{{Short description|American football player (1943–2023)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=June 2024}} {{Infobox gridiron football biography | name = Major Hazelton | number = 49 | position = Defensive back | birth_date = {{birth date|1943|9|19}} | birth_place = Bartow, Florida, U.S. | death_date = {{death date and age|2023|12|3|1943|9|19}} | death_place = Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | height_ft = 6 | height_in = 1 | weight_lb = 185 | high_school = Bartow | college = Florida A&M (1964-1967) | draftyear = 1968 | draftround = 3 | draftpick = 57 | pastteams = * Chicago Bears ({{NFL Year|1968|1969}}) * New Orleans Saints ({{NFL Year|1970}}) | statlabel1 = Fumble recoveries | statvalue1 = 2 | pfr = H/HazeMa20 }}
'''Major Floyd "Stick" Hazelton''' (September 19, 1943 – December 3, 2023) was a professional football player. He played for the Chicago Bears after being drafted from FAMU where he was a football and track star. He went to Union Academy, a high school for African Americans in Bartow, Florida established during the segregation era. The school produced several star FAMU and NFL players, especially during its Claude Woodruff coaching era.
In college, he played football under legendary coach, Alonzo A. S. Gaither. He earned All-American honors as a defensive back in 1966 and 1967. In addition to football, Hazelton was a star track athlete and was a member of Florida A&M University's 4x100 relay team that won this event three years in a row (1966–68) at the Penn Relays. He is a member of Florida A&M University's Hall of Fame in both football and track and field.
Hazelton played professionally as a 6'2" defensive back after being drafted by the Chicago Bears in the 3rd round (57th overall) during the 1968 NFL/AFL draft. He played in 26 NFL games, starting in two.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/H/HazeMa20.htm|title=Major Hazelton Stats|website=Pro-Football-Reference.com}}</ref>
He died on December 3, 2023, at the age of 80 in Chicago.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://theobituaryapp.com/obituaries/major-hazelton/4402880|title=Major Hazelton Obituary|website=The Obituary App|access-date=January 29, 2024|archive-date=January 29, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240129092541/https://theobituaryapp.com/obituaries/major-hazelton/4402880|url-status=dead}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{Bears1968DraftPicks}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hazelton, Major}} Category:1943 births Category:2023 deaths Category:Players of American football from Bartow, Florida Category:Bartow High School alumni Category:Florida A&M Rattlers track and field athletes Category:American men sprinters Category:Chicago Bears players Category:New Orleans Saints players Category:American football defensive backs Category:Florida A&M Rattlers football players Category:20th-century American sportsmen
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