Coach Hal Cornforth
Graduating class: 1958 - 1970
Inducted into Hall of Fame: 2010
Hall of Fame Category: Coach
Hal Cornforth graduated from New Bedford High School in 1947 as president of his class and president of the Honor Society. As a player at New Bedford, Hal achieved all-county recognition in football and track as well as being awarded the Murphy Memorial Award for excellence in athletics, scholarship and character.
He continued his athletic and scholastic careers at Bates College before attending Officer Candidate School with the U.S. Army. Hal soon found himself deployed to Korea where he served as a platoon leader and executive officer of a rifle company. During his tour of duty Coach Cornforth was decorated with the Combat Infantryman’s Badge and a Bronze Star. Coach Cornforth returned to New Bedford after the Korean War where he served on the coaching staff in football, basketball and baseball for four years.
In 1958 Coach Cornforth joined the staff at FHS as head track coach and assistant football coach and three years later became head football coach. Coach Cornforth is extremely proud of the fine young men who played football for him and his Line Coach Harry Kummer. He has fond memories of Fairhaven’s great victories over North Attleboro, Coyle, Taunton, Barnstable and New Bedford Vocational as well as the remarkable fact that his Fairhaven Football Teams were undefeated against Dartmouth on Thanksgiving Day.
Coach Cornforth and his Spring Track athletes rewrote every track record at Fairhaven High School during his tenure with some sensational winning seasons and great individual performances. The Blue were Belmont Relay Champions in 1961 and 1963 and captured the Bristol County Championship with an undefeated season in 1961. Six of his student athletes were state class champions and four of those champions as well as two other team members have been inducted into the Fairhaven High School Hall of Fame. Coach Cornforth was instrumental in establishing winter track and weight-training at Fairhaven High School.
After leaving F.H.S., Coach Cornforth continued his coaching career at Barnstable High School where his club won the State Class C Championship in 1972. Coach Cornforth is now retired from both education, where he was a popular Housemaster at Barnstable, and the U.S. Army, as a full Colonel. He lives in Yarmouth on Cape Cod.