Harold Moreland "Hal" Herring (February 24, 1924 – February 9, 2014) was an American football player and coach. He played college football at Auburn University and professionally as a center and linebacker for the Buffalo Bills in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) and the Cleveland Browns in the National Football League (NFL). He later was a defensive coach at Auburn and for the NFL's Atlanta Falcons and San Diego Chargers.
After graduating from high school in Alabama, Herring enrolled at Auburn in 1942 before quitting to serve in the military during World War II. He returned in 1946 and played football at Auburn through the 1948 season, when he was team captain and was named an All-Southeastern Conference (SEC) player by sportswriters. After graduating in 1949, he joined the Bills and played there one season before the AAFC dissolved. The Browns then selected him in a special dispersal draft created to reassign team-less former AAFC players. He was an occasional starter at linebacker in Cleveland for three seasons. The Browns won the NFL championship in his first year and reached the title game but lost in his second and third years.
Herring ended his playing career to accept a position overseeing Auburn's defense in 1953. In his 13 years there, his defenses ranked first in the nation six times and were in the top 10 every season. Auburn won the college football national championship in 1957, when the defense allowed only 28 points. Although Herring was a successful coach, Auburn was fined $2,000 by the SEC and was placed on a three-year probation by the National Collegiate Athletics Association in 1956 after Herring allegedly gave $500 each to two halfback recruits. Herring was hired in 1966 as the Falcons' first defensive coordinator, serving in the position for three seasons. He was the linebackers coach for the Chargers in 1970, but then left the professional ranks to oversee sports at a junior college outside of Atlanta.
Early life and college
Herring grew up in Lanett, Alabama and attended the local Lanett High School. He later went to West Point High School in Cullman, Alabama. After graduating, he enrolled at Auburn University in Auburn, Alabama, where he played on the football team starting in 1942. Herring was named an All-Southeastern Conference (SEC) player that year, when Auburn finished with a 6–4–1 win–loss–tie record under head coach Jack Meagher. He then left Auburn to serve in the U.S. military during World War II and was stationed in France and Germany.
Herring came back to Auburn after the war and played on the football team as a center in the 1946, 1947 and 1948 seasons. Auburn posted losing records in all three of those seasons, but Herring was named an All-SEC player and was Auburn's Most Valuable Player in 1948, his senior year. In addition to center, he played as a quarterback, fullback and linebacker, and was team captain in his senior year. He also participated on Auburn's track and field team. Herring graduated in 1949 with a bachelor's degree in education. He joined Phi Kappa Tau fraternity while in college and was later inducted into its Hall of Fame.
Professional career
Herring was selected by the Chicago Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL) in the ninth round of the 1949 draft, but chose instead to sign with the Buffalo Bills of the rival All-America Football Conference (AAFC). He had one interception playing as a linebacker for the Bills during the 1949 season, when the team had a 5–5–2 record. Struggling financially, the AAFC dissolved in late 1949 and three of its teams – the Cleveland Browns, San Francisco 49ers and Baltimore Colts – were absorbed by the NFL. The Bills disbanded and its players were placed in a dispersal draft. The Browns selected Herring in the first round of the draft.
In Cleveland, Herring joined a team that had won all four of the AAFC's championships behind an offense that featured quarterback Otto Graham and fullback Marion Motley. The team finished with a 10–2 record in 1950 and beat the Los Angeles Rams to win the NFL championship in its first year in the league. Herring played as a linebacker, helping replace Lou Saban following his retirement, and had two interceptions. He remained with the Browns for the 1951 and 1952 seasons, both of which ended with a loss in the NFL championship game. He was captain of the defense during his Browns career.