Place of death: Denver, North Carolina | High school: Canonsburg (PA) | |
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Position: Offensive guard / Linebacker Date of birth: (1932-06-03)June 3, 1932 Place of birth: Canonsburg, Pennsylvania Date of death: August 28, 2014(2014-08-28) (aged 82) Died 28 August 2014, Denver, North Carolina, United States College Pittsburgh Panthers football | ||
Harold Theo Hunter, Sr. (June 3, 1932 – August 28, 2014) was an American football coach. He played college football at Pittsburgh. He was the interim head coach of the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League (NFL) for one game in 1984. Hunter was also the head coach at California State College from 1977 to 1980.
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Early years
Hunter played high school football at Canonsburg High School in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, where he was a three-year starter as an offensive and defensive tackle. In 1950, he was co-captain of the WPIAL Class A football champions while earning All-Conference, All-County, All-WPIAL and All-State honors. He was a three-year heavyweight in wrestling at Canonsburg, recording 18 pins with a total of 33 wins, six losses and four ties. Hunter also won three letters in track as a sprinter, shot putter, discus thrower and javelin thrower. He was inducted into the Washington-Greene County Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame in 2001. He also became an Eagle Scout while he was in high school.
College career
Hunter was a three-year letterman at offensive guard and linebacker for the Pittsburgh Panthers from 1953 to 1955. He was a captain of the 1955 Panthers team that appeared in the 1956 Sugar Bowl. He earned All-East honors and was named Washington County Athlete of the Year in 1955. Hunter also garnered honorable mention AP All-American accolades his senior season in 1955. He was named United Press's International Lineman of the Week and won UPI's Unsung Hero Award for his play against the West Virginia Mountaineers in 1954. He graduated from Pittsburgh with an A. B. Degree. Hunter also later earned a Master's Degree from West Virginia University 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 National Amateur Athletic Union tournament.
Professional career
Hunter signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers 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 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.
Coaching career
Hunter began coaching and teaching at Avella High School in Avella, Pennsylvania in 1956. He coached at Berlin High School in Berlin, Pennsylvania in 1957. He was then an assistant coach for the Washington & Jefferson Presidents in 1958. Hunter served as defensive line coach for the Richmond Spiders from 1959 to 1961. He was then the offensive line coach for the West Virginia Mountaineers from 1962 to 1963, the Maryland Terrapins from 1964 to 1965, the Duke Blue Devils from 1966 to 1970 and the Kentucky Wildcats from 1971 to 1972. He was also the offensive coordinator at Kentucky. Hunter served as the offensive line coach for the Indiana Hoosiers from 1973 to 1976. He was the head coach and assistant athletic director for the California Vulcans of California State College from 1977 to 1980. He accumulated a 9-30-1 record with the Vulcans.
Hunter was then the offensive coordinator for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League in 1981 under head coach Frank Kush. He then 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 of the United States Football League, 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. He was then an offensive line coach working with the guards and centers of the Pittsburgh Steelers from 1985 to 1988. Hunter then served as the offensive line coach of the Cleveland Browns of the NFL in 1989 under coach Bud Carson 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 on February 20, 1991. Hunter resigned at the end of the 1992 season, saying "I don't think I could live through another year with [Belichick]."
Scouting career
Hunter began working as a scout for the NFL's San Francisco 49ers in 1994. He was later a scout for the Carolina Panthers 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 after a brief illness.