Six decades later, everyone is still chasing Texas rushing legend Ken Hall

Though 58 years have passed since he graduated from Sugar Land High School in Texas, the legendary Ken Hall still holds three national rushing records and has seven other milestones that rank among the top seven all-time.

The most coveted record, perhaps in all of high school sports, is his career rushing total of 11,232 yards, which he accumulated from 1950-53. He's also still No. 1 in points per game, 32.9 in 1953, and yards per attempt in a single game, 47.3 in 1953 (11 rushes for 520 yards).

See video from a 1952 game Hall played in, located at the end of the story

The 75-year-old resident of Fredericksburg, Texas, carries his fame with great humbleness. Except for a shoulder problem, he's in good health. He weighs just five pounds more than his pro weight of 220, but he says he's lost two inches off his 6-2 frame.



And if someone does break his career rushing record, Hall won't hold any animosity.

"I'd try to find his phone number and congratulate him. I've always thought it was possible," he told MaxPreps.

Eight years ago Michael Hart made a brilliant run, finishing his career at Onondaga (Nedrow, N.Y.) with 11,045 yards. Three others have cracked the 10,000 barrier: Kevin Parks Jr. of West Rowan (Mount Ulla, N.C.) ran for 10,895 yards, Traylon Shead of Cayuga (Texas) broke loose for 10,291 and Toney Baker of Ragsdale (Jamestown, N.C.) had 10,241.

This fall another outstanding runner, Johnathan Gray of Aledo (Texas), could challenge Hall's career rushing record. He has 7,000 yards and would be a long-shot at best because he would have to average more than 264 yards a game and play a maximum of 16 games.

"I saw him on television in the state finals," Hall said of Gray. "That was some kind of show he put on – absolutely unbelievable. He's phenomenal. Quick, fast, with good size and he plays on a winning team."

Hall still ranks No. 4 all-time in total career yards (14,558), rushing yards in one season (4,045), average yards per game in one season (428.8) and average touchdowns per game in one season (4.8). He is No. 5 in career points (899), No. 6 in one-season points (395) and No. 7 in total yards for one season (5,146).



He is especially revered in the Lone Star State.

Dave Campbell, who was sports editor of the Waco Tribune Herald for 40 years and founded the popular Texas Football Magazine 52 years ago, is old enough at 86 to have watched Hall play in a high school all-star game.

Campbell told MaxPreps, "People still look to him as a beacon to what could be accomplished. He is a good spokesman and a very effective ambassador."

Texas Football Magazine managing editor Travis Stewart says that Hall "Historically is so crucial to the state. He put Texas football on the map and he provides a fundamental barometer for kids all over the nation. The eras are different, but as far as numbers go, it's still fun to put two eras together and match them. There's so much mystique around him. Whenever I hear his name, I still get shivers. A guy had a video of him (in a prep game) and I got goosebumps watching it."

Tom Wancho, exhibit planner for the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum, adds "Ken Hall sets the standard for outstanding high school football players in Texas. Even though he hasn't played a game in over a half century, people still know about him and his records. He's such a nice guy and not impressed with himself."

Adds Jay Black, curator of the Texas Sports Hall of Fame, "Ken Hall's (career rushing) record – it's lasted so long at this point I don't think it ever will be broken. It would require a player to average 175 yards for a 16-game season for four straight years."



Despite the longevity of his records, Hall says, "I don't think about it until someone like (a writer) brings it up. There is a lot of pride. People keep bringing it up and it makes you recall things. It makes you feel younger. We played for fun. We never thought about losing. Kids today don't know anything about it, but their grandfathers do. I still get letters with a $20 bill saying, ‘Please send me an autographed picture of you.'"

Unfortunately, he has none to send.

Fast and a powerful runner, Hall picked up the nickname "Sugar Land Express" from a Houston sports writer and it has been his "handle" ever since. The Express is tough to derail because Hall's records have stood the test of time.

A good case can be presented that Ken Hall is the most decorated high school athlete in history.

* In 1953, he made the Wigwam Wisemen of Oklahoma All-American team.
* In 1983 he was enshrined in the National High School Hall of Fame.
* In 1983 he also made the Texas High School Football Hall of Fame.
* In 1994 he made the Texas Sports Hall of Fame.
* In 2000 the Ken Hall Trophy first was presented to the National High School Football Player of the Year in conjunction with the U.S. Army All-American Bowl.
* In 2004, the 10,000-seat, $25-million Ken Hall Stadium was dedicated in Missouri City, Texas.
* Hall Lakes, a 40-acre subdivision in Sugar Land, includes streets named Ken Hall Blvd., Ken's Place and Gloria's Court (named after his wife). This is the area in which he was raised.

Sugar Land, now part of the John Foster Dulles consolidation, was a Class B school (fourth largest in size) with around 100 students in the top four grades when Hall was in school. Though he piled up yards at a small school, Hall could have had even greater numbers because he often sat out much of the second half in lopsided victories.



As an eighth grader, Hall claims that he "couldn't walk and chew gum at the same time. I was so slow that all I wanted to do was play the trumpet."

However, entering his freshman year he had sprouted from 5-foot-6, 135 pounds to a solid 6-1 and 180 pounds. He also could run 100 yards in an outstanding 10.1 seconds after clocking in at between 12 and 13 seconds as an eighth grader. Though he played the trumpet very well through his senior year, he also launched a football career that would dwarf his musical talents.

Hall started as a T-formation quarterback and was on the losing end for five straight games. After that coach W.E. White was persuaded to switch to the Notre Dame Box and Hall – playing tailback – raced 75 yards for a touchdown on his first varsity carry in game No. 6.

"We didn't know you could run," Hall heard people say.

"I didn't know I could run, either," he confessed.

Now handling the ball on nearly every play, Hall was on his way to the Hall of Fame. Over the last three and a half years, the Gators had just one loss and one tie, finishing with a 46-6-1 record and three regional championships.



Continue reading{PAGEBREAK}Probably his most unmatchable performance came during a game in which he touched the ball just nine times – twice handing off for touchdowns and running for seven. Legend has it that he never got his uniform dirty and, therefore, it didn't have to be washed that week.

Longtime Houston Post sports writer Mickey Herskowitz recalled a 67-19 rout of Orchard during which Hall scored on the first two plays. He ran 80 yards for a touchdown, only to have it nullified by a penalty. On the very next play he ran 85 yards for a touchdown that did count.

Herskowitz said the referee called timeout, but nobody could figure out why until he told both coaches, "I called it for me. No. 31 was running me to death."

His biggest challenge probably came as an extremely shy sophomore when he had to fulfill his duty as co-captain to kiss the football sweetheart and present her a bouquet of flowers at homecoming. Her name was Gloria Ross and he had a huge crush on her. Still, she would not date him because he was two years younger.

"That night was kind of special," Hall said. "I got to give her a peck on the cheek."

To make a long story short, after six months he finally wore her down and they have been married for 52 years, have two sons and five grandchildren.



It should be pointed out that Hall also was outstanding in track. He won at least one state title in the 100-yard dash, long jump and shot put and the Gators twice won state team titles. He ran the 100 in 9.6 seconds, long jumped 23 feet and threw the shot 54 feet – all great numbers for that era. His 40-yard dash time of 4.3 seconds would make him an elite runner even today. As an adult he got his 100 time down to 9.4.

"I enjoyed track as much or more than football," he related.

He ran into a brick wall, however, when he attended Texas A&M University and came under the coaching of defensive-minded Paul "Bear" Bryant. Defense was not his forte and he never got much of a shot at offense. He calls his short time at A&M as probably the worst period of his life.

"He was graceful and a picture player," Herskowitz said. "John David Crow said if coach Bryant hadn't run off Kenneth Hall nobody would have heard of John David Crow. That probably cost A&M two national championships. He got run over a few times and that drove coach Bryant nuts. He just needed more experience on defense.

"Almost no one I saw play in college over the years electrified you like Kenneth did. If Kenneth had gone on to have a 10- or 12-year career in the NFL, he'd be in the (NFL) Hall of Fame and would be among the gold standard of running backs. Anybody who saw Kenneth Hall play feels that way about him."

Years later when Bryant was winning national titles at the University of Alabama, he sent Hall a letter apologizing for the way he was handled at A&M.



"I was pretty honored to get that letter," he said. "(He acknowledged) that all kids aren't alike, that you can't treat them all the same. It's old (news) now and we both learned something. I've still got the letter."

Still, Hall put in five years of professional football with Edmonton of the Canadian Football League, the Baltimore Colts, Chicago Cardinals, Houston Oilers and St. Louis Cardinals.

With the Oilers, he once scored on a spectacular 104-yard run.

However, injuries finally put an end to his pro career. His worst injury was a broken back with the Colts. But he also suffered seven broken ribs, two concussions, many hip pointers, a couple of broken fingers and his nose was broken seven times. The end result was, at the very least, loss of speed and agility.

After his playing career ended in 1961, Hall launched a 24-year career working in the sugar industry as a salesman and manager, with much of that time in California. At age 50 he bought and operated Ken Hall's Barbecue Place for 18 years in Fredericksburg, Texas, where he still lives today.

Though officially retired, Hall has many hobbies, many talents.



For example, he has produced more than 140 paintings. He was the color commentator for five years for Fredericksburg High School football games and has written articles for the weekly Fredericksburg Standard.
As an elder in the Memorial Presbyterian Church, Hall has worked for six years with CORE, a group of high school students who discuss such topics as religion, the Bible, other books and do community service projects.

Still a big fan of the game, Hall noted, "High school football today is huge. The game has changed dramatically. Football (the name of the game) and the size of the field are about the only things that haven't changed. These kids are so huge, fast and good."

Hall pointed out the proliferation of combines and 7-on-7 summer tournaments as the biggest additions he has seen in recent years.

His records may be in the past, but his eyes always look toward the future. For example, there are some projects that are stymied at this point. He wrote a book that teaches students how to study, but has not yet been able to get it published. He spent the good portion of a year helping to make a documentary film about his life, but is uncertain of its future.

Even at 75 he may be headed for a job in a surprising field. He was doing an audio interview for the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum when he was praised for his strong voice. Now he is doing demos that could lead to a total new career as a voice-over specialist.

"I'm working really hard now to do some of that," he said hopefully.