Remembering VFL Hal Littleford

Captain of the 1949 Vols dies in Johnson City

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. — Hal Littleford, a two-sport athlete at the University of Tennessee, captain of the 1949 football squad and a member of the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame died over the weekend in Johnson City.

Littleford was a star athlete in baseball and football at Tennessee High School in Bristol and continued with both sports for the Volunteers. As a tailback for General Robert Neyland, Littleford gained 758 yards in his career and amassed 636 yards passing in an era where the football rarely went in the air.

An Army veteran who served in both World War II and Korea, Littleford spent one year as the head football coach at East Tennessee State, earning Coach of the Year Honors for leading his team to the 1954 Volunteer Athletic Conference Championship.

Littleford left coaching to run a successful insurance agency and would serve as mayor of Johnson City from 1967-69. He would later serve as the president of the University of Tennessee Alumni Association and was an honorary lifetime member of the University of Tennessee Athletic Board.

He was elected to the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 1991.

Arrangements are incomplete at this time, but will be handled by Morris Baker Funeral Home in Johnson City.