George Hoey
Encyclopedia
George William Hoey is a former American football
defensive back
, punt returner
and kickoff returner. He played college football
for the University of Michigan
Wolverines
(1966–1968) and professionally in the National Football League
(NFL) for the Arizona Cardinals
(1971), New England Patriots
(1972–1973), San Diego Chargers
(1974), Denver Broncos
(1975), and New York Jets
(1975).
In high school, Hoey was an All-State halfback
. At the University of Michigan, College Football Hall of Fame
halfback Ron Johnson was in Hoey's class, and Hoey was therefore used principally as a defensive back
. Hoey is most remembered for his work as a punt returner
at Michigan. He led the Big Ten Conference
in punt return yards in 1967 and 1968, and still holds Michigan's modern era (post-1949) records for most punt return yards in a game (140), most return yards per punt in a season (24.3) and most return yards per punt in a career (17.1). Hoey was also a record-setting sprinter
on Michigan's track and field
team.
In five seasons in the NFL, Hoey was principally a kickoff returner. In 1971, he set a St. Louis Cardinals club record with six kickoff returns for 206 yards, including one for 103 yards and a touchdown. He had 534 kickoff return yards in his career.
Since 1993, Hoey has worked in administration at the University of Colorado
. He worked first in academic services for the athletic department. After controversies in the late 1990s concerning eligibility of University of Colorado athletes, Hoey accepted a position in the school's career services department providing career counseling to student athletes.
Hoey was born in Gaffney, South Carolina
. He moved with his family from South Carolina
to Flint, Michigan
at age 13.
At Flint Central High School
, he excelled in both football and track. When No. 1 ranked Flint Central met No. 2 ranked Bay City Central in 1963, it was billed as the "Game of the Year." Flint Central won the game 25–18, as Hoey (then only a junior) scored three touchdowns, including a 63-yard punt return for a touchdown, and a pass interception that Hoey ran back 35 yards for a touchdown on the final play of the game. As a senior in 1964, Hoey was named an All-State halfback by The Detroit News
and UPI. In naming him to its All-State team, the UPI noted: "Hoey, a 5-foot-10, 165-pounder, gained 502 yards in 64 carries and caught 17 passes. He scored 11 touchdowns to lead the Saginaw Valley Conference
for the second straight year. A great broken-field runner, he has scored eight touchdowns on kickoff or punt returns during his two-year stint with the varsity." He also led the Saginaw Valley Conference in scoring for two seasons. On his high school track team, Hoey won the 60-yard dash
at the Central Michigan Relays Invitational indoor meet with a time of 6.3 second
s. He was All-State in track at the 1965 Michigan High School Athletic Association
Class A track meet.
scholarship. At Michigan, Hoey excelled in both football and track. In track, Hoey set a 60-yard dash record with a time of 6.1 in 1966. He was a member of the Wolverines' record-setting 4 x 100 metres relay
with a time of 40.6. In football, Hoey did not make the team as a halfback, having the misfortune to be in the same class as College Football Hall of Fame
r Ron Johnson. He started only three games at halfback during his time at Michigan (and one at fullback). With Ron Johnson playing halfback, Hoey was used principally as a defensive back
and punt returner
. Playing against Navy
in 1968, Hoey had two interceptions which he returned for 31 yards, and punt returns of 63 and 36 yards. He was named an All-Big Ten
defensive back
in 1968.
-- still Michigan's single-game record for punt return yardage. Hoey and Steve Breaston
are the only two Michigan players with two games in the top ten single-game performances by a Michigan punt returner.
Division I-A history behind the all-time Michigan leader Gene Derricotte
who ranks fifth. However, the Michigan record books base single-season leadership based upon minimum 15 returns per game and Hoey's name is omitted.
N.B.:The database used here includes stats since 1949. Totals before 1949 are not included here; for example, Gene Derricotte
averaged over 24 yards per return prior to 1949.
in the 14th round of the 1969 NFL Draft
. He played five seasons in the NFL for the St. Louis Cardinals
(1971), New England Patriots
(1972–1973), San Diego Chargers
(1974), Denver Broncos
(1975) and New York Jets
(1975). Hoey played in 53 NFL games and had four punt
returns for 38 return yards
, 21 kickoff
returns for 534 return yards, and two interceptions for 45 return yards. He set a Cardinals club record with six kickoff returns for 206 yards, one for 103 yards and a touchdown
against the Philadelphia Eagles
. The club record for longest return was broken in 1979 by Roy Green
, who posted a 106-yard return. Hoey had the misfortune of playing with losing teams throughout his NFL career. The best team that he played for was the 1975 Denver Broncos, who recorded a 6–8 record.
. From 1993–1999, Hoey was involved in academic services in Colorado
's athletic department. Hoey "came under fire for repeated eligibility problems of prospective CU athletes
," including linebacker
Anwawn Jones who lost a year of eligibility and was forced to sit out the 1999 NCAA Division I-A football season
due to an error in calculating his transfer credits. In 1999, Hoey transferred out of the athletic department and began working in the university's career services department. That October, Jones told The Denver Post that Hoey "wasn't necessarily a scapegoat, but there were definitely mistakes made in his department." The eligibility issues arose after Rick Neuheisel
departed as Colorado's head football coach and were part of broader problems that resulted in the school's being placed on two years' probation for 53 rules violations, 51 occurring while Neuheisel was the Colorado coach.
In 2004, the Colorado Daily
reported that Hoey was a career counselor
working with student athletes to help them prepare for their future careers. Hoey noted: "Student-athletes are consumed with stuff when they first enter college. I plant seeds that will hopefully lead them towards our department and many resources." In May 2007, Hoey was the University of Colorado's career development coordinator and a co-chair of the Black Faculty/Staff Association, and the Virginia Patterson Chapter of Mortar Board
Honors Society at the University of Colorado honored Hoey for his efforts to educate students.
, former Oakland A
and world-class sprinter, is Hoey's cousin. Hoey has two sons, William and Sean. He was inducted into the Greater Flint Afro-American Hall of Fame in 2001, and he was inducted into the Greater Flint Area Sports Hall of Fame in 2003.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
defensive back
Defensive back
In American football and Canadian football, defensive backs are the players on the defensive team who take positions somewhat back from the line of scrimmage; they are distinguished from the defensive line players and linebackers, who take positions directly behind or close to the line of...
, punt returner
Punt returner
Punt returner is a position on special teams in American football.-Description:The role of a punt returner is to catch the ball after it is punted and to give his team good field position by returning it. Before catching the punted ball, the returner must assess the situation on the field while...
and kickoff returner. He played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
for the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
Wolverines
Michigan Wolverines football
The Michigan Wolverines football program represents the University of Michigan in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. Michigan has the most all-time wins and the highest winning percentage in college football history...
(1966–1968) and professionally in the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
(NFL) for the Arizona Cardinals
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in Glendale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
(1971), New England Patriots
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
(1972–1973), San Diego Chargers
San Diego Chargers
The San Diego Chargers are a professional American football team based in San Diego, California. they were members of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
(1974), Denver Broncos
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
(1975), and New York Jets
New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
(1975).
In high school, Hoey was an All-State halfback
Halfback (American football)
A halfback, sometimes referred to as a tailback, is an offensive position in American football, which lines up in the backfield and generally is responsible for carrying the ball on run plays. Historically, from the 1870s through the 1950s, the halfback position was both an offensive and defensive...
. At the University of Michigan, College Football Hall of Fame
College Football Hall of Fame
The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and museum devoted to college football. Located in South Bend, Indiana, it is connected to a convention center and situated in the city's renovated downtown district, two miles south of the University of Notre Dame campus. It is slated to move...
halfback Ron Johnson was in Hoey's class, and Hoey was therefore used principally as a defensive back
Defensive back
In American football and Canadian football, defensive backs are the players on the defensive team who take positions somewhat back from the line of scrimmage; they are distinguished from the defensive line players and linebackers, who take positions directly behind or close to the line of...
. Hoey is most remembered for his work as a punt returner
Punt returner
Punt returner is a position on special teams in American football.-Description:The role of a punt returner is to catch the ball after it is punted and to give his team good field position by returning it. Before catching the punted ball, the returner must assess the situation on the field while...
at Michigan. He led the Big Ten Conference
Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east...
in punt return yards in 1967 and 1968, and still holds Michigan's modern era (post-1949) records for most punt return yards in a game (140), most return yards per punt in a season (24.3) and most return yards per punt in a career (17.1). Hoey was also a record-setting sprinter
Sprint (race)
Sprints are short running events in athletics and track and field. Races over short distances are among the oldest running competitions. The first 13 editions of the Ancient Olympic Games featured only one event—the stadion race, which was a race from one end of the stadium to the other...
on Michigan's track and field
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
team.
In five seasons in the NFL, Hoey was principally a kickoff returner. In 1971, he set a St. Louis Cardinals club record with six kickoff returns for 206 yards, including one for 103 yards and a touchdown. He had 534 kickoff return yards in his career.
Since 1993, Hoey has worked in administration at the University of Colorado
University of Colorado at Boulder
The University of Colorado Boulder is a public research university located in Boulder, Colorado...
. He worked first in academic services for the athletic department. After controversies in the late 1990s concerning eligibility of University of Colorado athletes, Hoey accepted a position in the school's career services department providing career counseling to student athletes.
High school athlete at Flint Central
Gaffney, South Carolina
Gaffney is a city in and the county seat of Cherokee County, South Carolina, United States, in the upstate region of South Carolina. Gaffney is also sometimes referred to as the Peach capital of South Carolina. The population was 12,414 at the 2010 census...
. He moved with his family from South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
to Flint, Michigan
Flint, Michigan
Flint is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and is located along the Flint River, northwest of Detroit. The U.S. Census Bureau reports the 2010 population to be placed at 102,434, making Flint the seventh largest city in Michigan. It is the county seat of Genesee County which lies in the...
at age 13.
At Flint Central High School
Flint Central High School
Flint Central High School was one of the Flint Community Schools, located in Flint, Michigan, USA. Flint Central was the city's oldest school. Its first building was built in 1875, and the school moved into the present building in 1923. It was called Flint High School until Flint Northern High...
, he excelled in both football and track. When No. 1 ranked Flint Central met No. 2 ranked Bay City Central in 1963, it was billed as the "Game of the Year." Flint Central won the game 25–18, as Hoey (then only a junior) scored three touchdowns, including a 63-yard punt return for a touchdown, and a pass interception that Hoey ran back 35 yards for a touchdown on the final play of the game. As a senior in 1964, Hoey was named an All-State halfback by The Detroit News
The Detroit News
The Detroit News is one of the two major newspapers in the U.S. city of Detroit, Michigan. The paper began in 1873, when it rented space in the rival Free Press's building. The News absorbed the Detroit Tribune on February 1, 1919, the Detroit Journal on July 21, 1922, and on November 7, 1960,...
and UPI. In naming him to its All-State team, the UPI noted: "Hoey, a 5-foot-10, 165-pounder, gained 502 yards in 64 carries and caught 17 passes. He scored 11 touchdowns to lead the Saginaw Valley Conference
Saginaw Valley League
The Saginaw Valley High School Association is a high school sports league within the Michigan High School Athletic Association , located in the Saginaw/Flint, Michigan area...
for the second straight year. A great broken-field runner, he has scored eight touchdowns on kickoff or punt returns during his two-year stint with the varsity." He also led the Saginaw Valley Conference in scoring for two seasons. On his high school track team, Hoey won the 60-yard dash
60 metres
60 metres is a sprint event in track and field athletics. It is a championship event for indoor championships, normally dominated by the best outdoor 100 metres runners. At outdoor venues it is a rare distance, at least for senior athletes...
at the Central Michigan Relays Invitational indoor meet with a time of 6.3 second
Second
The second is a unit of measurement of time, and is the International System of Units base unit of time. It may be measured using a clock....
s. He was All-State in track at the 1965 Michigan High School Athletic Association
Michigan High School Athletic Association
-About:The Michigan High School Athletic Association is a service organization for high school sports in Michigan and is headquartered in East Lansing...
Class A track meet.
University of Michigan track and football star
In 1965, Hoey became the first African-American athlete from Flint to earn a University of MichiganUniversity of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
scholarship. At Michigan, Hoey excelled in both football and track. In track, Hoey set a 60-yard dash record with a time of 6.1 in 1966. He was a member of the Wolverines' record-setting 4 x 100 metres relay
4 x 100 metres relay
The 4 × 100 metres relay or sprint relay is an athletics track event run in lanes over one lap of the track with four runners completing 100 metres each. The first runners begin in the same stagger as for the individual 400 m race...
with a time of 40.6. In football, Hoey did not make the team as a halfback, having the misfortune to be in the same class as College Football Hall of Fame
College Football Hall of Fame
The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and museum devoted to college football. Located in South Bend, Indiana, it is connected to a convention center and situated in the city's renovated downtown district, two miles south of the University of Notre Dame campus. It is slated to move...
r Ron Johnson. He started only three games at halfback during his time at Michigan (and one at fullback). With Ron Johnson playing halfback, Hoey was used principally as a defensive back
Defensive back
In American football and Canadian football, defensive backs are the players on the defensive team who take positions somewhat back from the line of scrimmage; they are distinguished from the defensive line players and linebackers, who take positions directly behind or close to the line of...
and punt returner
Punt returner
Punt returner is a position on special teams in American football.-Description:The role of a punt returner is to catch the ball after it is punted and to give his team good field position by returning it. Before catching the punted ball, the returner must assess the situation on the field while...
. Playing against Navy
Navy Midshipmen football
The Navy Midshipmen football team represents the United States Naval Academy in NCAA Division I-A college football. They are a Division I Football Bowl Subdivision independent school and coached by Ken Niumatalolo since December 2007...
in 1968, Hoey had two interceptions which he returned for 31 yards, and punt returns of 63 and 36 yards. He was named an All-Big Ten
Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east...
defensive back
Defensive back
In American football and Canadian football, defensive backs are the players on the defensive team who take positions somewhat back from the line of scrimmage; they are distinguished from the defensive line players and linebackers, who take positions directly behind or close to the line of...
in 1968.
Punt return records at Michigan
Though he was also an All-Big Ten defensive back, Hoey is most remembered as one of the leading punt returners in Michigan history. He led the Big Ten in punt return yards in 1967 and 1968, and holds several Michigan school records for punt returns, including most return yards in a game and most yards per return in a season and a career.Most yards in a game
On October 28, 1967, Hoey gained 140 yards on four punt returns against MinnesotaMinnesota Golden Gophers football
The University of Minnesota Golden Gophers are one of the oldest programs in college football history. They compete in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision and the Big Ten Conference. The Golden Gophers have claimed six national championships and have an all time record of 646–481–44 as...
-- still Michigan's single-game record for punt return yardage. Hoey and Steve Breaston
Steve Breaston
Steven William Breaston is an American football wide receiver and punt returner for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Cardinals in the fifth round of the 2007 NFL Draft...
are the only two Michigan players with two games in the top ten single-game performances by a Michigan punt returner.
| Nane | Number | Yards | Average | Touchdown Touchdown A touchdown is a means of scoring in American and Canadian football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone.-Description:... s |
Long | Year | Opponent | |
| George Hoey | 4 | 140 | 35 | 0 | 1967 | Minnesota | ||
| Tripp Welborne Tripp Welborne Sullivan Anthony "Tripp" Welborne is a former professional American football defensive back who played safety for one season for the Minnesota Vikings of the NFL. He currently works as Athletic Director at Shorecrest Preparatory School in St... |
5 | 117 | 23.4 | 0 | 60 | 1990 | Indiana | |
| Steve Breaston Steve Breaston Steven William Breaston is an American football wide receiver and punt returner for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Cardinals in the fifth round of the 2007 NFL Draft... |
9 | 116 | 12.9 | 0 | 29 | 2006 | Wisconsin | |
| Marquise Walker Marquise Walker Marquise Walker is a former professional American football wide receiver and punt returner who signed to play in the National Football League . He played college football at the University of Michigan where he set many of the school's receiving records and became an 2001 College Football... |
7 | 112 | 16 | 0 | 42 | 2001 | Purdue | |
| Steve Breaston Steve Breaston Steven William Breaston is an American football wide receiver and punt returner for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Cardinals in the fifth round of the 2007 NFL Draft... |
4 | 112 | 28 | 1 | 67 | 2004 | Northwestern | |
| Derrick Alexander | 4 | 108 | 27 | 1 | 80 | 1992 | Michigan State | |
| Julius Curry | 8 | 105 | 13.1 | 0 | 19 | 2002 | Utah | |
| Steve Breaston Steve Breaston Steven William Breaston is an American football wide receiver and punt returner for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Cardinals in the fifth round of the 2007 NFL Draft... |
4 | 105 | 26.3 | 0 | 55 | 2003 | Notre Dame | |
| George Hoey | 2 | 99 | 49.5 | 0 | 63 | 1968 | Navy | |
| Evan Cooper Evan Cooper Evan Cooper is a former professional American football safety for six seasons in the National Football League for the Philadelphia Eagles and the Atlanta Falcons. He graduated from Miami Killian Senior High School... |
6 | 99 | 16.5 | 0 | 31 | 1983 | Minnesota |
Most yards per return in a season
Hoey also holds the modern (post-1949) Michigan school record for yards per return in a season. His 1967 average of 24.3 yards/return exceeds any other modern Michigan punt returner by more than eight yards per return (minimum 1.2 return per team game played). Hoey's 1967 average ranks sixth in NCAANational Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
Division I-A history behind the all-time Michigan leader Gene Derricotte
Gene Derricotte
Eugene "Gene" Derricotte is a former American football player who played with the University of Michigan Wolverines from 1944 to 1948. He was one of the University's first African American athletes in the era when NCAA Division I college football was beginning to integrate...
who ranks fifth. However, the Michigan record books base single-season leadership based upon minimum 15 returns per game and Hoey's name is omitted.
| Nane | Number | Yards | Average | Touchdown Touchdown A touchdown is a means of scoring in American and Canadian football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone.-Description:... s |
Long | Year |
| George Hoey | 12 | 291 | 24.3 | 1 | 60 | 1967 |
| Barry Pierson | 19 | 300 | 15.8 | 1 | 60 | 1969 |
| Terry Barr Terry Barr Terry Albert Barr was an American football wide receiver. He played for nine seasons in the NFL, all with the Detroit Lions.... |
14 | 219 | 15.6 | 1 | 82 | 1955 |
| Anthony Carter | 18 | 270 | 15 | 1 | 72 | 1982 |
| Tripp Welborne Tripp Welborne Sullivan Anthony "Tripp" Welborne is a former professional American football defensive back who played safety for one season for the Minnesota Vikings of the NFL. He currently works as Athletic Director at Shorecrest Preparatory School in St... |
31 | 455 | 14.7 | 0 | 60 | 1990 |
N.B.:The database used here includes stats since 1949. Totals before 1949 are not included here; for example, Gene Derricotte
Gene Derricotte
Eugene "Gene" Derricotte is a former American football player who played with the University of Michigan Wolverines from 1944 to 1948. He was one of the University's first African American athletes in the era when NCAA Division I college football was beginning to integrate...
averaged over 24 yards per return prior to 1949.
Most yards per return in a career
Hoey also holds the Michigan school record for punt return yards per return in a career with an average of 17.1 yards per return.| Nane | Number | Yards | Average | Touchdown Touchdown A touchdown is a means of scoring in American and Canadian football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone.-Description:... s |
Long | Start | End | |
| George Hoey | 31 | 529 | 17.1 | 1 | 63 | 1967 | 1968 | |
| Terry Barr Terry Barr Terry Albert Barr was an American football wide receiver. He played for nine seasons in the NFL, all with the Detroit Lions.... |
24 | 393 | 16.4 | 1 | 82 | 1954 | 1956 | |
| Barry Pierson | 20 | 300 | 15 | 1 | 60 | 1968 | 1969 | |
| Desmond Howard Desmond Howard Desmond Kevin Howard is a former NFL wide receiver, punt returner, and kickoff returner.He played football for the University of Michigan from 1989–1991 and won the Heisman Trophy in 1991... |
26 | 337 | 13 | 1 | 93 | 1990 | 1991 | |
| Derrick Alexander | 42 | 534 | 12.7 | 4 | 80 | 1992 | 1993 |
NFL football player
Hoey was selected by the Detroit LionsDetroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...
in the 14th round of the 1969 NFL Draft
1969 NFL Draft
The 1969 National Football League Draft was part of the Common Draft, the third and final year in which the NFL and American Football League held a joint draft of college players. The draft took place on January 28–29, 1969....
. He played five seasons in the NFL for the St. Louis Cardinals
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in Glendale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
(1971), New England Patriots
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
(1972–1973), San Diego Chargers
San Diego Chargers
The San Diego Chargers are a professional American football team based in San Diego, California. they were members of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
(1974), Denver Broncos
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
(1975) and New York Jets
New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
(1975). Hoey played in 53 NFL games and had four punt
Punt (football)
In some codes of football, a punt is a play in which a player drops the ball and kicks it before it touches the ground. A punt is in contrast to a drop kick, in which the ball touches the ground before being kicked....
returns for 38 return yards
Return yards
Return yards is an American football and Canadian football statistical measure that takes several forms. In American and Canadian football, progress is measured by advancing the football towards the opposing team's Goal line...
, 21 kickoff
Kickoff (American football)
A kickoff is a method of starting a drive in American football and Canadian football. Typically, a kickoff consists of one team – the "kicking team" – kicking the ball to the opposing team – the "receiving team"...
returns for 534 return yards, and two interceptions for 45 return yards. He set a Cardinals club record with six kickoff returns for 206 yards, one for 103 yards and a touchdown
Touchdown
A touchdown is a means of scoring in American and Canadian football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone.-Description:...
against the Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
. The club record for longest return was broken in 1979 by Roy Green
Roy Green
Roy Calvin Green is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League who played for the St. Louis Cardinals , Phoenix Cardinals and Philadelphia Eagles ....
, who posted a 106-yard return. Hoey had the misfortune of playing with losing teams throughout his NFL career. The best team that he played for was the 1975 Denver Broncos, who recorded a 6–8 record.
Professional career at the University of Colorado
For many years, Hoey has worked in various capacities at the University of ColoradoUniversity of Colorado at Boulder
The University of Colorado Boulder is a public research university located in Boulder, Colorado...
. From 1993–1999, Hoey was involved in academic services in Colorado
Colorado Buffaloes
The University of Colorado Boulder sponsors 16 varsity sports teams. Both men's and women's team are called the Buffaloes or Golden Buffaloes . "Lady Buffs" referred to the women's teams beginning in the 1970s, but was officially dropped in 1993...
's athletic department. Hoey "came under fire for repeated eligibility problems of prospective CU athletes
Colorado Buffaloes
The University of Colorado Boulder sponsors 16 varsity sports teams. Both men's and women's team are called the Buffaloes or Golden Buffaloes . "Lady Buffs" referred to the women's teams beginning in the 1970s, but was officially dropped in 1993...
," including linebacker
Linebacker
A linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen...
Anwawn Jones who lost a year of eligibility and was forced to sit out the 1999 NCAA Division I-A football season
1999 NCAA Division I-A football season
The 1999 NCAA Division I-A football season saw Florida State named national champions, defeating Virginia Tech in the BCS Sugar Bowl.Florida State became the first team in history to start out preseason #1 and remain there through the entire season. Their 12-0 season gave them 109 victories in the...
due to an error in calculating his transfer credits. In 1999, Hoey transferred out of the athletic department and began working in the university's career services department. That October, Jones told The Denver Post that Hoey "wasn't necessarily a scapegoat, but there were definitely mistakes made in his department." The eligibility issues arose after Rick Neuheisel
Rick Neuheisel
Richard Gerald "Rick" Neuheisel, Jr. , is an American football coach, former player, and attorney. He was most recently the head football coach at University of California, Los Angeles, a position he held from 2008 to 2011...
departed as Colorado's head football coach and were part of broader problems that resulted in the school's being placed on two years' probation for 53 rules violations, 51 occurring while Neuheisel was the Colorado coach.
In 2004, the Colorado Daily
Colorado Daily
The Colorado Daily is a newspaper published in Boulder, Colorado, by Prairie Mountain Publishing Co. LLC, a unit of MediaNews Group. The Daily is operated out of the offices of Boulder's Camera newspaper...
reported that Hoey was a career counselor
School counselor
A school counselor is a counselor and an educator who works in elementary, middle, and high schools to provide academic, career, college access, and personal/social competencies to K-12 students...
working with student athletes to help them prepare for their future careers. Hoey noted: "Student-athletes are consumed with stuff when they first enter college. I plant seeds that will hopefully lead them towards our department and many resources." In May 2007, Hoey was the University of Colorado's career development coordinator and a co-chair of the Black Faculty/Staff Association, and the Virginia Patterson Chapter of Mortar Board
Mortar Board
Mortar Board is an American national honor society whose purpose is to recognize outstanding students dedicated to the values of scholarship, leadership, and service. The Cornell University Der Hexenkreis chapter, founded in 1892, is the oldest and predates the national society's founding in 1918...
Honors Society at the University of Colorado honored Hoey for his efforts to educate students.
Family and honors
Herb WashingtonHerb Washington
Herbert Lee Washington is a former world-class sprinter in the early 1970s who parlayed his speed into a brief Major League Baseball stint, and later became the owner/operator of numerous McDonald's restaurants and a minor-league professional hockey franchise and held a number of high-ranking...
, former Oakland A
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....
and world-class sprinter, is Hoey's cousin. Hoey has two sons, William and Sean. He was inducted into the Greater Flint Afro-American Hall of Fame in 2001, and he was inducted into the Greater Flint Area Sports Hall of Fame in 2003.
Career statistics
| Year | Team | KR | Yards | Avg | TDs Touchdown A touchdown is a means of scoring in American and Canadian football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone.-Description:... |
PR | Yards | Avg | TD | Int. | Yards | Average |
| 1967 | Michigan Wolverines Michigan Wolverines football The Michigan Wolverines football program represents the University of Michigan in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. Michigan has the most all-time wins and the highest winning percentage in college football history... |
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| 12 | 291 | 24.3 | 1 | |||||||||
| 1968 | Michigan Wolverines | 12 | 221 | 18.4 | ||||||||
| 19 | 238 | 12.5 | 0 | 2 | 31 | 15.5 | ||||||
| Career | 12 | 221 | 18.4 | |||||||||
| 31 | 529 | 17.1 | 1 | 2 | 31 | 15.5 | ||||||
| 1971 | St. Louis Cardinals | 9 | 251 | 27.9 | 1 | |||||||
| 0 | ||||||||||||
| 1972 | New England Patriots | 9 | 210 | 23.3 | 0 | |||||||
| 1 | 25 | 25 | ||||||||||
| 1973 | New England Patriots New England Patriots The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National... |
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| 0 | ||||||||||||
| 1974 | San Diego Chargers San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers are a professional American football team based in San Diego, California. they were members of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... |
3 | 73 | 24.3 | 0 | 4 | 38 | 9.5 | ||||
| 1 | 20 | 20 | ||||||||||
| 1975 | New York Jets New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... |
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| 1975 | Denver Broncos Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... |
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| TOTAL | 21 | 534 | 25.4 | 1 | 4 | 38 | 9.5 | 0 | 2 | 45 | ||