Jon Hoke

Hoke played high school football at Fairmont East High School[2] in Kettering, Ohio. He then attended Ball State University, where he played defensive back on the football team. Hoke was a 2-time all-MAC selection and his team earned league titles in 1976 and 1978.[1]

Hoke spent time in the NFL as a player with the Chicago Bears and Kansas City Chiefs from 1980-1981.[3][4]

Hoke embarked on a coaching career in 1982, and ultimately coached in the college ranks for 19 seasons. As a secondary coach, he served at Dayton, North Carolina State, and Bowling Green. Hoke was hired by head coach Denny Stolz at BGSU, and then followed him when he was hired at San Diego State. After Stolz's dismissal at SDSU, Hoke went Kent State, Missouri, and Florida.[1]

He served as defensive coordinator for Kent State in 1993 and Florida from 1999-2001. At Florida, Hoke replaced friend Bob Stoops,[5] who had left to become the head coach at Oklahoma. Hoke and Stoops had served on the same Kent State staff in 1989 under Dick Crum, and Stoops recommended Hoke as his successor.[6] Hoke left Florida when Gators head coach Steve Spurrier took the head coaching job with the Washington Redskins of the NFL.

When Spurrier returned to college football to coach South Carolina in 2004, he asked Hoke to join him as defensive coordinator. After deliberating with his family, Hoke declined Spurrier's offer.[7]

On Wednesday, February 4, 2015, Hoke re-joined Spurrier, this time at South Carolina.[8]

Hoke joined the expansion Houston Texans of the NFL in 2002 as secondary coach under Dom Capers, and was retained by new head coach Gary Kubiak in 2005.[9]

Hoke joined the Chicago Bears as defensive backs coach under head coach Lovie Smith in 2009,[10] taking over for Steven Wilks. In 2012, the Minnesota Vikings asked the Bears for permission to interview Hoke for their vacant defensive coordinator position, but were denied.[11]

Hoke was one of two Smith assistants to be retained by new Bears head coach Marc Trestman for the 2013 season.[12]

On January 21, 2015, the Bears announced that Ed Donatell had been hired as the defensive backs coach under new head coach John Fox. Hoke was informed by the Bears that his contract would not be optioned and he would not be asked to return.

On January 16, 2016, Hoke was hired as the Defensive Backs coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Hoke is the older brother of Brady Hoke, who was previously the head football coach at the University of Michigan until December 2, 2014.[13]

Hoke and his wife, Jody, have four children: Mallory, Kyle, and twins Kendall and Carly. Kyle Hoke played college football for his uncle Brady at Ball State and served as a graduate assistant coach for Western Michigan and South Carolina. Kyle is currently the safeties coach at Texas State[14] after previously serving as the defensive coordinator at John Carroll.[15][16]

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