“When it came to Bell-Jeff sports, Hal was definitely the go-to guy,” Bell-Jeff Principal Sister Cheryl Milner said. “He coached many sports for us and he had a great deal of knowledge.
“He was also very dedicated to the school. You could always see Hal at many of our sporting events.”
Krug began his tenure at Bell-Jeff in 1976 and retired in 2002. Throughout his years at the school, Krug led various teams to league championships, CIF Southern Section playoff victories and helped prepare his share of athletes for college.
At various times in his career at Bell-Jeff, Krug coached football, baseball and volleyball, turning out a number of college student-athletes.
He coached the Guards football team for seven years and the baseball and girls’ volleyball teams for 15 seasons each. He also assisted with the girls’ softball program and the boys’ volleyball teams, working with Russ Johnson.
Krug, who was also a popular teacher at the school, won five league championships with the girls’ volleyball team and brought nine teams to the CIF playoffs.
In baseball, he led the team to one league title — in 1979 — and nine playoff appearances, including the program’s only CIF victory. He was also the school’s athletic director from 1976 to 1981 and played a key role in the construction of the school’s Keating Memorial Gymnasium.
“We were 0-28 in football the three years before I got here,” Krug said in an interview with the Leader when he retired in 2002. “Basketball and baseball had averaged two wins a year in the three previous years. Our school was rumored to be closing and we had no gym and the graduating classes were around 80 students.”
As the head football coach from 1978 to 1984, Krug posted a 26-32 record.
