Homer Hazel
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| Sport(s) | Football, basketball, baseball, track |
|---|---|
| Biographical details | |
| Born |
June 2, 1895 Piffard, New York |
| Died | February 3, 1968 (aged 72) Marshall, Michigan |
| Playing career | |
| Football | |
| 1916 | Rutgers |
| 1923–1924 | Rutgers |
| Position(s) | End, fullback |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| Football | |
| 1925–1929 | Ole Miss |
| Basketball | |
| 1925–1930 | Ole Miss |
| Administrative career (AD unless noted) | |
| 1925–1930 | Ole Miss |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 21–22–3 (football) 54–32 (basketball) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Awards | |
|
All-American, 1923 All-American, 1924 |
|
|
College Football Hall of Fame Inducted in 1951 (profile) |
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Homer H. "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.
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.
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. In 1909, Hazel moved to Litchfield Township, Michigan, where his father was a farmer and 15-year-old Homer worked as a farm laborer. In 1912, he enrolled at Montclair Academy in New Jersey and became a football star there. He also excelled in the broad jump and discus throw at Montclair.
Hazel enrolled at Rutgers University where he played at the fullback position for the 1916 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team. 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. After the 1916 season, Hazel left Rutgers due to a lack of funds, and to marry and start a family.
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.
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". Eligibility rules prevented him from playing on the Rutgers football team in 122, so he instead worked as an assistant coach under George Sanford.
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