Hal Herring

Hal M. Herring (born February 24, 1924 in Lanett, Alabama) is a former American football Center and coach. He played college football at Auburn University and professionally for the Buffalo Bills in the All-America Football Conference and the Cleveland Browns in the National Football League.

College career
Herring graduated from Auburn University in 1948 where he was a member of Phi Kappa Tau Fraternity. While at Auburn he was team captain in his senior year and played center, quarterback, fullback and linebacker. He earned All-Conference honors and most valuable player awards in 1948.

Professional career
Herring was drafted by the Buffalo Bills (AAFC) in 1949 and by the Cleveland Browns in 1950 where he played during the 1950, 1951 and 1952 seasons. He was defensive captain and played linebacker.

Coaching career
Herring was the defensive coordinator on the coaching staff at Auburn from 1953 to 1965. His defense was ranked first in the nation for six of the thirteen years he coached and was always ranked in the top ten. During Auburn's 1957 National Championship season, the Herring-coached defense gave up only 28 points all season. After leaving Auburn, he coached professionally for the Atlanta Falcons and the San Diego Chargers. He was awarded All-American Football Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award for outstanding performance by assistant coaches in their chosen field and was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in 2002.