COLUMBIA — Jon Hoke played one season in the NFL, appearing in 11 games for a 1980 Chicago Bears team suffering through a middling season before the arrival of coach Mike Ditka. But being around several players who would go on to win a Super Bowl five years later, the experience still left an imprint.
“I was very fortunate to be in a locker room with Walter Payton, just to see what kind of man he was, what kind of teammate he was,” said Hoke, who recorded seven tackles as a defensive back. “Dan Hampton was a year older than me, maybe two at the time.