John Hoffman (1925–1987)

Labeled “Mr. Versatility” of the National Football League (NFL) by the Sporting News, John Hoffman was drafted by the Chicago Bears despite having not played football in the two years since he walked away from the Arkansas Razorbacks team. He would go on to an eight-year career with the Bears and earn Pro-Bowl honors before retiring and returning to his family’s masonry business in Arkansas.

John Wilkes Hoffman was born on December 8, 1925, in Little Rock (Pulaski County) to William Thomas Hoffman, who was a masonry contractor, and Sallie Webb Hoffman, a homemaker. The second youngest of five children, he grew up in the city’s Goodwill neighborhood, not far from Little Rock Central High School, where he would later star as a three-sport athlete.

Hoffman’s football career began in earnest at West Side Junior High School, where he was switched from blocking back to ball carrier, a move that let him flourish into “the most feared back” in Arkansas by the time he was a senior.

At 6’2 and 215 pounds, “Big John” helped the Tigers in nearly every facet of football while also running track and playing basketball. He was a two-time all-state selection and helped lead Central to a state title as a senior in 1944.

Hoffman’s football prowess transferred to the college ranks, where he starred as a freshman at the University of Arkansas (UA) in Fayetteville (Washington County) for the sub-par Razorbacks in 1945. He became the first Razorback to lead the Southwest Conference in rushing and also led the team in receiving.

The following year, Arkansas hired John Barnhill to coach its football team. Barnhill relegated Hoffman to the second string to play behind Muscles Campbell. Despite the reduced role, Hoffman made the most memorable play of the season, intercepting a pass and returning it for a touchdown against Rice University in front of a massive crowd at his old stomping grounds—Central’s Quigley Stadium. The play secured a 7–0 victory over the Owls and propelled Arkansas into its first Cotton Bowl.

Unhappy with the situation in Fayetteville, Hoffman left the team a few games into the 1947 season after having “words” with Barnhill. Hoffman returned to Little Rock to work in the family’s masonry business. He later said there was no player-coach conflict, just that he was frustrated with the team’s offensive scheme.

Despite being away from football for almost two years, Hoffman was taken in the fifth round of the 1949 NFL draft by the Bears. He was recommended to the team by Ken Kavanaugh, a Bears veteran who was also a Little Rock native and Central alumnus.

Hoffman played eight seasons for the Bears, earning Pro Bowl selections in 1953 and 1955. The team was not as successful as it had been in the 1930s and 1940s—when it won six NFL titles—but the Bears reached the NFL Championship in Hoffman’s final season, losing to the New York Giants. Longtime Bears coach George Halas praised Hoffman for his work ethic, for his lack of vices, and because he “could play about five positions.”

Hoffman’s masonry background made him the perfect fodder for sports writers, one of whom noted that quips about Hoffman hitting “like a ton of bricks” or being “a brick wall on defense” were printed ad nauseum.

Hoffman married Martha Jean Linder in April 1945; they had three children. The couple returned to Little Rock after Hoffman retired from pro football. Hoffman continued to work in the masonry business, retiring as a contractor. He also served as the athletic director at England High School in England (Lonoke County) and coached its football team. He also served as assistant and then head coach for the short-lived Arkansas Diamonds football team.

Hoffman died suddenly, the result of a heart condition, on April 15, 1987. He is buried at Pinecrest Memorial Park and Garden Mausoleum in Saline County.

Hoffman’s accomplishments in football were recognized with induction into the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame in 1976. He was also selected among the best running backs in state history for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette’s All-Time Arkansas High School Football Team.

For additional information:
Allbright, Charles. “Player’s Death Revives Memories of Big Game.” Arkansas Gazette, April 20, 1987, p. 1B.

“Diamonds Hire John Hoffman as Assistant.” Arkansas Gazette, May 3, 1968, p. 26.

“Former UA, Bear Star Dies at 61.” Arkansas Gazette, April 17, 1987, p. 12D.

Henry, Orville. “Arkansas Turns Rice Pass into a 7-to-0 Victory: Hoffman Scores to Cap Teams’ Great Defensive Play.” Arkansas Gazette, November 10, 1946, p. 1A.

———. “Kind Words for Big John Come Easily.” Arkansas Gazette, April 17, 1987, p. 1D.

“John Hoffman.” Pro Football Reference. https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/H/HoffJo00.htm (accessed February 20, 2025).

“John Hoffman Leaves to Join Pro Bears as Workouts Start.” Arkansas Democrat, August 1, 1949, p. 9.

Russell, Bob. “Bears’ (and Little Rock’s) John Hoffman ‘Mr. Versatility’ of NFL.” Arkansas Gazette, October 8, 1955, p. 2B.

Brandon Howard
Fayetteville, Arkansas