Blue White Illustrated

players from Penn State who had be- come friends of mine while on campus in the late 1950s. Dick Hoak is well known for his 45 years in the Steelers' organization, but Bill Saul is only re- membered by old-timers like me. They are both historic figures in the infinite annals of the NFL. Better call Saul Hoak and Saul were Steeler fans al- most from birth who became western Pennsylvania high school football stars, Hoak at Jeannette and Saul at Butler. But their personalities were very different. Hoak was quiet and laid back, while Saul was talkative and sometimes in your face. At Penn State, Hoak played running back and quarterback, mostly on the second platoon that usually saw as much action as the first team in that era of limited substitution. He also was an outstanding defensive back. In his final game as the second unit's quarterback in the 1960 Liberty Bowl against Oregon, Hoak was named the Most Valuable Player after leading the Lions to a 41-12 victory, scoring two touchdowns, pass- ing for another and intercepting a pass to set up a touchdown. The Steelers drafted Hoak in the sev- enth round (90th overall), and he went on to become a legendary Steeler career man, with 10 years as a player and then 35 years as an assistant coach. He re- mains the longest-tenured assistant in the franchise's history. Hoak started 82 of 135 games and is seventh in career rushing with 3,965 yards and 25 touch- downs on 1,138 carries, with eight addi- P E N N S T A T E F O O T B A L L >> Nittany Lions not as prevalent on Eagles' all-time roster Although several well-known Penn State players have worn Philadelphia Eagles uniforms, none are in the Col- lege or Pro Football Hall of Fame. Kenny Jackson is the most honored of those former Nittany Lions. He was the ;rst Penn State wide receiver to be- come a two-time ;rst-team All-Amer- ican in 1982-83. A ;rst-round dra= choice in 1984 (No. 5 overall), Jackson played seven seasons with the Eagles. O

• Cover