Terrelle Pryor, Dick Hoak, Joe Mucci to enter National High School Football Hall of Fame

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Wednesday, June 5, 2024 | 11:01 AM

A hall of fame enshrinement ceremony this weekend one state over will include three Jeannette football legends.

Late coach Joe Mucci and former star quarterbacks Dick Hoak and Terrelle Pryor will be inducted in the National High School Football Hall of Fame during a ceremony Saturday at Umstattd Hall at the Hall of Fame Village in Canton, Ohio.

The national hall of fame was founded by Lamont “Showboat” Robinson, a Jeannette alum who is known for his exploits in comedy basketball as a former player with the Harlem Globetrotters, Harlem Road Kings and Harlem Clowns.

This will be the hall’s second class.

The three former Jayhawks will join 27 others as part of the Class of 2024. Robinson said Pryor will attend the ceremony, but Hoak is unable to make the trip to Ohio, and Mucci’s family will be on hand.

Former Jeannette running back John “Showboat” Crowell was inducted last year, along with legendary Jim Brown, Peyton Manning, Marcus Dupree and others.

Crowell is Robinson’s grandfather.

Mucci, who died in 2020 at age 86, coached Jeannette from 1968-1985 and posted a record of 150-33-3 with 11 conference titles and three WPIAL championships (1971, ‘81 and ‘83).

Mucci is a member of the Jeannette Athletic Hall of Fame, the Western Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame, PA Scholastic Football Coaches Hall of Fame and WPIAL Hall of Fame.

Hoak, 85, led Jeannette to a WPIAL 3A title in 1956 as a quarterback and defensive back. He went on to play quarterback and running back at Penn State and was a seventh-round pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1961. He rushed for 3,965 yards and 33 touchdowns across nine seasons as a pro before becoming a coach.

Hoak won five Super Bowl rings as an assistant coach with the Steelers. He was hired by Chuck Noll in 1972 and was the only coach retained by Bill Cowher in 1992.

Pryor, considered one of the all-time greats to play in the WPIAL, was the top prep recruit in the nation in 2008. He led the Jayhawks to WPIAL titles in 2006 and ‘07 and to a PIAA championships in ‘07 when the team finished 16-0.

He ran and passed for more than 4,000 yards in his highlight-filled career. Pryor went on to play at Ohio State and guided the Buckeyes to a Rose Bowl win in 2010 with an MVP performance.

He played for several teams in the NFL, including the Cleveland Browns and Washington Redskins, when he switched positions to wide receiver.

Robinson said there are plans to build a complex for the national hall of fame in Canton.

The full National High School Football Hall of Fame Class of 2024 includes:

Players

Harvey Armstrong DT

Nate Burleson WR

Dick Butkus LB

John Cooper QB

Josh Cribbs QB

Ernie Davis RB

Eric Dickerson RB

Chuck Ealey QB

Eddie George RB

Ted Ginn, Jr WR

Bob Golic DT

James A. Haslam G

Dick Hoak RB

Calvin Jack Jones G

Kurt Kampe Jr. G

Dexter Manley DT

Geoff Mitchell RB

Stump Mitchell RB

Ed Molinski G

Orlando Pace T

Terrelle Pryor QB

Andre Rison WR

Billy Sims RB

Robert Smith RB

Jack Trice DT

Paul Warfield RB

Reggie White T

Doug Williams QB

Charles Woodson RB

Contributor

Bobby DiGeronimo

Coaches

Gerry Faust

Chuck Kyle

Joe Mucci

Reno A. Saccoccia

Mike Young

Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.

Tags: Jeannette