This Friday at the Omni William Penn Hotel is the Jimmy Krenn roast of Merril Hoge for charity. I was asked by Merril to say a few words and of course, most humbly accepted.
Merril is a great guy that I truly respect. He’s overcome health issues both in and out of the game. As a player, Merril was one of those guys who always laid it on the line. There was no quit in him.
I will never forget in the ’89 playoffs against the Denver Broncos when Denver safety Steve Atwater was all upset because Merril was running over Broncos like an elephant goes through wicker chairs at the patio department at IKEA.
Atwater kept yelling, “We gott’a stop Hoag!” And of course His last name is Hoge (rhyme with lodge). So Tunch Ilkin kept yelling across the line of scrimmage to Atwater, “His name is Hoge! He’s beating your brains out and you can’t even pronounce his name right!” And Atwater would yell back at Tunch. It was very funny when you are standing in the middle of it.
Truly great memories of a truly great guy. Let the fun begin.
