Hal Haskins

Who was Hal Haskins?

Harold "Sleepy Hal" Haskins was an All-American basketball player at Hamline University who led the Pipers to the 1949 NAIA National Championship. Haskins played professionally in the upstart National Professional Basketball League.

Haskins was a standout player at Alexandria High School. As a senior in 1943, Haskins led Alexandria to a state runner-up finish as Haskins led the tournament in scoring. Following his graduation, he joined the military.

After his stint was up on 1946, Haskins enrolled at Hamline University in St. Paul, Minnesota. Haskins became a key player for a dominant run by the Pipers. Haskins led the team to a four straight NAIA Tournament appearances, including a third-place finish in 1948 and a National Championship in 1949, with Haskins named the Tournament MVP. Haskins was named a consensus second team All-American in 1948. Haskins graduated as Hamline's all-time leading scorer with 1,985 points - a record that still stands.

After Hamline, Haskins was drafted in 1950 by the Minneapolis Lakers. He played for the Saint Paul Lights in the National Professional Basketball League. However, the team folded mid season and Haskins played the last three games of the season for the Waterloo Hawks. Hal coached basketball at Forest Lake Area High School from 1955 through 1957. His 1955-56 Forest Lake team had an impressive 20-3 record. Following his basketball career, Haskins was a teacher in the St. Paul school system and was active as a basketball referee.