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Homer Hazel

Homer Howard "Pop" Hazel (June 2, 1895 – February 3, 1968) was an American football player and coach. He played college football at Rutgers University in 1916 and again from 1923 to 1924. Considered an outstanding punter, kicker, and passer, he was selected as a first-team All-American as an end in 1923 and as a fullback in 1924. He was the first player selected as an All-American at two different positions. He also lettered in baseball, basketball and track at Rutgers.

Homer Hazel
Biographical details
Born(1895-06-02)June 2, 1895
Piffard, New York, U.S.
DiedFebruary 3, 1968(1968-02-03) (aged 72)
Marshall, Michigan, U.S.
Playing career
Football
1916Rutgers
1923–1924Rutgers
Position(s)End, fullback
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
Football
1925–1929Ole Miss
Basketball
1925–1930Ole Miss
Administrative career (AD unless noted)
1925–1930Ole Miss
Head coaching record
Overall21–22–3 (football)
54–32 (basketball)
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
Southern Conference tournament (1928)
Awards
College Football Hall of Fame
Inducted in 1951 (profile)

Hazel served as the head football and basketball coach and athletic director at the University of Mississippi from 1925 until his resignation in early 1931. After leaving his position at Mississippi, he was a professional golfer for four years. In 1951, Hazel became one of the inaugural inductees into the College Football Hall of Fame.

Early years edit

Hazel was born in 1895 at Piffard, New York. His father, John Hazel, was a New York native who worked as a farm laborer. His mother, Margaret Hazel, was an Irish immigrant.[1] In 1909, Hazel moved to Litchfield Township, Michigan,[2] where his father was a farmer and 15-year-old Homer worked as a farm laborer.[3] In 1912, he enrolled at Montclair Academy in New Jersey and became a football star there.[4][5] He also excelled in the broad jump and discus throw at Montclair.[6]

Rutgers edit

Hazel enrolled at Rutgers University where he played at the fullback position for the 1916 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team.[7] He set a Rutgers record in 1916 by kicking five field goals. He was the only player in the country to kick multiple field goals in 1916.[8] After the 1916 season, Hazel left Rutgers due to a lack of funds,[9] and to marry and start a family.[10]

Hazel was married in March 1917 to Marguerite Lorenz. They had three children, and Hazel took jobs as a farm laborer and later as a worker in the mines of the Flint Foundry Company. By 1920, he had been promoted to a superintendent position at a salary of $5,000 a year.[11]

Hazel returned to Rutgers in 1922. He began competing in discus and shot put in the spring of 1922. Upon his return, Hazel was 26 years old, had a wife and children, and was referred to as a "veteran freshman".[12][13] Eligibility rules prevented him from playing on the Rutgers football team in 1922, so he instead worked as an assistant coach under George Sanford.[11]

In 1923, with his eligibility restored, Hazel, at age 28, starred for the Rutgers football team. He was credited with the longest pass in college football that year, a pass that covered 69 yards in the air.[14] He also scored a touchdown on his own kickoff on October 6, 1923, when an opposing player fumbled the ball behind the goal line, and Hazel fell on the loose ball for the touchdown.[15] At the end of the season, Hazel was selected by Walter Camp as a first-team end on the 1923 College Football All-America Team.[16]

In 1924, a 29-year-old Hazel became known as "one of the best passers and kickers in the country."[17] He was selected by Walter Camp, Football World magazine, and All-Sports Magazine as the first-team fullback on the 1924 College Football All-America Team.[18][19][20] He was the first player to receive All-America honors at two different positions.[11]Walter Camp reportedly said that Hazel could have been an All-American at any position.[11]

After the 1924 season, Cornell coach Gil Dobie published a column describing Hazel's unusual punting style:

Hazel employs a style in punting that is unusual. After receiving the ball from center he takes a couple of steps almost directly to the right, so that when his foot hits the ball he is practically facing the sideline. ... [N]ot only could he send the ball down the field high and far and straight as a dye, but he was uncanny in placing it.[21]

Hazel also won letters for Rutgers in baseball, basketball, and track.[22] He also competed for Rutgers in tennis and lacrosse.[11] He graduated from Rutgers in June 1925 and was regarded as "one of the greatest all-around athletes in Rutgers history."[22]

Coaching career edit

In February 1925, Hazel signed to become the head football coach at the University of Mississippi.[23] Homer coached the Ole Miss Rebels football team for five years, compiling records of 5–5 in 1925, 5–4 in 1926, 5–3–1 in 1927, 5–4 in 1928, and 1–6–2 in 1929.[24] His five-year record as head football coach was 21–22–3. After the poor showing in 1929, the Ole Miss student body and alumni were reportedly opposed to Hazel's tactics on the football field. Hazel resigned his post at Ole Miss in January 1930.[25] Thad Vann, who played for Hazel at Ole Miss from 1926 to 1929, later credited Hazel with "launching the University of Mississippi's rise as a national football power."[26]

Hazel was also head coach of the Ole Miss Rebels men's basketball team for five years, compiling a 54–32 record.

Later years and family edit

Hazel was married to Marguerite Lorenz in 1917. After resigning from his position at Ole Miss, Hazel moved to Marshall, Michigan, where he lived for the following 38 years.[2][11] He became a professional golfer for four years.[9] Hazel and his wife had three children, including sons Homer and Bill who played college football for Ole Miss.[5][11] Son Homer was captain of the 1941 Ole Miss football team and died in a plane crash in 1942.[11]

Hazel worked for 20 years as a personnel director, including stints at Eaton Manufacturing Company and Wilcox-Rich Corporation.[5][11] In 1951, he was elected by the country's sports writers and broadcasters as part of the inaugural class (32 players, 21 coaches) to be inducted into the newly organized Football Hall of Fame (later renamed the College Football Hall of Fame) located on the Rutgers campus near the site of the first college football game.[27]

Hazel retired in 1960, and his wife died in 1962.[2] Hazel died at Community Hospital in Battle Creek, Michigan, in February 1968.[2] He was 72 years old at the time of his death and had undergone abdominal surgery twice in the days before his death.[10]

Head coaching record edit

Football edit

Year Team Overall Conference Standing Bowl/playoffs
Ole Miss Rebels (Southern Conference) (1925–1929)
1925 Ole Miss 5–5 0–4 T–20th
1926 Ole Miss 5–4 2–2 T–10th
1927 Ole Miss 5–3–1 3–2 7th
1928 Ole Miss 5–4 3–3 T–9th
1929 Ole Miss 1–6–2 0–4–2 19th
Ole Miss: 21–22–3 8–15–2
Total: 21–22–3

References edit

  1. ^ Ancestry.com. 1900 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Census Place: York, Livingston, New York; Roll: 1071; Page: 4B; Enumeration District: 0044; FHL microfilm: 1241071.
  2. ^ a b c d "Homer H. Hazel, Charter Member Of Football Hall Of Fame, Dies". Marshall Evening Chronicle. February 5, 1968.
  3. ^ Ancestry.com. 1910 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Census Place: Litchfield, Hillsdale, Michigan; Roll: T624_649; Page: 10A; Enumeration District: 0111; FHL microfilm: 1374662.
  4. ^ "Forty Candidates Out for Rutgers Practice". The Washington Times. September 7, 1916. p. 11.
  5. ^ a b c "Hazel, All-America At Fullback and End, Has Two Sons on Mississippi Grid Squad". Corsican Daily Sun. 13 February 1939.
  6. ^ "Homer Hazel Is A Star In School Games". New Brunswick Daily Times. May 27, 1916.
  7. ^ "Rutgers In Brown's Lair: Scarlet Team May Be Minus Services of Homer Hazel". The New York Times. October 28, 1916.
  8. ^ Parke H. Davis (December 17, 1916). "Novel Football Marks Produced by 1916". Galveston Daily News.
  9. ^ a b "Homer "Pop" Hazel". College Football Hall of Fame. Football Foundation. Retrieved November 12, 2015.
  10. ^ a b "All-American Hazel Dies". The Pantagraph. February 5, 1968. p. 11.
  11. ^ a b c d e f g h i Harry Grayson (December 4, 1942). "Pop Hazel Did More Than Die for Dear Old Rutgers, First All-American at Two Positions". The News-Herald (Franklin, Pennsylvania). p. 7.
  12. ^ "Tosses Shot Like Orange: "Veteran Freshman" at Rutgers Surprises Coach". The New York Times. April 2, 1922. p. 28.
  13. ^ "Rutgers Star Wed Eight Years, Father of Three Children". Olean Evening Herald. November 3, 1924. p. 1.
  14. ^ "The Longest Pass". Ironwood Daily Globe. December 24, 1923.
  15. ^ John H. Wallace (October 1, 1925). "Hazel's Record Touchdown". Berkeley Daily Gazette.
  16. ^ "Walter Camp's All-American Team". Alton Evening Telegraph. 1923-12-19.
  17. ^ Grantland Rice (November 4, 1924). "The Sport-Light". The Ogden Standard-Examiner. p. 7.
  18. ^ "Walter Camp Slights Big Three In Naming All-America Eleven: Football Expert Neglects To Name Princeton, Harvard or Yale Man on His First Team". Appleton Post-Crescent. 1924-12-30.
  19. ^ "Handcock Honored on All-American By 'All-Sports'". Iowa City Press-Citizen. 1924-12-05.
  20. ^ ESPN College Football Encyclopedia, p. 1156
  21. ^ Gil Dobie (January 8, 1926). "Homer Hazel's Great Punting for Rutgers Against Cornell". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. p. 22.
  22. ^ a b "Homer Hazel, Great Rutgers Athlete, Gets Diploma". The Ogden Standard-Examiner. July 5, 1925. p. 10.
  23. ^ "Hazel Signs as Coach". Altoona Tribune. February 7, 1925. p. 8.
  24. ^ . College Football Data Warehouse. David DeLassus. Archived from the original on November 23, 2015. Retrieved November 12, 2015.
  25. ^ "Homer Hazel Gives Up Ole Miss Post". The Anniston Star. January 17, 1930. p. 14.
  26. ^ "Vann expresses sorrow: Former Ole Miss coach, Homer Hazel, dead at 72". Hattiesburg American. February 5, 1968.
  27. ^ Ted Smits (November 4, 1951). "32 Players, 21 Coaches Elected To First Football Hall of Fame". The LaCrosse Tribune. p. 15.

External links edit

homer, hazel, homer, howard, hazel, june, 1895, february, 1968, american, football, player, coach, played, college, football, rutgers, university, 1916, again, from, 1923, 1924, considered, outstanding, punter, kicker, passer, selected, first, team, american, . Homer Howard Pop Hazel June 2 1895 February 3 1968 was an American football player and coach He played college football at Rutgers University in 1916 and again from 1923 to 1924 Considered an outstanding punter kicker and passer he was selected as a first team All American as an end in 1923 and as a fullback in 1924 He was the first player selected as an All American at two different positions He also lettered in baseball basketball and track at Rutgers Homer HazelBiographical detailsBorn 1895 06 02 June 2 1895Piffard New York U S DiedFebruary 3 1968 1968 02 03 aged 72 Marshall Michigan U S Playing careerFootball1916Rutgers1923 1924RutgersPosition s End fullbackCoaching career HC unless noted Football1925 1929Ole MissBasketball1925 1930Ole MissAdministrative career AD unless noted 1925 1930Ole MissHead coaching recordOverall21 22 3 football 54 32 basketball Accomplishments and honorsChampionshipsSouthern Conference tournament 1928 Awards2 First team All American 1923 1924 College Football Hall of FameInducted in 1951 profile Hazel served as the head football and basketball coach and athletic director at the University of Mississippi from 1925 until his resignation in early 1931 After leaving his position at Mississippi he was a professional golfer for four years In 1951 Hazel became one of the inaugural inductees into the College Football Hall of Fame Contents 1 Early years 2 Rutgers 3 Coaching career 4 Later years and family 5 Head coaching record 5 1 Football 6 References 7 External linksEarly years editHazel was born in 1895 at Piffard New York His father John Hazel was a New York native who worked as a farm laborer His mother Margaret Hazel was an Irish immigrant 1 In 1909 Hazel moved to Litchfield Township Michigan 2 where his father was a farmer and 15 year old Homer worked as a farm laborer 3 In 1912 he enrolled at Montclair Academy in New Jersey and became a football star there 4 5 He also excelled in the broad jump and discus throw at Montclair 6 Rutgers editHazel enrolled at Rutgers University where he played at the fullback position for the 1916 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team 7 He set a Rutgers record in 1916 by kicking five field goals He was the only player in the country to kick multiple field goals in 1916 8 After the 1916 season Hazel left Rutgers due to a lack of funds 9 and to marry and start a family 10 Hazel was married in March 1917 to Marguerite Lorenz They had three children and Hazel took jobs as a farm laborer and later as a worker in the mines of the Flint Foundry Company By 1920 he had been promoted to a superintendent position at a salary of 5 000 a year 11 Hazel returned to Rutgers in 1922 He began competing in discus and shot put in the spring of 1922 Upon his return Hazel was 26 years old had a wife and children and was referred to as a veteran freshman 12 13 Eligibility rules prevented him from playing on the Rutgers football team in 1922 so he instead worked as an assistant coach under George Sanford 11 In 1923 with his eligibility restored Hazel at age 28 starred for the Rutgers football team He was credited with the longest pass in college football that year a pass that covered 69 yards in the air 14 He also scored a touchdown on his own kickoff on October 6 1923 when an opposing player fumbled the ball behind the goal line and Hazel fell on the loose ball for the touchdown 15 At the end of the season Hazel was selected by Walter Camp as a first team end on the 1923 College Football All America Team 16 In 1924 a 29 year old Hazel became known as one of the best passers and kickers in the country 17 He was selected by Walter Camp Football World magazine and All Sports Magazine as the first team fullback on the 1924 College Football All America Team 18 19 20 He was the first player to receive All America honors at two different positions 11 Walter Camp reportedly said that Hazel could have been an All American at any position 11 After the 1924 season Cornell coach Gil Dobie published a column describing Hazel s unusual punting style Hazel employs a style in punting that is unusual After receiving the ball from center he takes a couple of steps almost directly to the right so that when his foot hits the ball he is practically facing the sideline N ot only could he send the ball down the field high and far and straight as a dye but he was uncanny in placing it 21 Hazel also won letters for Rutgers in baseball basketball and track 22 He also competed for Rutgers in tennis and lacrosse 11 He graduated from Rutgers in June 1925 and was regarded as one of the greatest all around athletes in Rutgers history 22 Coaching career editIn February 1925 Hazel signed to become the head football coach at the University of Mississippi 23 Homer coached the Ole Miss Rebels football team for five years compiling records of 5 5 in 1925 5 4 in 1926 5 3 1 in 1927 5 4 in 1928 and 1 6 2 in 1929 24 His five year record as head football coach was 21 22 3 After the poor showing in 1929 the Ole Miss student body and alumni were reportedly opposed to Hazel s tactics on the football field Hazel resigned his post at Ole Miss in January 1930 25 Thad Vann who played for Hazel at Ole Miss from 1926 to 1929 later credited Hazel with launching the University of Mississippi s rise as a national football power 26 Hazel was also head coach of the Ole Miss Rebels men s basketball team for five years compiling a 54 32 record Later years and family editHazel was married to Marguerite Lorenz in 1917 After resigning from his position at Ole Miss Hazel moved to Marshall Michigan where he lived for the following 38 years 2 11 He became a professional golfer for four years 9 Hazel and his wife had three children including sons Homer and Bill who played college football for Ole Miss 5 11 Son Homer was captain of the 1941 Ole Miss football team and died in a plane crash in 1942 11 Hazel worked for 20 years as a personnel director including stints at Eaton Manufacturing Company and Wilcox Rich Corporation 5 11 In 1951 he was elected by the country s sports writers and broadcasters as part of the inaugural class 32 players 21 coaches to be inducted into the newly organized Football Hall of Fame later renamed the College Football Hall of Fame located on the Rutgers campus near the site of the first college football game 27 Hazel retired in 1960 and his wife died in 1962 2 Hazel died at Community Hospital in Battle Creek Michigan in February 1968 2 He was 72 years old at the time of his death and had undergone abdominal surgery twice in the days before his death 10 Head coaching record editFootball edit Year Team Overall Conference Standing Bowl playoffsOle Miss Rebels Southern Conference 1925 1929 1925 Ole Miss 5 5 0 4 T 20th1926 Ole Miss 5 4 2 2 T 10th1927 Ole Miss 5 3 1 3 2 7th1928 Ole Miss 5 4 3 3 T 9th1929 Ole Miss 1 6 2 0 4 2 19thOle Miss 21 22 3 8 15 2Total 21 22 3References edit Ancestry com 1900 United States Federal Census database on line Census Place York Livingston New York Roll 1071 Page 4B Enumeration District 0044 FHL microfilm 1241071 a b c d Homer H Hazel Charter Member Of Football Hall Of Fame Dies Marshall Evening Chronicle February 5 1968 Ancestry com 1910 United States Federal Census database on line Census Place Litchfield Hillsdale Michigan Roll T624 649 Page 10A Enumeration District 0111 FHL microfilm 1374662 Forty Candidates Out for Rutgers Practice The Washington Times September 7 1916 p 11 a b c Hazel All America At Fullback and End Has Two Sons on Mississippi Grid Squad Corsican Daily Sun 13 February 1939 Homer Hazel Is A Star In School Games New Brunswick Daily Times May 27 1916 Rutgers In Brown s Lair Scarlet Team May Be Minus Services of Homer Hazel The New York Times October 28 1916 Parke H Davis December 17 1916 Novel Football Marks Produced by 1916 Galveston Daily News a b Homer Pop Hazel College Football Hall of Fame Football Foundation Retrieved November 12 2015 a b All American Hazel Dies The Pantagraph February 5 1968 p 11 a b c d e f g h i Harry Grayson December 4 1942 Pop Hazel Did More Than Die for Dear Old Rutgers First All American at Two Positions The News Herald Franklin Pennsylvania p 7 Tosses Shot Like Orange Veteran Freshman at Rutgers Surprises Coach The New York Times April 2 1922 p 28 Rutgers Star Wed Eight Years Father of Three Children Olean Evening Herald November 3 1924 p 1 The Longest Pass Ironwood Daily Globe December 24 1923 John H Wallace October 1 1925 Hazel s Record Touchdown Berkeley Daily Gazette Walter Camp s All American Team Alton Evening Telegraph 1923 12 19 Grantland Rice November 4 1924 The Sport Light The Ogden Standard Examiner p 7 Walter Camp Slights Big Three In Naming All America Eleven Football Expert Neglects To Name Princeton Harvard or Yale Man on His First Team Appleton Post Crescent 1924 12 30 Handcock Honored on All American By All Sports Iowa City Press Citizen 1924 12 05 ESPN College Football Encyclopedia p 1156 Gil Dobie January 8 1926 Homer Hazel s Great Punting for Rutgers Against Cornell The Brooklyn Daily Eagle p 22 a b Homer Hazel Great Rutgers Athlete Gets Diploma The Ogden Standard Examiner July 5 1925 p 10 Hazel Signs as Coach Altoona Tribune February 7 1925 p 8 Mississippi Yearly Results 1925 1929 College Football Data Warehouse David DeLassus Archived from the original on November 23 2015 Retrieved November 12 2015 Homer Hazel Gives Up Ole Miss Post The Anniston Star January 17 1930 p 14 Vann expresses sorrow Former Ole Miss coach Homer Hazel dead at 72 Hattiesburg American February 5 1968 Ted Smits November 4 1951 32 Players 21 Coaches Elected To First Football Hall of Fame The LaCrosse Tribune p 15 External links editHomer Hazel at the College Football Hall of Fame Homer Hazel at Find a Grave Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Homer Hazel amp oldid 1205590108, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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