“If I didn’t have ... the greatest parents, I wouldn’t be here,” Brady Hoke, a Fairmont East High School graduate, told the Detroit News last season.
John Hoke and wife Pat became popular with the Michigan media in light of their son’s rise from San Diego State head coach to one of the premier jobs in college football. A Detroit newspaper sent a reporter to the Hokes’ Kettering home for an interview.
John and Pat became regulars at Michigan home games, watching from a skybox at Michigan Stadium. “Oh, beautiful,” John said, describing the accommodations to the Dayton Daily News. “They take care of us, pick us up in a cart, take us to the elevator. Beautiful place to watch the game.”
The Hokes described their routine as driving to Ann Arbor on Friday, staying at Brady’s home, tailgating with his wife and other family members, being escorted to suite level and taking in the game.
“I’m very quiet, I never say anything,” John told the DDN prior to the Ohio State game last November. “Well, I say a few things (to Brady).”
John Hoke was also the father of Chicago Bears assistant coach Jon Hoke. No details were immediately released regarding funeral arrangements.