Cullowhee, N.C. – Western Carolina Athletics is set to honor football student-athlete alum Brad Hoover and the No. 41 that he wore during his standout four-year Catamount career. The special recognition is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 1 as a part of the Catamounts' home football game against Southern Conference foe VMI, it was announced this week.
 
As a part of the special ceremony, Hoover's number 41 will be enshrined alongside three additional honored numbers from WCU's football past and displayed at Bob Waters Field / E.J. Whitmire Stadium. Hoover's No. 41 will join the No. 54 of Art Byrd (1946-49), the No. 23 of Jerry Gaines (1970-75), and the No. 14 of four-time All-Southern Conference selection kicker Kirk Roach (1984-87).
 
A 2008 inductee into WCU's Athletics Hall of Fame and a two-time All-SoCon selection at running back, Hoover starred at tailback for the Catamounts from 1996 through 1999 before playing 10 seasons for the Carolina Panthers in the National Football League.
 
Affectionally known as "Hoov," Hoover ranks third in Western Carolina football history with 3,616 career rushing yards, trailing just second-place Detrez Newsome (3,728 yards from 2014-17) and all-time leader Darrell Lipford, (4,089 yards from 1974-77). His career tally includes a WCU single-season record of 1,663 rushing yards in 1998 which came on a single-season best 331 carries. Hoover's 708 career rushes additionally rank him third in program history, finishing fourth with a 5.10 career rushing average and tied for eighth with 23 scores on the ground.
 
During his record-setting 1998 season, Hoover keyed an upset of archrival Appalachian State by rushing for 195 yards on a school single-game record 49 carries. WCU upended the second-ranked Mountaineers 23-6 in Cullowhee, returning the "Old Mountain Jug" to Cullowhee.
 
It's somewhat fitting that VMI provides the opposition when Hoover's number is to be honored as he rushed for a career-high – and at the time, a program record – 251 yards and four touchdowns against the Keydets on Oct. 31, 1998. That mark currently represents the third-most rushing yards by a WCU back.
 
All told, Hoover recorded 15 career 100-yard rushing games, which is also third among Catamount running backs, surpassing the century mark in a program-best, seven-consecutive games in 1998.
 
Signed as a free agent by the Carolina Panthers in 2000, Hoover played 10 seasons in the NFL, retiring after the 2009 season. Adding four digits to his honored No. 41, Hoover wore No. 45 as a professional, playing in 152 career games for the Panthers. He finished with 961 rushing yards with three touchdowns on the ground while adding 1,046 receiving yards on 145 catches with six scores through the air over his pro career.
 
Among the highlights of his professional career was a start at tailback for the Panthers under the bright lights of Monday Night Football against the Green Bay Packers. In just his second professional start – and with the familiar chorus of "Hoov" raining down, Hoover rushed for 117-yards on Nov. 27, 2000, in Carolina's 31-14 victory becoming just the second rookie in team history to post a 100-yard rushing performance. As a lead blocker, he also helped pave the way for RB Stephen Davis to rush for a franchise-record 1,444 yards in the 2003 season, helping guide the Panthers to an NFC Championship and appearance in Super Bowl XXXVIII.
 
In addition to honoring Hoover's No. 41, the Oct. 1 game is WCU's Family Weekend and will also celebrate the University's relationship with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI).
 
Both season and single-game tickets, as well as game day parking for Western Carolina's 2022 home schedule, are on sale now through the WCU Athletics Ticket Office on the first floor of the Ramsey Center, by phone at (828) 227-2401, and online at www.CatamountSports.com/BuyTickets.
 
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