Hal Pennington was a former American athletics coach. He was the founder and first head coach of the AFL II Cincinnati Bengals.[1] He also had a 33-year career in amateur baseball, winning four National Amateur Baseball Federation World Series titles.
Hal Pennington | |
|---|---|
| Alma mater | Xavier University |
| Occupation | Athletics coach |
| Years active | 1934–1988 |
Early life and education edit
Pennington attended St. Xavier High School where he was a three-sport athlete, graduating in 1930.[2] He was an all-city first baseman in baseball and played halfback and fullback in football. In basketball, he led the team in scoring his junior and senior years.[2] Pennington attended Xavier University where he served as co-captain of the basketball team his senior year. He went on to play professional basketball prior to the NBA.[2]
Career edit
Pennington was the head coach of the Midwest Football League Cincinnati Model Shoes.[3] He left after one season to form the Cincinnati Bengals of the second American Football League.[3]
Pennington became a legendary amateur baseball coach in Cincinnati, winning four NABF World Series titles.[4] He retired from baseball with 1,392 wins and .862 winning percentage.[5] He coached 60 players that went on to play professional baseball, 11 who went on to the major leagues including Dave Parker, Buddy Bell, Ron Oester, and Len Matuszek.[5]
Pennington retired from coaching in 1988. Throughout his sports career, he recorded 1,577 wins and 246 losses among all sports.[5]
Recognition edit
In 1987, Pennington was inducted into the St. Xavier High School hall of fame.[2] He is also a member of the Hamilton County Sports Hall of Fame, Buddy La-Rosa High School Hall of Fame, and Xavier University Basketball Hall of Fame.[5]
References edit
- ^ McDonnell, Jay (20 June 2010). "The origin of the Cincinnati Bengals". Cincy Jungle. Retrieved 30 March 2017.
- ^ a b c d "1987 Inductees". St. Xavier High School. Retrieved 30 March 2017.
- ^ a b Schmidt, Neil (22 December 1993). "Coaching legend gets his due Tuesday dinner honors Pennington". The Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved 30 March 2017.
- ^ Suess, Jeff (2016). Hidden History of Cincinnati. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 9781625857750. Retrieved 30 March 2017.
- ^ a b c d Hoffman, Steve (26 April 1988). "Pennington has decided to go out while he is on top". The Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved 30 March 2017.