Hal Clifton recently concluded his sixth season as the assistant coach of the Phoenix. Clifton came to Elon University in August of 2005 from St. Andrews Presbyterian College where he served as the assistant coach for the 2004 season.
At St. Andrews, Clifton helped lead the team to the NCAA Division II Tournament and a regional ranking of seventh. The team tied a school record with 14 conference victories and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history. Clifton coached four all-conference athletes at St. Andrews and one conference freshman of the year.
Before his stint at St. Andrews, Clifton spent three years as the head coach at Jack Britt High School in Fayetteville, N.C. At Jack Britt, he achieved an overall record of 62-20, including a 28-2 season. Clifton was a three-time Mid-Southeastern Conference Coach of the Year and the Cape Fear Region Coach of the Year in 2003. He led Jack Britt to back-to-back conference championships and state tournament appearances in 2002 and 2003. Clifton coached three Mid-Southeastern Conference Players of the Year along with nine all-conference selections.
Clifton also served six seasons as the head coach of the Carolina Region High Performance club team from 2002-2007. In 2003 and 2004, he served as the head coach of the developmental team before becoming the head coach of the youth team in 2005. Clifton also spent three seasons with the Fayetteville Area Volleyball Association as a head coach. His 17-under team won the Carolina Regional Championship and three other tournaments in 2002.
Clifton graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Athletic Training from Appalachian State University in 1994 where he played for the men’s volleyball club team. While at Appalachian State, Clifton received the Ron H. “Doc” Kannoy Award for the most outstanding athletic trainer.
He earned his master’s in exercise and sport science from the University of Florida in 1996. During his time at Florida, Clifton served as the athletic trainer for the World University Volleyball team while they trained and played exhibition matches throughout the state of Florida prior to going to Japan for competition. As an athletic trainer at Florida, Clifton worked with the 1994 Southeastern Conference Champion football team along with the top ranked men’s tennis and men’s golf programs.
Clifton and his wife, Jennifer, have two children.
