Hoak played college football for the Penn State Nittany Lions, and was selected by the Steelers in the seventh round of the 1961 NFL draft.
Chosen by the Steelers in the seventh round of the 1961 NFL draft, Hoak had an impressive career, amassing 3,965 rushing yards in 1132 attempts (3.5 avg) with 25 touchdowns.
He retired after the 1970 season as Pittsburgh's number 2 all-time rusher, and is currently fifth all time in rushing yards out of all Steelers.
After a highly successful playing career, Hoak was hired by then-coach Chuck Noll as running backs coach in 1972, and served in that position for 20 seasons.
He was the position coach for Steeler greats Franco Harris and Jerome Bettis.