Sam Darnold, the Vikings quarterback known for keeping his personal life low-key, stirred up some buzz with a post on Instagram.
He shared a story wishing his best friend, Katie Hoofnagle, a happy 28th birthday, tagging her with the caption, “It’s my best friend’s birthday @hoofy.”
Highlights
- When Katie Hoofnagle was young, her mother, Lisa Lubbock, succumbed to breast cancer.
- She was with her parents, Kurt Hoofnagle and Lisa Lubbock, when Florence landed as a Category 1 hurricane in September 2018.
- Katie has praised her dad for his talents, such as skiing, hiking in Yosemite, coaching young soccer players, and grilling.
While Sam has always kept details about his love life under wraps, it’s never been entirely out of the public’s view.
Back in his USC days, he was in a relationship with Claire Kirksey, but they eventually went their separate ways due to personal issues.
Although Sam refers to her as his “best friend,” their interactions on social media seem to hint at something more.
Over time, things between Sam and Katie began to evolve. While they had always been close friends, their bond seemed to grow deeper as they spent more time together.
Katie’s Father, Kurt Hoofnagle, Is An Investment Banker, And Her Mother Lisa Hoofnagle, Survived Breast Cancer
Katie, a University of South Carolina graduate, played defense in 67 soccer games over four seasons.
In the four years since graduating, Katie has honed her ability to build strong, lasting connections with people.
Her time at a finance services company demonstrates this well.
She began as a Loan Officer Assistant and quickly worked her way up to Mortgage Loan Officer.
Katie mentioned she was with her parents, Kurt Hoofnagle and Lisa Lubbock, when Florence landed as a Category 1 hurricane in 2018.
Since they were about 100 miles inland, they expected only tropical storm-like conditions with rain and wind when the remnants of Hurricane Florence arrived the next day.
When Katie was younger, her mother battled breast cancer.
On December 14th, 2021, Katie celebrated a special milestone as her mom had been cancer-free for 15 years.
Katie has a very close-knit relationship with her parents. She spends quality time with them whenever she comes home for spring break, often sharing a meal.
While away from her hometown, she said she misses her dad’s jokes, seahorse voice, and grilling and guacamole-making skills.
Mr. Hoofnagle joined Stephens in 2013, bringing with him over 15 years of experience in investment banking.
Mr. Hoofnagle holds an MBA from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and a B.A. in Economics from the University of California, Berkeley.
In a heartfelt message, she expressed her gratitude for her dad, Kurt Hoofnagle, thanking him for always being there for her, whether answering late-night questions about finance or dropping everything to travel with her through Spain.
She couldn’t ask for a better role model, from his impressive career, including time at UC Berkeley and Wharton, to his constant sacrifices like losing sleep to give his family the best life.
Before that, he led ThinkEquity’s Communications and Enterprise IT Infrastructure banking practices.
Katie also praised her dad for his talents- whether behind the camera, skiing, hiking in Yosemite, coaching young soccer players, or grilling- and said he meant the world to her.
Additional Information
- Now, Katie serves as an Account Executive at a leading US company in dialysis EMR software.
- As per his Facebook account, Kurt Hoofnagle attended Glenbard West High School.
- Katie’s father, Kurt Hoofnagle, also worked at RBC Capital Markets, JP Morgan, and Lehman Brothers, focusing on the same sectors.
