Merril Hoge Releases New Memoir 'Find A Way'

Former Steeler Merril Hoge discusses motivation and his new book, "Find A Way"

By Rick Dayton
http://kdka.com/steelers
Sep 16, 2010 5:55 pm US/Eastern

He spent most of his career playing fullback for the Steelers, and now he's a commentator for ESPN.

Last year, Merril Hoge testified on Capitol Hill about the seriousness of concussions in pro football and now has a book out on those subjects and the lessons he's learned along the way.

"My battles with head trauma, cancer, the goal to play in the National Football League at a young age, the death of my mom, a farming accident that almost took my arm and those words 'find a way' have resonated in all those scenarios," Hoge said.

After eight seasons in the NFL – seven in Pittsburgh – concussions knocked him out of the game. Yet, a phone call from his doctor on Valentine's Day 2003 nearly knocked him over. They found a three-pound tumor. He had cancer.

"Brutal chemotherapy - you are going to go bald, you are going to be sick, and there's really no guarantee. That was the darkest day of my life," Hoge recalled.

He concentrated on things said by people he respected – Walter Payton, Aristotle, former Steelers' coach Chuck Noll and his little girl.

"It was my daughter who said, 'Well, Dad, you are going to have to find a way, and she was 9-years-old. Then, my energies changed," he said. "I was worried about chemo and cancer and it changed to like, 'I'm going to make, I'm going to whip this thing. It's not going to taking me out.' My energies shifted and I... that's what I want people to realize. You have the ability to channel your energies."

Hoge says that realization – that he needed to find a way to face his fear – changed everything.

"My way is different than your way, but within all the things that have happened to me and the people who have inspired me, hopefully you draw from that energy and it helps you - whether it's a goal or some obstacle you are facing - that it helps you find your way," he said.

Because a life worth living – is worth fighting for.

"You realize the magic you possess inside from your mental and spiritual energies are endless – and you exercise those, you use those," said Hoge. "You attack life the best you can, and you live in that manner. You live with no regrets."