Hoak retired as a player and later joined coach Chuck Noll’s staff as running backs coach in 1972.
Bill Cowher replaced Chuck Noll and retained Hoak on the coaching staff.
Hoak retired from coaching after Cowher stepped down.
The Steelers announced Hoak’s death at age 86.
- Steelers tenure
- More than 45 years as a player and assistant coach
- NFL draft
- Selected by Pittsburgh in the seventh round in 1961
- Rushing yards
- 3,965 in 10 seasons, according to ESPN
- Super Bowl titles
- Five: after the 1974, 1975, 1978, 1979 and 2005 seasons
- Pro Bowl
- Selected in 1968 after rushing for 858 yards
- Age
- 86
3 sources
What people are saying
Dick represented everything the Steelers stand for with his toughness, loyalty, dedication and an unwavering commitment to the team
You embodied everything that being part of the Pittsburgh Steelers represented
Dick Hoak was a conduit for me to lean on and understand what championship teams were built on in Pittsburgh
I thought he had a great demeanor with his players, great relationship with his backfield and being able to get a lot out of them made him an awesome assistant coach
Posts on X
RIP Coach Hoak. You embodied everything that being part of the Pittsburgh @steelers represented. Throughout my 15 years as Head Coach, I leaned on your wisdom as I grew as a coach. You were an integral part of 5 Super Bowls. A SPECIAL man who impacted all that knew him!