3 former NFL assistant coaches selected to receive Awards of Excellence

Honorees will be recognized June 25-26 in Canton; three other groups remain to name recipients in Class of 2025

A second group that selects honorees as part of the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s annual Awards of Excellence program has made its choices for the Class of 2025.

The fourth class of Assistant Coaches will include Dick Hoak, Elijah Pitts and Jim McNally. Their selection brings to 14 the number of position coaches/coordinators who have been recognized with Awards of Excellence.

A cocktail dinner and awards luncheon to celebrate the careers of Hoak, Pitts and McNally will take place in Canton next June 25-26. The coaches will be joined by Pete Abitante, Jason Jenkins and Bill Keenist, who earlier this month were announced as the Awards of Excellence recipients in the Public Relations Directors category. Still to be announced, on dates to be determined, are electees for Athletic Trainers, Equipment Managers and Film/Video Directors.

Shortly after his 10-year (1961-1970) NFL playing career with the Pittsburgh Steelers ended, Hoak was hired in 1972 by CHUCK NOLL as running backs coach for the Steelers. Hoak held the position for 35 consecutive seasons, including the team’s transition to head coach BILL COWHER in 1992 as the only former Noll assistant retained on the new staff. No NFL team rushed for more yards than the Steelers in Hoak’s tenure, which included future Hall of Fame backs FRANCO HARRIS and JEROME BETTIS. Hoak won five Super Bowl rings and is a member of the Steelers Hall of Honor among several other accolades. As a player or coach, his career with the Steelers totaled 742 games.

Pitts also began his playing career in 1961, as a member of the Green Bay Packers, where he won five NFL championships and two Super Bowls. Upon retirement as a player, Pitts scouted for the Packers for two seasons. He then joined the staff in Los Angeles as running backs coach, and in his time there all four Rams teams reached the playoffs and finished no lower than Top 7 in the league for rushing offense. When head coach Chuck Knox left L.A. for Buffalo, Pitts joined him for three seasons. Short stints with the Houston Oilers (1981-83) and Hamilton Tiger-Cats (CFL, 1984) followed before Pitts returned to Buffalo in 1985. Coaching through the 1997 season, Pitts helped the Bills to four consecutive Super Bowl appearances (1990-93 seasons). Hall of Famers EARL CAMPBELL and THURMAN THOMAS are among the players he mentored.

McNally spent 43 seasons in the NFL and is credited with forging dominant offensive line units with multiple organizations. After a successful collegiate coaching career from 1966-1979 at several schools that included helping to rebuild the Marshall University team after the tragic plane crash in 1970, McNally entered the NFL with the Bengals in 1980. He stayed there until 1994, reaching two Super Bowls and mentoring future Hall of Famer ANTHONY MUÑOZ for all 13 of his seasons. Stints with the Carolina Panthers, New York Giants and Buffalo Bills followed until McNally “retired” in 2007. Consultancy with the Saints (two years), Jets (two years) and Bengals (10 years) followed until his second retirement in 2023. Still active in the game, he helps run coaching clinics and camps nationwide.

About the Awards of Excellence

The Pro Football Hall of Fame established the Awards of Excellence in 2022 to recognize significant contributors to the game in “behind-the-scenes” roles. In addition to public relations personnel, the program honors career Assistant Coaches plus Athletic Trainers, Equipment Managers and Film/Video Directors. These groups will make and announce their selections for the Class of 2025 at various times over the next few months.

The five groups presenting the Awards of Excellence created their own selection committees and set their own criteria for choosing new members. The Hall of Fame does not participate in any nominating or voting. 

Also at next year’s awards luncheon, the Pro Football Hall of Fame will honor the winner of its annual photo contest. Photographs taken during the 2024 National Football League season in the “Action” and “Feature” categories and entered in the contest are eligible for awards. A panel of professional photographers will judge the entries and pick first-, second- and third-place finishers in each category. 

The Photograph of the Year — chosen from the first-place winners in the Action and Feature categories — will be deemed winner of the 57th annual Dave Boss Award of Excellence. That photographer will be invited to Canton for the June 25-26 program, and his/her image will be placed on display in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.