About Inductee

Don Cornelius was born in Anniston, Alabama, and the family moved to Huntsville in 1960 when Don was 15. He had never played football before he began playing at the new school on the northeast side of town. He sure learned fast and well. His coach, Bill Godsey, placed Don at QB and he was a natural. Don said, Lee High School was only a ninth grade school in 1960 and we added a class each year. Essentially we were seniors for four years. Don led those early Generals and became one of the top high school players in the area. He received the Thom McAnn Award as the top student athlete in Huntsville in 1964. He was awarded a football scholarship to Florence State College and became one of their all time greats. Don broke into the starting lineup as a freshman and started for four years. He was chosen as The Lions Most Valuable Back in 1964, 1966, and 1967. Don made the All Gulf South Conference teams his junior and senior seasons and was named All-American in 1967. Al Burleson recalls, Looking back, I dont think Ive ever seen a passer any more exciting, or one who meant more to his team than Don Cornelius. Every time he sprinted out, you thought he might deliver a touchdown, and he did, often. During the 1966 season he was responsible for all 22 touchdowns scored by Florence State. He passed for 12 and rushed for 10. In his career at Florence he rushed for 33 touchdowns and passed for 22. He was named to the 50th Anniversary UNA Football Team for 1949-98 and was selected to the UNA All-Decade Team for 1959-68 by the Times Daily. In 1994, Don was inducted into the UNA Hall of Fame. Don credits his coaches, Bill Godsey at Lee and Hal Self and Bill Wise at Florence State, with his development as an outstanding player. I could not have had a better coach than Bill Godsey who was exceedingly determined to teach the fundamentals of the game. He also reminded us constantly that we were students first. The experience of playing football prepared me for a lot of things I would face in life, Cornelius said. Don was graduated from Florence State in 1968 with a BS in English and from the University of Alabama School of Medicine with a MD in 1972. He received his Residency Psychiatry at University of Alabama School of Medicine in 1975. Don and his wife, Rachel, have four children sons, Russ Frank Cornelius and Kyle Thorsen Cornelius; daughters, Askia Fawn Cornelius and Sophie Aroha. Don is currently a practicing Physician Psychiatrist.