Merril Hoge Bio [2023 Update]: Net Worth & Concussion

Merril Hoge, a former professional football player, played in the National Football League for almost a decade. The Pittsburgh Steelers drafted him in the 10th round of the 1987 NFL Draft. 

Aside from the Steelers, he has played for the Chicago Bears. The former footballer also serves as a head coach at Your Call Football (YCF) until 2020.

YCF was an interactive competition that allowed fans to call plays in real-time games where former NFL and CFL players competed. The participants live-stream the games while voting for plays on their smartphones. 

It was formed in 2017, and Hoge has been with them since. However, since YCF’s parent company moved to other sports, the competition was not hosted in 2020.

Besides that, the former NFL player worked with ESPN from 1996 to 2017. He served as a football analyst before the network laid him off in 2017. 

Furthermore, in 2003, the running back was diagnosed with stage II blood cancer after complaining about recurring back pain. Following his diagnosis, he underwent chemotherapy for six months.

The former athlete put on a brave face and a positive attitude throughout the treatment. He never lost hope and even called his cancer a blessing as he would come out of it a powerful man. 

Before getting into details about the former Steelers running back’s life and career, here are some quick facts about him.

Quick Facts

Merril Hoge | Early Life, Family, And Education

Merril Hoge was born in Pocatello, Idaho, the United States. His parents are George M. Hoge and Sharon Hoge. 

The former athlete grew up in a relatively normal home with loving and caring parents. The footballer’s mother and father were very supportive of his career. 

They always encouraged him to dream big and never give up. As a result, Merril was fond of football from a young age and started his practice early on in life. 

Hoge attended Highland High School and played high school football for them. He was an exceptional player for the school’s team.

After graduation, he chose to stay in his hometown and attend the Idaho State University. During his collegiate career, the running back’s mother passed away. He was only 19 years old then. 

Although he was devastated, he knew his mother would want him to continue with his life and football. So he played four seasons for the Idaho State Bengals before moving on to the NFL.

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