Kenneth Hall obit

Texas high school football legend known as 'The Sugar Land Express' dies at 89

 

He was not on the list.

Legendary Texas high school football player Kenneth Hall, famously known as "The Sugar Land Express," has passed away at the age of 89, according to the Houston Chronicle.

Hall, who played in the early 1950s, set a national rushing record of 11,232 career yards that stood until Derrick Henry broke it in 2012.

Born in Madisonville, Texas, in 1935, Hall attended Sugar Land High School and rose to prominence as a dual-threat quarterback. Hall's senior year in 1953 was particularly remarkable, as he rushed for 4,045 yards, still the highest single-season output in Texas history and seventh best all-time nationally. He also had two other seasons with over 3,000 rushing yards.

After high school, Hall was recruited by Paul "Bear" Bryant to play at Texas A&M. However, he left the program after his freshman year due to a mismatch between Bryant's philosophy and Hall's skills. Hall got married and did not return to college football, but he did later play professionally in the Canadian Football League and in the NFL with the Chicago Cardinals, Houston Oilers and St. Louis Cardinals.

Hall was inducted into the Texas High School Football Hall of Fame and the National High School Hall of Fame in 1983, and the Texas Sports Hall of Fame in 1994.

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.

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 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.

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.

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).

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.

In 1983, Hall was placed in the National High School Hall of Fame. Hall also belonged 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 Sweetener Products Company, a large wholesale sugar distributor in Southern California. He lived in Fredericksburg, Texas.

Career history

As player

1957–1958            Edmonton Eskimos

1958–1959            Baltimore Colts*

1959–1960            Chicago Cardinals

1960–1961            Houston Oilers

1961    St. Louis Cardinals

*Offseason or practice roster only

Awards            Championships:

AFL (1961)

3× HS Football

(35-1 record from 1951–1953/12 games per)

2× HS Track and Field

HS Basketball

Honors Hall Trophy

Ken Hall Stadium

Hall Lakes (40-acre subdivision in Sugar Land, Texas)

Ken Hall Blvd.

Records            11,232 Career Rushing Yards – HS

32.9 Points Per Game – HS

31.2 yards kickoff return % – Houston Oilers

104 yard TD return – Houston Oilers