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FLORENCE – Harlan Hill, the legendary football hero in the NFL, succumbed to lingering health problems Thursday evening at ECM Hospital. Hill, for whom the NCAA Division II player of the year award is named, spent many years making contributions to his community and school.
He had a successful career in the NFL, playing for the Chicago Bears (1954–1961), the Pittsburgh Steelers (1962), and the Detroit Lions (1962). Hill was the NFL’s rookie of the year in 1954, its most valuable player in 1955, and a three-time All-Pro selection (1954–1956).
The Quad-Cities Daily will have an extensive story on Hill’s life and achievements this Sunday by columnist Dave Reasons.
Read Harlan Hill’s obituary – CLICK HERE
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My one personal encounter with Harlon Hill came after his rookie year with the Bears. I was a senior at Sheffield High playing varsity basketball, and also played on an industrial league basketball team. One evening our league team played against Coca Cola and Harlon Hill was playing for them. At one point in the game, my teammate had rebounded the ball and I was running down the court, looking back for a pass. Suddenly, I thought I had run into the wall — but, it was really Harlon Hill’s chest — hard as a rock. As solid as he was, I would not have wanted to tackle him on the football field. He did a lot for Shoals area football. God bless, Bill Gray