Hal Harkness Named Athletic Director for City

Hal Harkness, a former cross-country coach at UCLA and local AAU chairman for track and field, has been named director of athletics for the City Section of the California Interscholastic Federation, effective Sept. 2.

Harkness, most recently an administrator and a coach at Franklin High School, will succeed Jim Cheffers, who is retiring after 23 years with the City.

Harkness, 47, won the City cross-country title at North Hollywood High in 1955 and finished fourth in the state in the mile in ’56 before going to Occidental College, where he became the freshman record-holder in the two-mile. He then spent most of his teaching career in the Los Angeles Unified School District, working at L.A. Wilson, South Gate, Carson, Irvine University, Franklin, Gompers Junior High and Fullerton College.

From 1972 to 1978, he was an assistant under Jim Bush in the UCLA track program and also head coach of the Bruins’ cross-country team. He has coached boys’ track at Franklin since 1982.

“I want to continue to develop the lines of communication within our own district,” Harkness said Thursday. “I’d like to get more people involved--not only the athletes, but coaches and the staff at each school. We’ve had a bit of a fallout from teachers in the last few years in athletics.”

The seventh annual National Football Foundation Hall of Fame all-star football game, featuring many of the best recently graduated high school players from the San Gabriel Valley, will be played tonight at Arroyo High in El Monte at 8 p.m.

Bill Maloney of San Marino will coach the West, Bob Baiz of Claremont the East.

Proceeds will go to the National Football Foundation’s scholarship fund and the athletic programs of participating schools.