Ken Hall (American football)

Charles Kenneth Hall (born December 13, 1935) nicknamed Sugar Land Express[1] is a retired American football player. Playing for the Sugar Land High School Gators (Sugar Land, Texas) from 1950 to 1953, Hall established 17 national football records, several of which still stand.[2]

Ken Hall
Nickname(s)Sugar Land Express
Born: (1935-12-13) December 13, 1935
Madisonville, Texas
Career information
CFL statusAmerican
Position(s)QB/RB
Height6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight205 lb (93 kg)
CollegeTexas A&M
NFL draft1958 / Round: 14 / Pick: 165
Drafted byBaltimore Colts
Career history
As player
1957–1958Edmonton Eskimos
1958–1959Baltimore Colts*
1959–1960Chicago Cardinals
1960–1961Houston Oilers
1961St. Louis Cardinals
*Offseason or practice roster only
AwardsChampionships:
1 AFL (1961)
3× HS Football
(35-1 record from 1951–1953/12 games per)
2× HS Track and Field
1× HS Basketball
HonorsHall Trophy
Ken Hall Stadium
Hall Lakes (40-acre subdivision in Sugar Land, Texas)
Ken Hall Blvd.
Records11,232 Career Rushing Yards – HS
32.9 Points Per Game – HS
31.2 yards kickoff return % – Houston Oilers
104 yard TD return – Houston Oilers

High school

Hall's career prep rushing record of 11,232 yards (1950: 569 yd; 1951: 3,160 yd; 1952: 3,458 yd; 1953: 4,045 yd) stood until November 16, 2012, when it was broken by Derrick Henry. His 32.9 points per game (1953/12) remains a national record. His record of 38 one hundred-yard games was tied by Steve Worster in 1966, but was not broken until the mid-1980s by Emmitt Smith, whose record was recently broken by Rushel Shell of Hopewell High School in Pennsylvania. Hall also finished his career with 14,558 yards of total offense (11,232 rushing/3,326 passing), a record that would last until being broken by Nitro (West Virginia) High School's future Major League Baseball player J. R. House in 1998.[2]

At Sugar Land, Hall played in the single-wing formation at quarterback, standing 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) and weighing in at 190 lb (86 kg). According to the National High School Sports Record Book, Hall still holds multiple single-season records, including average points per game (32.9), touchdowns per game (4.8) and rushing yards per game (337.1).[2]

In a contest against Houston Lutheran High School in 1953, Hall averaged 47.3 yards on 11 carries for 520 yards (the state record for nearly 25 years, currently 4th), returned a punt 82 yards, a kickoff run of 64 yards and snatched a 21-yard interception for a combined 687 total yards.[2]

Hall, with Mitch Mustain (2005)

College

Hall was recruited by several schools, and chose to attend Texas A&M under college coach Paul "Bear" Bryant. He quit before his college's team went to the Junction, Texas, training camp and got married.

Professional career

Hall played in the Canadian Football League and for various National Football League teams between 1957 and 1961. On October 23, 1960, Hall averaged 65.33 yards per kickoff return for the Houston Oilers against the New York Titans, 3rd highest on the all time individual NFL record books for highest average kickoff return yardage, game (minimum of at least three returns).[3]

He played in 34 total games, serving as a half back and occasional punter. He rushed for 212 total career yards on 51 carries, with 8 receptions for 118 yards and 2 touchdowns. He returned 11 punt returns for 164 yards and a touchdown and he returned 31 kicks for 833 yards for one touchdown. He punted 14 times for 448 yards.

Legacy and honors

In 1983, Hall was placed in the National High School Hall of Fame. Hall also belongs to the Texas High School Football Hall of Fame and the Texas Sports Hall of Fame. Hall was honored, by All American Games, in 1999 with the creation of the Hall Trophy. The Hall Trophy (molded in Hall's likeness) is presented annually to an outstanding football player on a nationwide level. Some past winners include Chris Leak, Adrian Peterson, Mitch Mustain, and Terrelle Pryor. During the 1980s, Hall was sales manager for Sweetner Products Company, a large wholesale sugar distributor in Southern California. He lives in Fredericksburg, Texas.[4]

Records

Fifty-five years later, Hall still holds the following Texas state records:

  • Single-season rushing yards (4,045/1953; this was accomplished in 12 games, and Hall remains the only Texas running back to rush for over 4,000 yards in one year)[5]
  • Rushing per game (337.1 yards/1953/12)
  • Points per game (32.9/1953/12)
  • Career rushing (11,232 yards/1950–53)[6]

See also

References
  1. "Six decades later, everyone is still chasing Texas rushing legend Ken Hall - MaxPreps". MaxPreps.com. 2011-07-04. Retrieved 2020-09-09.
  2. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-03-17. Retrieved 2006-11-15.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  3. http://www.nfl.com/history/randf/records/indiv/kickreturns
  4. Six decades later, everyone is still chasing Texas rushing legend Ken Hall - MaxPreps Retrieved 2018-04-13.
  5. Texas High School Football Rushing Season Yardage Leaders Lone Star Gridiron
  6. Texas High School Football Rushing Career Yardage Leaders Lone Star Gridiron
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