HAL T. HUNTER

Hal Hunter put together an outstanding prep career in football, wrestling and track at Canonsburg High; followed up with exceptional football and wrestling performances at the University of Pittsburgh; turned to college coaching for 23 years and topped it all off with a 12-year span as a National Football League coach. Since 1994, he has given his attention to pro football scouting, first for the San Francisco Forty Niners, and now for the Carolina Panthers where, since 1995, he has been a Pro Scout and Personnel Coordinator.

Hal is married to the former Eileen GaIl, a Canonsburg lady. They have two daughters and a son. Heidi Lynn Hunter Foote, is a Chicago attorney. Heather Hunter Herold is Vice President of Marketing for AERA Research. Son Hal T. Hunter III is an offensive coordinator for the Indiana University football team.

A three-year starter as an offensive and defensive tackle at Canonburg, Hunter was co-captain of the 1950 WPIAL, Class A football champions, winning AllConference, All-County, All-WPIAL, and All-State honors. He was a three-year wrestling heavyweight, amassing 18 pins with a total of 33 wins, six losses and four ties.

He won a trio of letters in track as a sprinter and with the shot put, discus and javelin in field events.
At Pitt, Hunter was a three-year letterman at offensive guard and linebacker and captained the 1955-56 Panther Sugar Bowl team. Winning All-East honors in 1955, he was named Washington County Athlete of the Year for 1955. He was United Press International Lineman of the Week and won UPI’s “Unsung Hero Award” for his play against West Virginia in 1953.

A three-year heavyweight wrestler at Pitt, he took first place in the 1953 Great Lakes Open, and was second in the 1954 Four-I Intercollegiate tournament. In 1957 he finished third in the Greco Roman National Amateur Athletic Union tournament.

Beginning in 1958, Hunter’s collegiate football coaching career took him to Washington and Jefferson College in Washington, PA, to Richmond, West Virginia, Maryland, Duke, Kentucky and Indiana. From 1977 to 1980, he was the head football coach and assistant athletic director at California State University of Pennsylvania. Hunter’s NFL career began as offensive line coach for the Baltimore-Indianapolis Colts in 1984. He was an offensive line coach with the Pittsburgh Steelers from 1985 to 1988, and with the Cleveland Browns from 1989-1992, where he was nominated for Offensive Line Coach of the Year in 1989.