Hal Dean
Encyclopedia
Hal Stone Dean was a left guard for the Los Angeles Rams
in the National Football League
, playing three seasons from 1947 to 1949.
. He attended a one-room schoolhouse through the eighth grade. At the age of 15, Hal earned his Eagle Scout
badge. He attended Wooster High School
and was co-caption of the football team.
in 1940, Hal enrolled at Ohio State University
in Columbus, Ohio
, earning a B.S. degree (1947) in Geology
. While at Ohio State, Hal played football for the Buckeyes
under Pro Football Hall of Fame
coach Paul Brown
. Starting every game at left guard, Hal was a member of the Ohio State 1942 team that won the Big 10 and the NCAA National Championship
football titles. He was also a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon
Fraternity and the Advanced ROTC at Ohio State.
In December 1942, Hal was ordered to Ft. Hayes in Columbus, Ohio
for active duty. He attended the United States Army Infantry School
in Ft. Benning, Georgia, receiving his Paratroop Wings. In August 1944, Hal was assigned to the 541st Parachute Regiment at Camp Mackall, North Carolina. Initially, he was ordered to Ft. Meade, Maryland to depart for the European Theater but after Allied victories, he was sent to Ft. Ord, California to depart for the Pacific Theater
. He arrived in the city of Manila, Philippines shortly after the Japanese had been defeated, working patrol duty and searching for Japanese hideouts. He joined the 187th Regiment, 11th Airborne Division and began intensive airborne training at Lipa
in the Luzon, Philippines, in preparation for the invasion of the mainland of Japan
. In August 1945, following the bombing of Hiroshima
and Nagasaki
, Hal’s regiment was immediately airlifted to Okinawa to prepare to invade the Japanese at Atsugi Airfield in Tokyo, Japan and was among the first troops to land on the Japanese homeland. Hal was captain of the 11th Airborne Division football team that won the All-Pacific title. In May 1946, Hal returned to the United States
and was discharged from the military as company commander
and captain 1st Battalion, 187th Glider Infantry Regiment, 11th Airborne Division. He earned two Bronze Star Medals for his military service.
Hal was voted to the All-Big 10 team when he returned to the Ohio State campus in 1946. He was mentioned on several All-America
selections and played in the East-West Shrine Game
. Hal was also inducted into SPHINX, a senior honorary society.
after Hal was drafted in the 1947 NFL Draft
by the Los Angeles Rams
.
Hal played for the Los Angeles Rams
during the 1947, 1948, and 1949 seasons, and was a member of the NFL Western Division Championship team. Hal played in the 1949 NFL Championship Game, predecessor to the modern Super Bowl
. During the off-season, he attended Stanford University
in Palo Alto, California
to pursue his M.S. degree (1950) in Geology
.
for his first oil geology position with Magnolia Petroleum Corp. Five years later, he joined Pauley Petroleum, owned by Ed Pauley.
In 1960, Hal moved his family to Midland, Texas
and opened an office for El Paso Natural Gas
. He also worked in Midland as district manager for Apache Corporation
and Union Texas Petroleum. He eventually became an independent explorer in partnership with Bill Moss and J. Howard Marshall
, forming the Petroleum Corporation, which explored for oil and gas in West Texas
and New Mexico
. He continued working as an independent geologist until his death.
In 1970, Hal had the honor of inducting his former Los Angeles Rams
teammate, Tom Fears
, into the NFL Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio
. Hal and Stella later moved to Rancho Santa Fe, California
. After Stella’s death in 1987, Hal married Nancy Bartling. He eventually returned to Midland to be closer to his family and friends.
Hal was a member of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists
, NFL Alumni, Ohio State Varsity O Hall of Fame
, and an Emeritus Board Member of the Petroleum Investment Committee of Stanford University
. He also established a fellowship in his name at Stanford University
. Hal was a Sunday School teacher, Deacon, and Elder at First Presbyterian Church in Midland. He was inducted into the Wayne County, Ohio
Sports Hall of Fame in June 1978 and enshrined in the Wooster, Ohio
High School Sports Hall of Fame in 1986.
St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams are a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are currently members of the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Rams have won three NFL Championships .The Rams began playing in 1936 in Cleveland,...
in the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
, playing three seasons from 1947 to 1949.
Early life
Hal was born to Forest William Dean and Vernon Stone Dean in Wooster, OhioWooster, Ohio
Wooster is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Wayne County. The municipality is located in northeastern Ohio approximately SSW of Cleveland and SW of Akron. Wooster is noted as the location of The College of Wooster...
. He attended a one-room schoolhouse through the eighth grade. At the age of 15, Hal earned his Eagle Scout
Eagle Scout (Boy Scouts of America)
Eagle Scout is the highest rank attainable in the Boy Scouting program of the Boy Scouts of America . A Scout who attains this rank is called an Eagle Scout or Eagle. Since its introduction in 1911, the Eagle Scout rank has been earned by more than 2 million young men...
badge. He attended Wooster High School
Wooster High School (Ohio)
Wooster High School is a public high school in Wooster, Ohio. It is the only high school in the Wooster City School District. The mascot/nickname of the school is the Generals, named after American Revolutionary War General David Wooster....
and was co-caption of the football team.
College and Military Service
After graduating from Wooster High SchoolWooster High School (Ohio)
Wooster High School is a public high school in Wooster, Ohio. It is the only high school in the Wooster City School District. The mascot/nickname of the school is the Generals, named after American Revolutionary War General David Wooster....
in 1940, Hal enrolled at Ohio State University
Ohio State University
The Ohio State University, commonly referred to as Ohio State, is a public research university located in Columbus, Ohio. It was originally founded in 1870 as a land-grant university and is currently the third largest university campus in the United States...
in Columbus, Ohio
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
, earning a B.S. degree (1947) in Geology
Geology
Geology is the science comprising the study of solid Earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which it evolves. Geology gives insight into the history of the Earth, as it provides the primary evidence for plate tectonics, the evolutionary history of life, and past climates...
. While at Ohio State, Hal played football for the Buckeyes
Ohio State Buckeyes football
The Ohio State Buckeyes football team is an intercollegiate varsity sports team of The Ohio State University. The team is a member of the Big Ten Conference of the NCAA, playing at the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, formerly Division I-A, level. The team nickname is derived from the state...
under Pro Football Hall of Fame
Pro Football Hall of Fame
The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame of professional football in the United States with an emphasis on the National Football League . It opened in Canton, Ohio, on September 7, 1963, with 17 charter inductees...
coach Paul Brown
Paul Brown
Paul Eugene Brown was a coach in American football and a major figure in the development of the National Football League...
. Starting every game at left guard, Hal was a member of the Ohio State 1942 team that won the Big 10 and the NCAA National Championship
National championship
A national championship is the top achievement for any sport or contest in a particular nation or nation state. The title is usually awarded by contests, ranking systems, stature, ability, etc. This determines the best team, individual in a particular nation and in a particular field...
football titles. He was also a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon
Sigma Alpha Epsilon
Sigma Alpha Epsilon is a North American Greek-letter social college fraternity founded at the University of Alabama on March 9, 1856. Of all existing national social fraternities today, Sigma Alpha Epsilon is the only one founded in the Antebellum South...
Fraternity and the Advanced ROTC at Ohio State.
In December 1942, Hal was ordered to Ft. Hayes in Columbus, Ohio
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
for active duty. He attended the United States Army Infantry School
United States Army Infantry School
The United States Army Infantry School is located in Fort Benning, Georgia. It is made up of the following components:*192d Infantry Brigade...
in Ft. Benning, Georgia, receiving his Paratroop Wings. In August 1944, Hal was assigned to the 541st Parachute Regiment at Camp Mackall, North Carolina. Initially, he was ordered to Ft. Meade, Maryland to depart for the European Theater but after Allied victories, he was sent to Ft. Ord, California to depart for the Pacific Theater
Pacific Theater of Operations
The Pacific Theater of Operations was the World War II area of military activity in the Pacific Ocean and the countries bordering it, a geographic scope that reflected the operational and administrative command structures of the American forces during that period...
. He arrived in the city of Manila, Philippines shortly after the Japanese had been defeated, working patrol duty and searching for Japanese hideouts. He joined the 187th Regiment, 11th Airborne Division and began intensive airborne training at Lipa
Lipa City
The Lipa City /Li-pâ/ is a first class city in the province of Batangas, Philippines. It is one of the three component cities of Batangas province...
in the Luzon, Philippines, in preparation for the invasion of the mainland of Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. In August 1945, following the bombing of Hiroshima
Hiroshima
is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture, and the largest city in the Chūgoku region of western Honshu, the largest island of Japan. It became best known as the first city in history to be destroyed by a nuclear weapon when the United States Army Air Forces dropped an atomic bomb on it at 8:15 A.M...
and Nagasaki
Nagasaki
is the capital and the largest city of Nagasaki Prefecture on the island of Kyushu in Japan. Nagasaki was founded by the Portuguese in the second half of the 16th century on the site of a small fishing village, formerly part of Nishisonogi District...
, Hal’s regiment was immediately airlifted to Okinawa to prepare to invade the Japanese at Atsugi Airfield in Tokyo, Japan and was among the first troops to land on the Japanese homeland. Hal was captain of the 11th Airborne Division football team that won the All-Pacific title. In May 1946, Hal returned to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and was discharged from the military as company commander
Company Commander
A company commander is the commanding officer of a company, a military unit which typically consists of 100 to 350 soldiers, often organized into three or four smaller units called platoons....
and captain 1st Battalion, 187th Glider Infantry Regiment, 11th Airborne Division. He earned two Bronze Star Medals for his military service.
Hal was voted to the All-Big 10 team when he returned to the Ohio State campus in 1946. He was mentioned on several All-America
All-America
An All-America team is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply...
selections and played in the East-West Shrine Game
East-West Shrine Game
The East–West Shrine Game is an annual post-season college football all-star game played each January since 1925. The game is sponsored by the fraternal group Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, and the net proceeds are earmarked to some of the Shrine's charitable works, most notably the Shriners...
. Hal was also inducted into SPHINX, a senior honorary society.
Professional Football Career
In June 1947, Hal married his high school sweetheart Estella “Stella” Graber. They moved to Los Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
after Hal was drafted in the 1947 NFL Draft
1947 NFL Draft
The 1947 National Football League Draft was held on December 16, 1946.The National Football League in this draft made the first overall pick a bonus pick determined by lottery. The Chicago Bears won the first lottery...
by the Los Angeles Rams
St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams are a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are currently members of the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Rams have won three NFL Championships .The Rams began playing in 1936 in Cleveland,...
.
Hal played for the Los Angeles Rams
St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams are a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are currently members of the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Rams have won three NFL Championships .The Rams began playing in 1936 in Cleveland,...
during the 1947, 1948, and 1949 seasons, and was a member of the NFL Western Division Championship team. Hal played in the 1949 NFL Championship Game, predecessor to the modern Super Bowl
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
. During the off-season, he attended Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
in Palo Alto, California
Palo Alto, California
Palo Alto is a California charter city located in the northwest corner of Santa Clara County, in the San Francisco Bay Area of California, United States. The city shares its borders with East Palo Alto, Mountain View, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Stanford, Portola Valley, and Menlo Park. It is...
to pursue his M.S. degree (1950) in Geology
Geology
Geology is the science comprising the study of solid Earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which it evolves. Geology gives insight into the history of the Earth, as it provides the primary evidence for plate tectonics, the evolutionary history of life, and past climates...
.
Oil & Gas Career
After graduation, Hal and Stella moved to San Antonio, TexasSan Antonio, Texas
San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...
for his first oil geology position with Magnolia Petroleum Corp. Five years later, he joined Pauley Petroleum, owned by Ed Pauley.
In 1960, Hal moved his family to Midland, Texas
Midland, Texas
Midland is a city in and the county seat of Midland County, Texas, United States, on the Southern Plains of the state's western area. A small portion of the city extends into Martin County. As of 2010, the population of Midland was 111,147. It is the principal city of the Midland, Texas...
and opened an office for El Paso Natural Gas
El Paso Natural Gas
El Paso Natural Gas is a system of natural gas pipelines that brings gas from the Permian Basin in Texas and the San Juan Basin in New Mexico and Colorado to West Texas, New Mexico, Nevada, California and Arizona. It also exports some natural gas to Mexico. It is owned by El Paso Corporation...
. He also worked in Midland as district manager for Apache Corporation
Apache Corporation
Apache Corporation is an American independent oil and gas corporation. It is headquartered in 1 Post Oak Central in the Uptown district of Houston, Texas....
and Union Texas Petroleum. He eventually became an independent explorer in partnership with Bill Moss and J. Howard Marshall
J. Howard Marshall
James Howard Marshall II was an American business magnate, university professor, attorney, and federal government official...
, forming the Petroleum Corporation, which explored for oil and gas in West Texas
West Texas
West Texas is a vernacular term applied to a region in the southwestern quadrant of the United States that primarily encompasses the arid and semi-arid lands in the western portion of the state of Texas....
and New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
. He continued working as an independent geologist until his death.
In 1970, Hal had the honor of inducting his former Los Angeles Rams
St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams are a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are currently members of the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Rams have won three NFL Championships .The Rams began playing in 1936 in Cleveland,...
teammate, Tom Fears
Tom Fears
Thomas Jesse Fears was a Mexican-American football wide receiver for the Los Angeles Rams in the National Football League, playing nine seasons from 1948 to 1956.-Early life:...
, into the NFL Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio
Canton, Ohio
Canton is the county seat of Stark County in northeastern Ohio, approximately south of Akron and south of Cleveland.The City of Caton is the largest incorporated area within the Canton-Massillon Metropolitan Statistical Area...
. Hal and Stella later moved to Rancho Santa Fe, California
Rancho Santa Fe, California
Rancho Santa Fe known locally as ″The Ranch″, is one of the most exclusive and affluent communities in Southern California. It is also a census-designated place in San Diego County, California and an unincorporated bedroom community of San Diego County...
. After Stella’s death in 1987, Hal married Nancy Bartling. He eventually returned to Midland to be closer to his family and friends.
Hal was a member of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists
American Association of Petroleum Geologists
The American Association of Petroleum Geologists is one of the world's largest professional geological societies with over 31,000 members as of 2007. The AAPG works to advance the science of geology , to promote technology, and to inspire high professional conduct...
, NFL Alumni, Ohio State Varsity O Hall of Fame
Ohio State Varsity O Hall of Fame
The Ohio State Varsity "O" Hall of Fame is the athletic hall of fame for The Ohio State University. Its purpose is to recognize individuals who have contributed to the honor and fame of the University in the field of athletics....
, and an Emeritus Board Member of the Petroleum Investment Committee of Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
. He also established a fellowship in his name at Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
. Hal was a Sunday School teacher, Deacon, and Elder at First Presbyterian Church in Midland. He was inducted into the Wayne County, Ohio
Wayne County, Ohio
Wayne County is a county located in the state of Ohio, United States, and is named for General "Mad" Anthony Wayne. As of the 2010 census, the population was 114,520. Its county seat is Wooster....
Sports Hall of Fame in June 1978 and enshrined in the Wooster, Ohio
Wooster, Ohio
Wooster is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Wayne County. The municipality is located in northeastern Ohio approximately SSW of Cleveland and SW of Akron. Wooster is noted as the location of The College of Wooster...
High School Sports Hall of Fame in 1986.