I picked up the latest Sports Illustrated in the doctor´s office yesterday. And as I was flipping through it, I saw an old friend. Well, he didn't really know me, but he did inspire me.

Terry Hoage was called "the best defensive player I have ever coached" by the legendary Univ of Georgia football coach. He went onto to have a decent NFL career, playing with the Saints, the Eagles, and finishing his career in AZ with the Cardinals. Terry now owns a vineyard in California.

When I saw the short article on Terry, this letter below just sort of spilled out. I guess I'm learning the value of letting people know that they have affected your life in some way.

So, here I share with you my letter to Terry Hoage. Enjoy.



Dear Terry,

I just saw the short article on you in SI´s "Where Are They Now" issue and (probably like many others) just had to write. Not sure what to say or where to start...but I just wanted to tell you that you were quite the inspiration for a teenager growing up in Atlanta in the mid 80’s. If you will oblige me, I will quickly tell you how you affected my life. Hopefully, it will be semi-inspirational. :)

I was a decent athlete at North Springs HS in Atlanta. Basketball was my main sport, but I played soccer and ran track as well. I had played (and loved) football growing up but had stopped playing for fear of being hurt by the guys who belonged in the weight room (at 6’3”, 170, I was always intimidated to walk in that place... I always had the thought that someone would look at how much I was benching and yell out, “Hey! Check this out! Krieger is a wimp!). So, in high school, I would watch from the sideline as these guys that looked like 230lb locomotives would run down the field (and strut down the hall).

Our team was always good. Typically winning our region. Ben Logue was the most famous player we had. He went on to Michigan but didn’t do much there I don’t think. So, there I was. On the sideline and afraid.

And then I saw #14, and I guess I quickly identified with you. :) Not that you weren’t athletic looking (I remember in the UGA Media Guide they had you as 6’3”, 196)... but b/c 1. We were roughly the same height (and I could be the same build if I gained a little weight) and 2. As I watched you play, it was fun to watch someone who had a knack for field awareness (something I took pride in when I played bball).

During my junior year, I started taping (on betamax) the Vince Dooley show every week. I watched it over. And over. And over. Like a coach pouring over game film, I zoned in on how you played each play. I wasn’t (and am times still not) a very aggressive person. So, watching your tenacity in the pursuit of the ball, you helped me become more tenacious myself.

So, my senior year with #14 as my inspiration, I tried out for the team. I ended up doing ok. I won a starting position at free safety, played on an 8-2 team that didn’t make the playoffs, and ending up winning the team’s Most Improved Player award. The whole season I wore your number on the back of my helmet and even had a scrapbook with a bunch of your article clippings. The last game I played I recovered a fumble for a TD. And when I got back to the sideline, my teammates (knowing who my hero was) started chanting, “Hoage! Hoage! Hoage!” :)

After HS, I ended up going to UGA and walking onto the team. I was a scrub for sure. Beat up like a rag doll on the scout team. And, I am afraid, it kind of ends there. I think I was just too intimdated by the size of guys I was up against each week. I ended up playing in the Scottish Rite GA/GA Tech game but finished my ‘career’ after my freshman year. As many has-beens, I still think about the glory days and what could’ve been. :) I remember Bill Lewis (the former defensive coordinator and coach of Terry) asking me after practice one day how tall I was and commenting about how I had ‘potential’.

All in all, it was a great experience. Did I reach Hoage status? Not quite. :) But I I have some great memories. I’m not sure of any huge life lessons I can take from any of this. I guess when I saw you in SI, I just felt compelled to tell it. And to thank you for the inspiration. People´s lives and actions do make a difference, I guess. So, thanks Terry. And Go Dawgs. :)

Jeff

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