Hal Bedsole, star on Trojans' 1962 championship team, dies at 76

LOS ANGELES -- Hal Bedsole, a consensus All-America receiver on Southern California's undefeated 1962 national championship team and a member of the College Football Hall of Fame, has died. He was 76.

USC said Bedsole died Friday in Arizona after being in declining health in recent years. His birthday was Thursday.

Bedsole caught 82 passes for 1,717 yards and 20 touchdowns from 1961 to 1963 at USC, all school records at the time. The 6-foot-5, 221-pounder's 20.9 career average per reception remains a school record.

Nicknamed "Prince Hal" because of his self-assured, outspoken ways, Bedsole led the Trojans in receiving and scoring in 1961 (27 catches, 38 points) and 1962 (33 catches, 68 points). He was the first Trojan to have 200 receiving yards in a game (201 yards against California in 1962, a school record that stood for 21 years).

Bedsole caught two touchdown passes in USC's win over Wisconsin in the 1963 Rose Bowl. He was an all-conference first-team choice in 1961 and '62.

He was inducted into the USC Athletic Hall of Fame in 2001 and the College Football Hall of Fame in 2012.

Bedsole was a second-round draft pick of the Minnesota Vikings and played tight end for them from 1964 to 1966.

Born in Chicago, Bedsole graduated from Reseda High in suburban Los Angeles, where he played quarterback and was the 1959 L.A. city player of the year. He attended Pierce Junior College before going to USC.

After leaving the NFL, he worked in radio sales and in marketing.

Bedsole is survived by his mother and daughter.

Services are pending.