Harold Theo Hunter Jr. (June 3, 1932 – August 28, 2014) was an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

coach. He participated in football, wrestling and track at Canonsburg High School in

Canonsburg, Pennsylvania Canonsburg is a Borough (Pennsylvania), borough in Washington County, Pennsylvania, southwest of Pittsburgh. Canonsburg was laid out by Colonel John Canon in 1789 and incorporated in 1802. The population was 9,735 at the 2020 census. The town li ...

. He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

, where he was a three-year

letterman Letterman may refer to: * Letterman (sports), a classification of high school or college athlete in the United States People * David Letterman (born 1947), American television talk show host ** ''Late Night with David Letterman'', talk show that ...

offensive guard Offensive may refer to: * Offensive, the former name of the Dutch political party Socialist Alternative * Offensive (military), an attack * Offensive language ** Fighting words or insulting language, words that by their very utterance inflict inj ...

and

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, p ...

. Hunter earned

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Honorable Mention All-American honors for his senior season in 1955. He was also a three-year letterman in wrestling at Pittsburgh. He signed with the

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...

in 1956. Hunter was a football coach at various high schools and colleges from 1956 to 1976, mainly serving as his team's offensive line coach. He was then the head coach at

California State College Pennsylvania Western University, California (commonly known as PennWest California) is a public university campus in California, Pennsylvania and one of three campuses of Pennsylvania Western University, part of the Pennsylvania State System of ...

from 1977 to 1980, accumulating a record of . He began his professional coaching career as the

Hamilton Tiger-Cats The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are a professional Canadian football team based in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. They are currently members of the East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The Tiger-Cats play their home games at Tim Hortons Fiel ...

' offensive coordinator in 1981. Hunter later served as an assistant coach for several

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL) teams from 1982 to 1992, including a one-game stint as the interim head coach of the

Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 2008 ...

in 1984.

Early years

Hunter played

high school football High school football (french: football au lycée) is gridiron football played by high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both countries, but its popularity is declining, part ...

at Canonsburg High School in

, where he was a three-year starter as an offensive and defensive tackle. In 1950, he was co-captain of the

WPIAL The Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League (WPIAL) is an interscholastic athletic association in Western Pennsylvania. It is District 7 of the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association. History The Western Pennsylvania Inte ...

Class A football champions while earning All-Conference, All-County, All-WPIAL and All-State honors. He was a three-year

heavyweight Heavyweight is a weight class in combat sports and professional wrestling. Boxing Professional Boxers who weigh over are considered heavyweights by 3 of the 4 major professional boxing organizations: the International Boxing Federation, the Wo ...

in wrestling at Canonsburg, recording 18

pins A pin is a device used for fastening objects or material together. Pin or PIN may also refer to: Computers and technology * Personal identification number (PIN), to access a secured system ** PIN pad, a PIN entry device * PIN, a former Dutch de ...

with a total of 33 wins, six losses and four ties. Hunter also won three

letters Letter, letters, or literature may refer to: Characters typeface * Letter (alphabet), a character representing one or more of the sounds used in speech; any of the symbols of an alphabet. * Letterform, the graphic form of a letter of the alphabe ...

track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping events ...

as a sprinter,

shot putter The shot put is a track and field event involving "putting" (throwing) a heavy spherical ball—the ''shot''—as far as possible. The shot put competition for men has been a part of the modern Olympics since their revival in 1896, and women's c ...

discus thrower The discus throw (), also known as disc throw, is a track and field event in which an athlete throws a heavy disc—called a discus—in an attempt to mark a farther distance than their competitors. It is an ancient sport, as demonstrated by th ...

and

javelin thrower The javelin throw is a track and field event where the javelin, a spear about in length, is thrown. The javelin thrower gains momentum by running within a predetermined area. Javelin throwing is an event of both the men's decathlon and the ...

. He was inducted into the Washington-Greene County Chapter of the

Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame The Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame (PSHF) is a nonprofit organization established in 1962.Home page
Pennsylvania Sports Hall o ...

in 2001. He also became an

Eagle Scout Eagle Scout is the highest achievement or rank attainable in the Scouts BSA program of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA). Since its inception in 1911, only four percent of Scouts have earned this rank after a lengthy review process. The Eagle Sc ...

while he was in high school.

College career

Hunter was a three-year letterman at

and

for the

Pittsburgh Panthers The Pittsburgh Panthers, commonly also referred to as the Pitt Panthers, are the athletic teams representing the University of Pittsburgh, although the term is colloquially used to refer to other aspects of the university such as alumni, facu ...

from 1953 to 1955. He was a captain of the 1955 Panthers team that appeared in the

1956 Sugar Bowl The 1956 Sugar Bowl featured the 7th ranked Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, and the 11th ranked Pittsburgh Panthers. The game was played on January 2, since New Year's Day was a Sunday. Much controversy preceded the 1956 Sugar Bowl. Segregationists a ...

. He earned All-East honors and was named Washington County Athlete of the Year in 1955. Hunter also garnered

Honorable Mention All-American accolades for his senior season in 1955. He was named

United Press International United Press International (UPI) is an American international news agency whose newswires, photo, news film, and audio services provided news material to thousands of newspapers, magazines, radio and television stations for most of the 20th ...

's Lineman of the Week and won UPI's Unsung Hero Award for his play against the

West Virginia Mountaineers The West Virginia Mountaineers are the athletic teams that represent West Virginia University, an American university located in Morgantown, West Virginia. The school is a member of National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I. The Moun ...

in 1954. He graduated from Pittsburgh with an A. B. Degree. Hunter also later earned a

Master's Degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

from

West Virginia University West Virginia University (WVU) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Morgantown, West Virginia. Its other campuses are those of the West Virginia University Institute of Technology in Beckley, Potomac State College ...

in 1962. He also lettered three years as a heavyweight wrestler for the Panthers. He placed first in the 1953 Great Lakes Open, second in the 1954 Four-I Intercollegiate tournament and third in the 1957

Greco-Roman The Greco-Roman civilization (; also Greco-Roman culture; spelled Graeco-Roman in the Commonwealth), as understood by modern scholars and writers, includes the geographical regions and countries that culturally—and so historically—were di ...

National

Amateur Athletic Union The Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) is an amateur sports organization based in the United States. A multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports and physical fitness programs. It has ...

tournament.

Professional career

Hunter signed with the

of the NFL as an offensive guard after graduating from the University of Pittsburgh in 1956. He started three of the team's four

preseason In an organized sports league, a typical season is the portion of one year in which regulated games of the sport are in session: for example, in Major League Baseball the season lasts approximately from the last week of March to the last week of Se ...

games before going home to be with his family after his father died of a heart attack. He did not make the Steelers active roster and was placed on the team's

taxi squad In sports, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. Frequently used in gridiron football, they serve as extra players during the team's practices, ...

Coaching career

Hunter began coaching and teaching at Avella High School in

Avella, Pennsylvania Avella is a census-designated place in Independence Township, Washington County, Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2010 census the population was 804 residents. It is located at 40.27° north & 80.45° west. Demographics History The ...

in 1956. He coached at Berlin High School in

Berlin, Pennsylvania Berlin, a borough located approximately 75 miles southeast of Pittsburgh in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 2,004 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Johnstown, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area. The to ...

in 1957. He was an assistant coach for the

Washington & Jefferson Presidents The Washington & Jefferson Presidents are the intercollegiate athletic teams for Washington & Jefferson College. The name "Presidents" refers to the two presidential namesakes of the college: George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. W&J is a memb ...

in 1958. Hunter served as defensive line coach for the

Richmond Spiders The Richmond Spiders represent the University of Richmond in Richmond, Virginia. The Spiders compete in the Division I FCS of the National Collegiate Athletic Association as a member of the Atlantic 10 Conference for most sports. The Spider na ...

from 1959 to 1961. He was then the offensive line coach for the

from 1962 to 1963, the

Maryland Terrapins The Maryland Terrapins, commonly referred to as the Terps, consist of 19 men's and women's varsity intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Maryland, College Park in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Divis ...

from 1964 to 1965, the

Duke Blue Devils The Duke Blue Devils are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Duke University, located in Durham, North Carolina. Duke's athletics department features 27 varsity teams that all compete at the National Collegiate Athletic Associatio ...

from 1966 to 1970 and the

Kentucky Wildcats The Kentucky Wildcats are the men's and women's intercollegiate athletic squads of the University of Kentucky (UK), a founding member of the Southeastern Conference. The Kentucky Wildcats is the student body of the University of Kentucky. 30,473 ...

from 1971 to 1972. He was also the offensive coordinator at Kentucky. Hunter served as the offensive line coach for the

Indiana Hoosiers The Indiana Hoosiers are the intercollegiate sports teams and players of Indiana University Bloomington, named after the colloquial term for people from the state of Indiana. The Hoosiers participate in NCAA Division I, Division I of the Nationa ...

from 1973 to 1976. He was the head coach and assistant athletic director for the

California Vulcans The California Vulcans are the intercollegiate sports teams and players that represent Pennsylvania Western University California (PennWest California; known before July 2022 as California University of Pennsylvania), located in California, Pen ...

from 1977 to 1980. He accumulated a 9–30–1 record with the Vulcans. Hunter was the offensive coordinator for the

of the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...

in 1981 under head coach

Frank Kush Frank Joseph Kush (January 20, 1929 – June 22, 2017) was an American football player and coach. He served as the head coach at Arizona State University from 1958 to 1979, compiling a record of 176–54–1. Kush was also the head coach of the ...

. He later served as the offensive line coach for the NFL's Baltimore/Indianapolis Colts from 1982 to 1984 under Kush. Upon Kush's resignation to become head coach of the

Arizona Wranglers The Arizona Wranglers were a professional American Football team in the United States Football League that, name-wise, existed from late 1982 to mid-1985. They played at Sun Devil Stadium on the campus of Arizona State University in Tempe, a su ...

of the

United States Football League The United States Football League (USFL) was a professional American football league that played for three seasons, 1983 through 1985. The league played a spring/summer schedule in each of its active seasons. The 1986 season was scheduled to be ...

, Hal became the Colts' interim head coach for the final game of the 1984 season. The Colts lost the game 16–10 to the

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...

. He was an offensive line coach working with the guards and centers of the

from 1985 to 1988. Hunter was the offensive line coach of the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference ( ...

of the NFL in 1989 under coach

Bud Carson Leon H. "Bud" Carson (April 28, 1930 – December 7, 2005) was an American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at the Georgia Institute of Technology from 1967 to 1971, compiling a record of 27–27. Carson then coa ...

and was nominated for Offensive Line Coach of the Year. He was then the Browns' special assistant to the head coach in 1990. After the firing of Carson in November 1990, Hunter was hired to be the Browns' offensive line coach by new head coach

Bill Belichick William Stephen Belichick (; born April 16, 1952) is an American professional football coach who is the head coach of the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). Additionally, he exercises extensive authority over the Patri ...

on February 20, 1991. Hunter resigned at the end of the

1992 season Year 199 ( CXCIX) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was sometimes known as year 952 ''Ab urbe condita''. The denomination 199 for this year has been used since the ...

, saying "I don't think I could live through another year with elichick"

Scouting career

Hunter began working as a scout for the NFL's

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...

in 1994. He was later a scout for the

Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. T ...

of the NFL from 1995 until his retirement in 2006. He also served as personnel coordinator of the Panthers from 1998 to 2006.

Personal life

His son, Hal, also coached in the NFL. Hunter died on August 28, 2014, in

Denver, North Carolina Denver, formerly known as Dry Pond, is a census-designated place and unincorporated community in Lincoln County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 2,309. Known as “Dry Pond” until 1873, it was rena ...

after a brief illness.

Head coaching record

College

References

External links

Just Sports Stats
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hunter, Hal 1932 births 2014 deaths American football linebackers American football offensive guards American male sport wrestlers Baltimore Colts coaches California Vulcans football coaches Carolina Panthers scouts Cleveland Browns coaches Duke Blue Devils football coaches Hamilton Tiger-Cats coaches Indiana Hoosiers football coaches Indianapolis Colts coaches Indianapolis Colts head coaches Kentucky Wildcats football coaches Maryland Terrapins football coaches Richmond Spiders football coaches Pittsburgh Panthers football players Pittsburgh Panthers wrestlers Pittsburgh Steelers coaches Pittsburgh Steelers players San Francisco 49ers scouts Washington & Jefferson Presidents football coaches West Virginia Mountaineers football coaches High school football coaches in Pennsylvania West Virginia University alumni People from Canonsburg, Pennsylvania Players of American football from Pennsylvania Coaches of American football from Pennsylvania