Merril Hoge

Merril Hoge spent eight seasons as a running back for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Chicago Bears, then 21 years as an NFL analyst for ESPN. Neither career happened by accident. Both were built on three words he adopted early in life: find a way.

In this keynote, Hoge shares the people who shaped that mindset — Chuck Noll, who taught him what discipline looks like day to day; Walter Payton, who showed him what it means to outwork your talent; Aristotle, who gave him language for character and purpose; and his own kids, who give him a reason to keep living it out at home, not just on stage.

He also brings audiences into his toughest fight, one that had nothing to do with football, and shows how the same mindset that got him to the NFL got him through it. Audiences leave this session with something more durable than motivation: a way of thinking about their own goals and obstacles, and the resolve to do the work required to close the gap between the two, no matter the outcome. Hoge’s closing point is simple — none of us are getting through this alone. We are all teammates in the game of life.