Hal McHorris

Hal McHorris, a three-year letterman on the Wasps football team, was inducted into the Emory & Henry Sports Hall of Fame in 2003. A 1962 graduate, Hal played both line and center for the 1959-61 squads, serving as a tri-captain his senior year.

McHorris accrued an impressive record during his time on the gridiron. The Wasps were 7-3 in 1959 and 7-2-1 in 1960. Despite the team’s 4-4 record his senior year, McHorris was named First Team All-State and received Honorable Mention as a Little All-American; what’s more, their losses that season were to powerhouses Appalachian State University, Western Carolina University, and Concord College, as well as to a nationally-ranked Washington & Lee squad.

Perhaps McHorris’ most famous moment as a Wasp came after that loss to W&L in 1961, when a photographer shot a picture of him leaving the stadium, head hung in defeat, arm-in-arm with the woman who would one day become his wife of over 50 years. That photo was published in the November 1961 edition of Sports Illustrated magazine.

While attending Emory & Henry, McHorris was very active in campus life. He was a member of Blue Key Honor Fraternity and varsity club, and he served as president of Phi Gamma Phi and senior class vice president.

After graduating, McHorris returned to his hometown of Kingsport, Tennessee, where he became manager for Tennessee Eastman Chemical Company. He retired from Tennessee Eastman in 1998 after over 35 years of service.

In addition to his professional activities, McHorris was civically engaged in Boy Scouts and various other charitable organizations in his community. He also served as a trustee of Emory & Henry College for a number of years, as well as being president of Holston Conference Colleges Incorporated.