Georgia, 1984
• 1981 Academic All-America® Second Team
• 1982 Academic All-America® First Team
• 1983 Academic All-America® First Team
Terry Hoage was inducted into the CoSIDA Academic All-America® Hall of Fame in 2004.
Terrell Lee “Terry” Hoage was born on April 11, 1962 in Ames, Iowa. After excelling at football during his four years at Huntsville (AL) High School, Hoage went on to play defensive back for the University of Georgia.
Hoage played both cornerback and safety for the Bulldogs from 1980-1983. He capped his career with a standout season in 1983, finishing fifth in the voting for the Heisman Trophy. Georgia head coach Vince Dooley described Hoage as “the best defensive player I’ve ever coached and maybe the best one I’ve ever seen.”
While at Georgia, Hoage was a two-time consensus All-American and two-time SEC Defensive Player of the Year. He also earned the 1984 SEC Athlete of the Year Award. Hoage was the recipient of the NCAA’s 1984 Top V Award, given to five outstanding senior student-athletes. He graduated from the University of Georgia in 1984 with a B.S. in Genetics and a cumulative 3.85 GPA.
Hoage continued his successes on the field after being selected by the New Orleans Saints in the third round of the 1984 NFL Draft. He spent 13 seasons in the NFL, playing for six different teams: the Saints, the Philadelphia Eagles, the Washington Redskins, the San Francisco 49ers, the Houston Oilers, and the Arizona Cardinals. While playing for the Eagles during the 1988 season, Hoage picked off eight passes, an NFL career best, and led the league in interceptions. The highlight of his football career was winning the 1992 Super Bowl with the Redskins. He finished his professional career in 1996 with the Cardinals.
In 1987, Hoage married his wife, Jennifer, and they have two children, Christopher and Natalie. After hanging up his jersey, Hoage briefly entered the corporate world before deciding to put his science degree to good use and enter the wine business. Hoage and his wife purchased their 26-acre vineyard in Paso Robles, Calif., in 2002. The business is truly a family affair with Hoage, Jennifer, and her parents all part of the operations at Terry Hoage Vineyards. The vineyard produces about 2000 cases of wine each year, including one named The Hedge after the legendary hedges in the Sanford Stadium at the University of Georgia.
Hoage was also inducted to the College Football Hall of Fame, named to the SEC 25-year team (1961-1985) and named to the Walter Camp All-Century Team as a safety.