Harold Hansen (American football)

{{Short description|American football and basketball coach (1894–1977)}}

{{Infobox college coach

| name = Harold Hansen

| image =

| alt =

| caption =

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1894|11|30}}

| birth_place = Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.

| death_date = {{Death date and age|1977|6|23|1894|11|30}}

| death_place = Annandale, Virginia, U.S.

| alma_mater =

| player_sport1 = Football

| player_years2 = 1916

| player_team2 = Minnesota

| player_years3 = 1921–1923

| player_team3 = American Legion (Ironwood, MI)

| player_years4 = 1923

| player_team4 = Green Bay Packers

| player_years5 = 1926

| player_team5 = Newark Bears/Demons

| player_positions = Halfback, fullback, end

| coach_sport1 = Football

| coach_years2 = 1918

| coach_team2 = St. Thomas (MN)

| coach_years3 = 1919–1920

| coach_team3 = Hamline

| coach_years4 = 1921–1923

| coach_team4 = American Legion (Ironwood, MI)

| coach_years5 = 1924–1925

| coach_team5 = Georgia Tech (backfield)

| coach_years6 = 1926

| coach_team6 = Newark Bears/Demons

| coach_years7 = 1927–1929

| coach_team7 = Staten Island Stapletons

| coach_years8 = 1932

| coach_team8 = Staten Island Stapletons

| coach_sport9 = Basketball

| coach_years10 = 1924–1926

| coach_team10 = Georgia Tech

| overall_record = 11–5–2 (college football)
10–23 (college basketball)
0–3–2 (AFL)
2–7–3 (NFL)

| bowl_record =

| tournament_record =

| championships = Football
1 MIAC (1920)

| awards =

| coaching_records =

}}

Harold Frederick Hansen (November 30, 1894 – June 23, 1977) was an American football player and coach, and basketball coach. He played played with the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL) in 1923, was a player and head coach for the Newark Bears/Demons of the American Football League in 1926, and was head coach of the Staten Island Stapletons from 1927 to 1929 and again in 1932. Hansen played college football as a falfback at the University of Minnesota. He served as the head football coach at the College of St. Thomas—now known as the University of St. Thomas—in 1918 and Hamline University from 1919 to 1920. Hansen was also the head basketball coach at Georgia Tech for two seasons, from 1924 to 1926.

Biography

Hansen was born on November 30, 1894, in Minneapolis, Minnesota.{{cite web | url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/coaches/HansHa0.htm | title=Hal Hanson | publisher=Pro Football Reference | accessdate=23 April 2025}}

Hansen played college football at the halfback position with Minnesota Golden Gophers football in 1916.{{cite news|title=Hal Hansen Shows Well at Halfback|newspaper=The Minneapolis Morning Tribune|date=October 25, 1916|page=13|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/star-tribune-hal-hansen-shows-well-at-ha/150360327/|via=Newspapers.com}}

Hansen began his coaching career as the head football coach at two colleges located in St. Paul, Minnesota: the College of St. Thomas—now known as the University of St. Thomas—in 1918 and Hamline University from 1919 to 1920.{{cite news |author= |title=Hal Hansen, a Former Gopher Gridiron Star, Will Coach St. Thomas |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/star-tribune/170872956/ |newspaper=The Minneapolis Sunday Tribune |location=Minneapolis, Minnesota |date=August 25, 1918 |page=7 |access-date=April 22, 2025 |via=Newspapers.com {{Open access}} }}{{cite news |author= |title=Harold Hansen, Gopher Star, to Coach Hamline |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/star-tribune/170870318/ |newspaper=The Minneapolis Morning Tribune |location=Minneapolis, Minnesota |date=May 28, 1919 |page=18 |access-date=April 22, 2025 |via=Newspapers.com {{Open access}} }}{{cite book |last=Maxymuk |first=John |title=NFL Head Coaches: A Biographical Dictionary, 1920–2011 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Gw3_obTNh4QC |date=July 30, 2012 |publisher=McFarland & Company |page=373 |isbn=9780786465576 |access-date=December 30, 2018 |via=Google Books }} In the summer of 1921, he was considered for an assistant coaching position at his alma mater, Minnesota, under head football coach Henry L. Williams.{{cite news |author= |title=Harold Hansen May Join 'U' Coaching Staff |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-minneapolis-star/170932435/ |newspaper=Minneapolis Daily Star |location=Minneapolis, Minnesota |date=August 8, 1921 |page=6 |access-date=April 23, 2025 |via=Newspapers.com {{Open access}} }} Hansen coached an American Legion football team in Ironwood, Michigan for two years before he was appointed, in June 1923, as the director of physical training for the city of Ironwood, with an annual salary of $3,600.{{cite news |author= |title=Harold Hansen, Former Gopher, Becomes Director |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/star-tribune/170873409/ |newspaper=The Minneapolis Morning Tribune |location=Minneapolis, Minnesota |date=June 14, 1923 |page=17 |access-date=April 22, 2025 |via=Newspapers.com {{Open access}} }}

Hansen joined the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL) in 1923, prior to the team's November 18 game in Milwaukee, sat on the bench for two games, and appeared in one game as a backup against the Hammond Pros.{{cite news |author= |title=Hansen May End Season With Green Bay Team |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/ironwood-daily-globe/170910969/ |newspaper=Ironwood Daily Globe |location=Ironwood, Michigan |date=November 8, 1923 |page=10 |access-date=April 23, 2025 |via=Newspapers.com {{Open access}} }}{{cite news|title=Signed With Packers|newspaper=Green Bay Press-Gazette|date=April 21, 1924|page=11|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/green-bay-press-gazette-hansen/150359607/|via=Newspapers.com}}

Hansen left Ironwood in 1924, to become a coach at Georgia Tech in Atlanta.{{cite news |author= |title=Ironwood Gridder Will Coach Golden Tornado |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/ironwood-daily-globe/170910969/ |newspaper=Appleton Post-Crescent |location=Appleton, Wisconsin |agency=Associated Press |date=April 22, 1924 |page=13 |access-date=April 23, 2025 |via=Newspapers.com {{Open access}} }} He spent two seasons as the head coach of the Georgia Tech men's basketball team, from 1924 to 1926. He was also backfield coach for the Georgia Tech Golden Tornado football under head coach William Alexander.{{cite news |author= |title=Harold Hansen Signed To Coach At Tech |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/30315608/the_atlanta_constitution/ |newspaper=The Atlanta Constitution |location=Atlanta, Georgia |date=April 20, 1924 |page=25 |access-date=April 5, 2019 |via=Newspapers.com {{Open access}} }}{{cite web|url=https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/coaches/harold-hansen-1.html|title=Harold Hansen|publisher=Sports Reference College Basketball|access-date=April 5, 2019}}

Hansen coached the 1926 Newark Demons of the short-lived American Football League.{{cite news |author= |title=Harold Hansen To Coach Newark Pros |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-minneapolis-journal/170870037/ |newspaper=The Minneapolis Journal |location=Minneapolis, Minnesota |agency=Associated Press |date=September 16, 1926 |page=22 |access-date=April 22, 2025 |via=Newspapers.com {{Open access}} }} This led to his hiring at the head coach of the Staten Island Stapletons, first an independent team (1927–1929) and later of the National Football League (1932).{{cite news |author= |title=Blane's Stape Gridmen Feted |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-bayonne-times/170869812/ |newspaper=The Bayonne Times |location=Bayonne, New Jersey |date=December 2, 1927 |page=25 |access-date=April 22, 2025 |via=Newspapers.com {{Open access}} }}{{cite news |author= |title=Red Grange Set For 6th Year In 'Pro' Football |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/wilkes-barre-times-leader-the-evening-n/170869427/ |newspaper=The Evening News |location=Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania |date=October 10, 1932 |page=12 |access-date=April 22, 2025 |via=Newspapers.com {{Open access}} }}{{cite journal |last=Hogrogian |first=John |title=The Staten Island Stapletons |url=http://profootballresearchers.com/archives/Website_Files/Coffin_Corner/07-06-241.pdf |journal=The Coffin Corner |publisher=Professional Football Researchers Association |volume=7 |issue=6 |year=1985 |pages=7–9 |access-date=December 30, 2018 }}

He died on June 23, 1977, in Annandale, Virginia.

Head coaching record

=College football=

{{CFB Yearly Record Start | type = coach | team = | conf = | bowl = | poll = no }}

{{CFB Yearly Record Subhead

| name = St. Thomas Cadets

| conf = Independent

| startyear = 1918

| endyear = single

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Entry

| championship =

| year = 1918

| name = St. Thomas

| overall = 2–1–1

| conference =

| confstanding =

| bowlname =

| bowloutcome =

| bcsbowl =

| ranking = no

| ranking2 = no

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Subtotal

| name = St. Thomas

| overall = 2–1–1

| confrecord =

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Subhead

| name = Hamline Pipers

| conf = Independent

| startyear = 1919

| endyear = single

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Entry

| championship =

| year = 1919

| name = Hamline

| overall = 5–0

| conference =

| confstanding =

| bowlname =

| bowloutcome =

| bcsbowl =

| ranking = no

| ranking2 = no

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Subhead

| name = Hamline Pipers

| conf = Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

| startyear = 1920

| endyear = single

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Entry

| championship = conference

| year = 1920

| name = Hamline

| overall = 4–3–1

| conference = 2–1–1

| confstanding = 1st

| bowlname =

| bowloutcome =

| bcsbowl =

| ranking = no

| ranking2 = no

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Subtotal

| name = Hamline

| overall = 9–3–1

| confrecord = 2–1–1

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record End

| overall = 11–5–2

| bowls = no

| poll = no

| polltype =

}}

{{cite web |author= |title=1918-19 St. Thomas (MN) Tommies |url=https://stats.ncaa.org/teams/369521 |publisher=National Collegiate Athletic Association |access-date=April 22, 2025 }}{{cite web |author= |title=1919-20 Hamline Pipers |url=https://stats.ncaa.org/teams/210343 |publisher=National Collegiate Athletic Association |access-date=April 22, 2025 }}{{cite web |author= |title=1920-21 Hamline Pipers |url=https://stats.ncaa.org/teams/360909 |publisher=National Collegiate Athletic Association |access-date=April 22, 2025 }}