Coach dies in single-car accident
Offensive line football coach was 41
Collin Whitchurch/Sports Editor
Issue date: 11/30/09 Section: News
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Effingham County coroner Leigh Hammer confirmed to The Daily Eastern News at 1:10 a.m. Sunday that Hoover was a front-seat passenger in a car traveling northbound on Interstate 57 when it swerved to avoid a deer and rolled over.
Hoover, Eric Cash, Eastern strength and conditioning coach, and their families were returning home from Saturday's game against Southern Illinois University-Carbondale.
Hoover was pronounced dead at the scene at 8:40 p.m. Saturday.
Cash, his wife Sherri, Hoover's wife Penny and one child are currently at Carle Foundation Hospital in Urbana for injuries sustained in the crash. Eric Cash, Sherri Cash and Penny Hoover are all in stable condition, according to a release by the Eastern Athletic Department.
Two other children were treated and released.
For the Eastern Athletic Department, Sunday was a day of mourning over the death of a second member of its family in less than a month. Jackie Moore, Eastern women's basketball assistant coach, died Nov. 4 after collapsing while working out.
"Football coaches around the country turn into a second father for most of us players and for some of us our only father figure," said senior offensive lineman Chris Vaccaro. "Coach Hoover was that person to many of us. He always had an open door where we could come in and talk to him about anything at anytime."
Eastern offensive coordinator Roy Wittke said he got to know Hoover during his time working with him and remembered the way he conducted himself every day and his commitment to his family.
"He was a family man in the truest sense of the word," Wittke said. "His own family was his No. 1 priority in life, and he treated his players as if they were part of that family."
Hoover joined head coach Bob Spoo's staff at Eastern in March 2007 after spending one year as the offensive line coach and offensive coordinator at Portland State in Portland, Ore.
He also coached for Henderson State in Arkadelphia, Ark.
Scott Maxfield, Henderson State's head coach, said he kept in close touch with Hoover after he left his program.
"He was more than a good coach, he was a great friend," Maxfield said. "Even after he left us at Henderson, we stayed in touch. Everyone on our staff was close to him."
Vaccaro said Hoover never expected anything less than the best out of his players and was a great influence on them.
"He was a great man and a great coach," Vaccaro said. "He always asked for the best from all of us. He will be missed by not only the offensive line but the entire EIU family."
Funeral arrangements for Hoover have not yet been released. Eastern sports information director Rich Moser said a memorial service is planned but details are not yet available.
Hoover is survived by his wife and two children.
Collin Whitchurch can be reached at 581-7944 or cfwhitchurch@eiu.edu.
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