Ken Hobart
Encyclopedia
Kenneth Charles "Ken" Hobart (born January 27, 1961) is a former professional football
player, a quarterback
in the USFL
and CFL
, where he played from 1985-90.
at the University of Idaho
from 1980-83, starting for four seasons. The first two were in the veer
option offense under Jerry Davitch
, and the final two in a passing attack under new head coach Dennis Erickson
. In Erickson's first season in 1982
, Hobart led the Vandals to an 8-3 record in the regular season and advanced to the quarterfinals of the Division I-AA playoffs, falling on the road 30-38 to eventual champion Eastern Kentucky
. In Hobart's senior season of 1983
, the Vandals again went 8-3, but lost all three games in conference play and were not selected for the 12-team national playoffs. Throwing for over 10,000 yards in his collegiate career, he was a Division I-AA All-American in 1983.
Hailing from tiny Kamiah
, Idaho
, Hobart was nicknamed the "Kamiah Kid."
He initially attended Lewis-Clark State College
in Lewiston
in 1979 with the intent of playing college baseball
as a pitcher, then transferred to UI in 1980
and walked-on to become the starting quarterback in his redshirt
freshman season. He also competed for the Idaho track team in the decathlon
and still ranks as one of the top decathletes in the school's history. (Idaho dropped baseball as a varsity sport following the 1980 season.) Hobart graduated in 1984 with a bachelor's degree
in management.
of the USFL
, as a second round pick in the 1984 USFL Draft. He was traded to Denver
, and was selected tenth in the 1984 NFL Supplemental Draft
by the New York Jets
, but never played in the NFL
.
Hobart moved north to Canada in 1985, where he played for six seasons in the CFL
, four with Hamilton
and two with Ottawa
. In 1985 he rushed for a Hamilton team record for yards by a quarterback (928) and was winner of the Jeff Russel Memorial Trophy
and runner up as CFL MVP. He was a member of the Hamilton's Grey Cup
championship team in 1986
.
Idaho
and resides in Lewiston
with his wife and three children.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
player, a quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
in the USFL
United States Football League
The United States Football League was an American football league which was in active operation from 1983 to 1987. It played a spring/summer schedule in its first three seasons and a traditional autumn/winter schedule was set to commence before league operations ceased.The USFL was conceived in...
and CFL
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....
, where he played from 1985-90.
Collegiate career
Hobart played college footballCollege football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
at the University of Idaho
Idaho Vandals
The Idaho Vandals are the intercollegiate athletic teams of the University of Idaho. They participate in NCAA Division I - FBS in the Western Athletic Conference ....
from 1980-83, starting for four seasons. The first two were in the veer
Veer
The Veer is an option running play often associated with option offenses in American football, made famous at the collegiate level by the Houston Cougars. It is currently run primarily on the high school level, with some usage at the collegiate and the professional level with varying degrees of...
option offense under Jerry Davitch
Jerry Davitch
Jerry J. Davitch is a former college football coach and secondary school administrator. Since 2004 he has served as the superintendent of schools in Richland Township, just northeast of Johnstown, Pennsylvania. He served in a similar capacity for eight years in nearby Conemaugh Township in...
, and the final two in a passing attack under new head coach Dennis Erickson
Dennis Erickson
Dennis Erickson is an American football coach and former player. He was the head football coach at Arizona State University until November 28, 2011, a position he had held since the 2007 season. In 2008 the Arizona Board of Regents had approved a contract extension to keep Erickson at Arizona...
. In Erickson's first season in 1982
1982 Idaho Vandals football team
The 1982 Idaho Vandals football team represented the University of Idaho in the 1982 NCAA Division I-AA football season. The Vandals, led by first-year head coach Dennis Erickson, were members of the Big Sky Conference and played their home games at the Kibbie Dome, an indoor facility on campus in...
, Hobart led the Vandals to an 8-3 record in the regular season and advanced to the quarterfinals of the Division I-AA playoffs, falling on the road 30-38 to eventual champion Eastern Kentucky
Eastern Kentucky Colonels football
The Eastern Kentucky University Colonels football team is a member of the Ohio Valley Conference that competes in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision...
. In Hobart's senior season of 1983
1983 Idaho Vandals football team
The 1983 Idaho Vandals football team represented the University of Idaho in the 1983 NCAA Division I-AA football season. The Vandals, led by second-year head coach Dennis Erickson, were members of the Big Sky Conference and played their home games at the Kibbie Dome, an indoor facility on campus in...
, the Vandals again went 8-3, but lost all three games in conference play and were not selected for the 12-team national playoffs. Throwing for over 10,000 yards in his collegiate career, he was a Division I-AA All-American in 1983.
Hailing from tiny Kamiah
Kamiah, Idaho
Kamiah is a city in Idaho and Lewis counties in the U.S. state of Idaho. The largest city in Lewis County, it extends only a small distance into Idaho County. The population was 1,160 at the 2000 census...
, Idaho
Idaho
Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
, Hobart was nicknamed the "Kamiah Kid."
He initially attended Lewis-Clark State College
Lewis-Clark State College
Lewis–Clark State College is a public undergraduate college located in Lewiston, Idaho. It was founded in 1893, and has an annual enrollment of approximately 3,500 students. The college offers over 83 degrees and is well-known for its Criminal Justice, Education, Nursing, and Technical programs.-...
in Lewiston
Lewiston, Idaho
Lewiston is a city in and also the county seat of Nez Perce County in the Pacific Northwest state of Idaho. It is the second-largest city in the northern Idaho region, behind Coeur d'Alene and ninth-largest in the state. Lewiston is the principal city of the Lewiston, ID - Clarkston, WA...
in 1979 with the intent of playing college baseball
College baseball
College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. Compared to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a less significant contribution to cultivating professional players, as the minor leagues primarily...
as a pitcher, then transferred to UI in 1980
1980 Idaho Vandals football team
The 1980 Idaho Vandals football team represented the University of Idaho in the 1980 NCAA Division I-AA football season. The Vandals were led by third-year head coach Jerry Davitch and were members of the Big Sky Conference...
and walked-on to become the starting quarterback in his redshirt
Redshirt (college sports)
Redshirt is a term used in American college athletics that refers to a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen his or her period of eligibility...
freshman season. He also competed for the Idaho track team in the decathlon
Decathlon
The decathlon is a combined event in athletics consisting of ten track and field events. The word decathlon is of Greek origin . Events are held over two consecutive days and the winners are determined by the combined performance in all. Performance is judged on a points system in each event, not...
and still ranks as one of the top decathletes in the school's history. (Idaho dropped baseball as a varsity sport following the 1980 season.) Hobart graduated in 1984 with a bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in management.
Professional career
Hobart started his professional football career in 1984 with the Jacksonville BullsJacksonville Bulls
The Jacksonville Bulls were a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. They were members of the United States Football League during its final two seasons, 1984 and 1985...
of the USFL
United States Football League
The United States Football League was an American football league which was in active operation from 1983 to 1987. It played a spring/summer schedule in its first three seasons and a traditional autumn/winter schedule was set to commence before league operations ceased.The USFL was conceived in...
, as a second round pick in the 1984 USFL Draft. He was traded to Denver
Denver Gold
The Denver Gold was a franchise in the United States Football League, an attempt to establish a second major professional football league in the United States, playing a springtime season, from 1983 to 1985...
, and was selected tenth in the 1984 NFL Supplemental Draft
1984 NFL Supplemental Draft of USFL and CFL Players
The National Football League held a draft of United States Football League and Canadian Football League players on June 5, 1984. In an attempt to head off a bidding war in its own ranks for USFL and CFL players. NFL teams chose 84 players from 224 available during the three-round selection meeting...
by the New York Jets
New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, but never played in the NFL
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
.
Hobart moved north to Canada in 1985, where he played for six seasons in the CFL
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....
, four with Hamilton
Hamilton Tiger-Cats
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are a Canadian Football League team based in Hamilton, Ontario, founded in 1950 with the merger of the Hamilton Tigers and the Hamilton Wildcats. The Tiger-Cats play their home games at Ivor Wynne Stadium...
and two with Ottawa
Ottawa Rough Riders
The Ottawa Rough Riders were a Canadian Football League team based in Ottawa, Ontario, founded in 1876. One of the oldest and longest lived professional sports teams in North America, the Rough Riders won the Grey Cup championship nine times. Their most dominant era was the 1960s and 1970s, a...
. In 1985 he rushed for a Hamilton team record for yards by a quarterback (928) and was winner of the Jeff Russel Memorial Trophy
Jeff Russel Memorial Trophy
The Jeff Russel Memorial Trophy is a Canadian football award recognizing the most outstanding player of the Quebec University Football LeagueThe trophy was originally presented to the player who best exemplified skill, sportsmanship, and courage in the Interprovincial Rugby Football Union...
and runner up as CFL MVP. He was a member of the Hamilton's Grey Cup
Grey Cup
The Grey Cup is both the name of the championship of the Canadian Football League and the name of the trophy awarded to the victorious team. It is Canada's largest annual sports and television event, regularly drawing a Canadian viewing audience of about 3 to 4 million individuals...
championship team in 1986
1986 CFL season
The 1986 Canadian Football League season is considered to be the 33rd season in modern-day Canadian football, although it is officially the 29th Canadian Football League season.-CFL News in 1986:...
.
Personal
Following his playing career, Hobart returned to north centralNorth Central Idaho
North Central Idaho is an area which spans the central part of the state of Idaho and borders Oregon, Montana, and Washington. It is the southern half of the Idaho Panhandle region and is rich in agriculture and natural resources. Lewis and Clark travelled throughout this area on their journey to...
Idaho
Idaho
Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
and resides in Lewiston
Lewiston, Idaho
Lewiston is a city in and also the county seat of Nez Perce County in the Pacific Northwest state of Idaho. It is the second-largest city in the northern Idaho region, behind Coeur d'Alene and ninth-largest in the state. Lewiston is the principal city of the Lewiston, ID - Clarkston, WA...
with his wife and three children.