West Chester alumnus Danny Hale and legendary Golden Ram head coach Dr. W. Glenn Killinger appear on the 2021 ballot of the College Football Hall of Fame as divisional (non-FBS) coaches. Also, former Golden Ram two-way player Bill Hess has been nominated as a player.
Hale played end for the Golden Rams from 1965-67 when West Chester advanced to the conference championship and the Tangerine Bowl in both 1966 and 1967. West Chester won the conference championship in 1967 with Hale being named MVP of the game. He was later head coach at West Chester from 1984-88, posting a record of 40-13, including the Golden Rams' first ever NCAA playoff appearance in 1988. He then went on to be the head coach of Bloomsburg University from 1993-2012, posting a record of 173-56-1. In his 25 years of coaching at the two schools, Hale won 13 PSAC East titles and advanced to the NCAA playoffs nine times, including guiding the Huskies to the national championship game in 2000. He is already a member of the Killinger Hall of Fame
Dr. Killinger is already a member of the College Football Hall of Fame as a player at Penn State where he was a three sport star, winning nine varsity letters. As a halfback/quarterback, he led the Nittany Lions to undefeated seasons in 1920 and 1921, serving as captain his senior year and named a consensus All-American. He also captained the basketball team his senior year and won 30 games as a pitcher for the baseball team. He is West Chester's all-time winningest head coach with a record of 147-41-12 (.765) over 23 seasons from 1934-1959. Killinger served in the United States Navy from 1942-1945. During his tenure at the helm of the Golden Rams, he never suffered a losing season and led the team to three bowl victories: Burley Bowl in 1947 and 1948 and the Pretzel Bowl in 1951. West Chester also participated in the Cigar Bowl in 1947. In addition to West Chester, Killinger was the head football coach at Dickinson (1922), Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (1927-1931), and Moravian (1933), compiling a career record of 176-72-16. He served as an assistant coach at Penn State from 1923-1926. He also served as the head coach of West Chester's men's basketball team from 1935-1940 and 1945-1946 and the baseball team from 1967-1970.
Hess played for the Golden Rams from 1985-88 and finished his career with 3,821 all-purpose yards. He had 182 receptions for 2,866 yards and 30 touchdowns in his West Chester career. He also amassed 58 yards rushing and 897 return yards. Hess captained the Golden Rams in both his junior and senior seasons. He was named second team All-PSAC East at wide receiver after his freshman year, and first team All-PSAC East at wide receiver after both his second and third seasons. After his senior season, he was named PSAC East Athlete of the Year, first team PSAC East at both wide receiver and defensive back, and was named a first team AFCA All-American.
After graduating from West Chester, he spent time with the Philadelphia Eagles and Phoenix Cardinals of the NFL. Hess was drafted by the San Antonio Riders of the WLAF where he played a season. He then played with the San Antonio Texans and Ottawa Rough Riders of the CFL. He is already a member of the Killinger Hall of Fame
The 2021 Class will be announced in early 2021 with details being announced at a later date.
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