Joel Hunt

Joel "Lil' Joel" Hunt (October 11, 1905–July 24, 1978), born in Texico, New Mexico, played college football at Texas A&M, was the head football coach at the University of Georgia in 1938, the head football coach at the University of Wyoming and played professional baseball in the minor leagues and briefly with the St. Louis Cardinals.

Joel Hunt played for Texas A&M from 1925 to 1927. While in college, Hunt was a running back, punter, place kicker and defensive player. Playing in 27 games during his career, he scored 30 touchdowns, 5 field goals and 29 extra points. Coach John Heisman, who was the head coach at Rice University during Hunt's years at Texas A&M and saw Hunt play, asserted that Hunt was "the greatest all-around player I ever saw."Fact|date=March 2007

After college, Hunt served as head football coach at Marshall (Texas) Junior College (1928-1929). He also played professional baseball, spending most of his time in the minor leagues, but also playing 16 games in the major leagues with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1931-32. Hunt was assistant coach at Texas A&M (1930-1932) and at LSU (1933-1936). He became the head football coach at Georgia in 1938 and completed his only season there with a 5-4-1 record. After Georgia, Hunt became the head football coach at Wyoming in 1939, where he had a disappointing 0-7-1 record. Following his brief stint as head coach at Georgia and Wyoming, Hunt returned to being assistant coach, coaching at the collegiate and professional level at LSU, Houston, the Buffalo Bills and the Baltimore Colts.

At Georgia, Hunt was a surprise replacement for the popular head coach Harry Mehre. Although Hunt's 5-4-1 record as a head coach was respectable, his most important contribution to Georgia Bulldogs football was a coaching assistant that he brought with him, Wally Butts. Wally Butts became Georgia's head coach in 1939 and continued in that position until 1960.

Joel "Lil' Joel" Hunt was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1967. He died in Teague, Texas on July 24, 1978.

References

* [http://www.collegefootball.org/famersearch.php?id=20056 Joel "Lil' Joel" Hunt College Football Hall of Fame profile]
* [http://www.georgiadogs.com/attachments1/1566.pdf?SPSID=46724&SPID=3571&DB_OEM_ID=8800 Georgia "Football through the years"]
* [http://www.georgiadogs.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=46724&SPID=3571&DB_OEM_ID=8800&ATCLID=523288 Georgia Head Coaches]
* [http://cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/div_ia/mountainwest/wyoming/yearly_results.php?year=1935 Wyoming Yearly Results]

Persondata
NAME= Hunt, Joel
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION=American football and baseball player and football coach
DATE OF BIRTH=October 11, 1905
PLACE OF BIRTH=Texico, New Mexico
DATE OF DEATH=July 24, 1978
PLACE OF DEATH=Teague, Texas