(Head Football Coach 1949-69, Athletic Director 1969-73
Hal Self served the Lions' athletic
program for more than three decades and established and helped build the school's football
program from the ground up. He came to the university in 1949 to begin the Lions' modern
football era as head football coach and stayed for 21 seasons, posting a 109-81-8 record.
He compiled 13 winning seasons and had two other .500 seasons playing a rugged schedule
with a staff that, for the majority of that time, consisted only of Self and his long-time
assistant George Weeks.
From 1952-63, Self led the Lions to a combined 31-0-2 record
against state rivals Livingston, Troy State and Jacksonville State. A native of Decatur,
Ala., Self served 33 years at UNA as a coach, athletic director and member of the Health,
Physical Education and Recreation faculty.
He played football at the University of Alabama
under Frank Thomas where he quarterbacked the Crimson Tide to a perfect record in 1945 and
scored two touchdowns against Southern California in the Rose Bowl.
