Ex-Bears WR Harlon Hill dies at 80
Jeff Hodges, chairman of the National Harlon Hill Award Committee, said Hill died Thursday at Eliza Coffee Memorial Hospital in Florence after a lengthy illness.
Hill, who attended North Alabama, was the NFL rookie of the year in 1954 after being drafted in the 15th round by the Bears and became the first winner of the Jim Thorpe Trophy as the NFL's most valuable player in 1955. In nine seasons with the Bears, Pittsburgh Steelers and Detroit Lions, he had 233 receptions for 4,717 yards and 40 touchdowns. He averaged 20.2 yards per catch.
The Harlon Hill Trophy has been presented in Florence for the past 27 years on the eve of the Division II championship game.
He was the NFL Rookie of the Year in 1954 and winner of the Jim Thorpe Trophy as the NFL Player of the Year in 1955.
Hill was born in Killen, Alabama. Following graduation from Lauderdale County High School in nearby Rogersville in 1949, he attended Florence State Teachers College, now known as the University of North Alabama. Football was just making its return to Florence State in 1949 after several years absence due to low male enrollment, and Hill was a four-year letterman on the team while also earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Education. He played both offense and defense for the team, but it was his offensive efforts that saw him named an NAIA All-American player in his senior year, 1953. As with many college teams of the era, Florence State was a run-based offense and threw the ball sparingly. However, Hill made the most of his chances with 19 of his 54 career catches going for touchdowns. In his 1977 biography Victory after the Game, Hill related his surprise at being selected in the 15th round of the 1954 NFL draft by the Chicago Bears, remaining unaware of it until approached with the news by a Florence State professor on campus: '"I had no idea I had been `discovered.' I really did not know much about the National Football League...I did not know what to think, but after I found out what it was all about, naturally I was elated." Hill went on to say he owed the discovery to a rival school. A coach for Jacksonville State University had observed Hill's play over four seasons and mentioned him to a Bears scout.
Hill's rookie season with the Chicago Bears was a memorable one. He set a team record for most receiving yards (1,124) and most touchdown receptions (12) by a rookie. The twelve touchdowns led all NFL receivers that season as he averaged 25 yards per catch on 45 total receptions, the latter of which was a Bears record for a rookie until it was broken by Darnell Mooney in 2020. His best performance that rookie year came on October 31, 1954 against the San Francisco 49ers. Hill was a Halloween nightmare for the 49ers defense, racking up 214 receiving yards and four touchdowns, the final one coming with thirty seconds left in the game to give the Bears a four-point victory. Numerous accolades came Hill's way following that season, among them being named 1954 NFL Rookie of the Year, being an All-Pro selection, and participating in the 1954 Pro Bowl.
Hill's performance numbers were down somewhat the next season, 1955, with 789 yards on 42 receptions. However his nine touchdown catches again led the league and he was once again selected All-Pro and Pro-Bowl participant. The 1955 season also saw Hill be the first ever recipient of the Jim Thorpe Trophy as NFL most valuable player. 1956 would prove to be Hill's career best statistically with 47 catches, 1,128 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns as the Bears advanced to the NFL Championship Game against the New York Giants. Hill and the Bears were beaten soundly, 47-7, on a very icy Yankee Stadium field. After the season Hill was voted an All-NFL 1st team player by numerous media including the Associated Press, United Press, and the Sporting News. He was chosen Captain of the Western Conference squad for the 1956 Pro Bowl game, which lost in a close affair, 31-30.
He finished his career with the Detroit Lions and Pittsburgh Steelers.
As of 2019's NFL off-season, Harlon Hill held at least 15 Bears franchise records, including:
Most Receiving Yds (rookie season): 1,124 (1954)
Most Receiving Yds (game, as a rookie): 214 (1954-10-31 @SFO)
Most Yds/Rec (career): 20.42
Most Yds/Rec (season): 24.98 (1954)
Most Yds/Rec (rookie season): 24.98 (1954)
Most Receiving TDs (career): 40
Most Receiving TDs (game): 4 (1954-10-31 @SFO)
Most Receiving TDs (rookie season): 12 (1954; tied with Mike Ditka)
Most Receiving TDs (game, as a rookie): 4 (1954-10-31 @SFO)
Most Rec Yds/Game (rookie season): 93.7 (1954)
Most Yds from Scrimmage (game, as a rookie): 214 (1954-10-31 @SFO)
Most 100+ yard receiving games (career): 19
Most 100+ yard receiving games (season): 7 (1954; tied with Jeff Graham and Brandon Marshall)
Most 100+ yard receiving games (rookie season): 7
Most 1000+ receiving yard seasons: 2 (one of five players)
His football associates include: Clyde Bulldog Turner, Paddy Driscoll, Clark Shaughnessy, George Halas, Phil Handler, Luke Johnsos, Ed Brown, Zeke Bratkowski, George Blanda, Charles Chick Jagade, Jim Dooley, Don Kindt, Gene Schroeder, John Hoffman, George Connor, Ed Sprinkle, Bill George, Bill Bishop, Larry Brink, Bill Wightkin, Fred Williams, Rick Casares, J. C Caroline, Larry Strickland, Willie Galimore, Doug Atkins, Kline Gilbert, Joe Fortunato, Johnny Morris, Rudy Bukich, Abe Gibron, Erich Barnes, Chuck Howley, Ed Cooke, George Allen, Willard Dewveall, Richie Petitbon, Dick Klein, Billy Wade, Bill Brown, Mike Ditka, Rosey Taylor, Dave Whitsell, Earl Morrall, Milt Plum, Yale Lary, Gail Cogdill, Dan Lewis, Nick Pietrosante, Jim Gibbons, Pat Studstill, Terry Barr, Wayne Walker, Roger Brown, Dick Night Train Lane, Alex Karras, Joe Schmidt, Dick LeBeau, Darris McCord, George Wilson, Edwin Anderson, William Clay Ford Sr., Leo Sugar, Buddy Parker, LaVern Torgeson, Art Rooney, Francis Fogarty, Buster Ramsey, Bobby Layne, Dick Hoak, John Henry Johnson, Preston Carpenter, Tom Tracy, Gary Ballman, Buddy Dial, Brady Keys, Lou Michaels, Mike Sandusky, Gene Allen Lipscomb (Big Daddy), Clendon Thomas, Ernie Stautner, Joe Krupa, John Reger and Ray Lemek.
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