Alma Mater: Bradley, 1973
Hometown: Peoria, Illinois
Coaching Experience: 21 years
Playing Career: starter at TE and DT at Bradley, 1970-72
Considered prominently among the country's top football assistants positioning themselves as future head coaches, the popular Hoener is in his fifth year of serving on the TCU staff. Hoener, who is equally effective as the Horned Frogs' offensive coordinator and offensive line boss, probably remembers the '94 campaign as one of his more enjoyable ones. Behind Hoener's direction, the Horned Frogs ran away with the SWC total offense title, while backs Max Knake and Andre Davis were among the NCAA leaders in their respective categories, plus center Barret Robbins was a second-team all-America and a second-round draft pick.
Hoener joined the TCU program in 1992 as the assistant head coach, and since has shifted to the offensive coordinator and offensive line responsibilities. Prior to TCU, the 45-year-old Hoener (pronounced HAY-nur) had spent three campaigns with Purdue, the first two as a defensive line coach, and as offensive line/special teams' coach at that Big Ten Conference school in 1991.
A native of Peoria, Illinois, Hoener played his collegiate football at Bradley University (1969-72) as a tight end and defensive tackle before joining the state of Illinois high school coaching ranks in 1973 (at Peoria Spalding) and 1974 (at Belvidere High School). After serving a pair of seasons as a graduate assistant on Missouri's football staffs of 1975 and 1976, Hoener became an assistant at Illinois State (offensive line) in 1977, moving on to Indiana State (offensive line and offensive coordinator) from 1978 through 1983.
In 1984, Hoener joined the staff of the National Football League's St. Louis (later Phoenix) Cardinals as the tight end and strength coach and stayed with that organization until he shifted to the University of Illinois as the offensive line coach from 1986 through 1988. He moved to Purdue in the spring of 1989. Hoener earned his bachelor's degree in physical education from Bradley in 1973.
He and his wife, Marianne, have three daughters -- Jennifer, Kathleen and Lisa.