George A. Hansell, Jr., Widener University
Athletic Director, Football, Track & Field Coach (1940-78)
George A. Hansell, Jr. enjoyed a storied career that influenced the trajectory of Widener athletes as well as the Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC). He spent 38 years with Widener University (formerly Pennsylvania Military College or P.M.C.) that included nine years as the head football coach. Hansell led the football to a MAC title and a 7-0 mark in 1954, and also captured the MAC Southern College Division crown in 1958. His career record was 50-23, which is the second-best win total in school history. Hansell coached the P.M.C. track & field team from 1946-74, notching a 138-51-1 record. The track team won six MAC titles, recorded four undefeated seasons and had a 27-match winning-streak in dual meets over five years. He also served as Widener’s Director of Athletics from 1955-79, introduced the University’s Physical Education Program and brought women’s sports on campus in 1972. The Hansell Awards, which honors the University’s Scholar-Athletes of the Year, were named in his honor in 1997. The track at Leslie C. Quick Jr. Stadium was named in his honor in 1984. Hansell was a former member of the MAC Executive Committee and was a former president of the Middle Atlantic Collegiate Track and Field Association. He also served on the executive committee on the Middle Atlantic Collegiate Football Association. Hansell was inducted into the Widener University Athletics Hall of Fame in 2014.
George A. Hansell, Jr.'s Widener Hall of Fame Page