Joe B. Hall
Hall in 2016
Biographical details
Born(1928-11-30)November 30, 1928
Cynthiana, Kentucky, U.S.
DiedJanuary 15, 2022(2022-01-15) (aged 93)
Lexington, Kentucky, U.S.
Playing career
1948–1949Kentucky
1949–1951Sewanee
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1959–1964Regis
1964–1965Central Missouri
1965–1972Kentucky (assistant)
1972–1985Kentucky
Head coaching record
Overall373–156
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
NCAA Division I tournament (1978)
3 NCAA Division I Regional—Final Four (1975, 1978, 1984)
NIT (1976)
MIAA regular season (1965)
8 SEC regular season (1973, 1975, 1977, 1978, 1980, 1982–1984)
SEC tournament (1984)
Awards
National Coach of the Year (1978)
4× SEC Coach of the Year (1973, 1975, 1978, 1983)
College Basketball Hall of Fame
Inducted in 2012

Joe Beasman Hall (November 30, 1928 – January 15, 2022) was an American college basketball coach. He was the head coach at the University of Kentucky from 1972 to 1985, leading the Wildcats to a national championship in 1978.[1]

Biography

Hall played one year of varsity basketball at Kentucky before transferring to the Sewanee: The University of the South, where he completed his basketball playing eligibility but did not graduate.[2] After Sewanee, Hall toured with the Harlem Globetrotters and later returned to Kentucky to complete his undergraduate studies.[3] Hall graduated from Kentucky in 1955.[4]

Hall previously coached at the Central Missouri State College (now the University of Central Missouri) and Regis University before returning to Kentucky in 1965 to serve as an assistant coach under Adolph Rupp.[5] When Rupp reached mandatory retirement age of 70, Hall was selected as the new coach on April 1, 1972. In his initial statements upon taking the job he made it clear that he would recruit black players to the team (previously there had only been three in the program's history).[6]

In the 1978 NCAA tournament, he coached the Wildcats to their fifth NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship.[2] He was named National Coach of the Year in 1978 and Southeastern Conference Coach of the Year on four occasions.[7] His record at UK was 297–100, and 373–156 over his career.[7] Along with the 1978 title, Hall also guided Kentucky to a runner-up finish to UCLA in the 1975 NCAA tournament,[8] a Final Four appearance in the 1984 NCAA tournament (losing to eventual champion Georgetown),[9] and an NIT championship in 1976.[10] He won eight Southeastern Conference regular season championships and one Southeastern Conference tournament championship.[11]

On September 18, 2012, the University of Kentucky unveiled a statue of Hall outside of the Wildcat Coal Lodge to commemorate his accomplishments at UK and his contributions toward the Wildcat Coal Lodge. The university said that the bronze sculpture was produced over a period of eight months, beginning as a clay sculpture, then was cast in bronze. It was created by sculptor J. Brett Grill of Columbia, Missouri.[12] Hall co-hosted a radio sports talk show with former University of Louisville basketball head coach Denny Crum from March 2004 to October 2014. The Joe B. and Denny Show ended on October 30, 2014, after WVLK-FM, the Lexington station from which Hall did his portion of the show, announced a change in format.[13]

Personal life and death

Hall died at his residence in Lexington, Kentucky, on January 15, 2022, at the age of 93.[14][15] He was buried at The Lexington Cemetery in Lexington, Kentucky.

Head coaching record

Statistics overview
Season Team Overall Conference Standing Postseason
Regis Rangers (Independent) (1959–1964)
1959–60 Regis 10–11
1960–61 Regis 10–10
1961–62 Regis 10–11
1962–63 Regis 15–9
1963–64 Regis 12–9
Regis: 57–50
Central Missouri State Mules (Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association) (1964–1965)
1964–65 Central Missouri State 19–6 9–1 T–1st NCAA College Division Regional Third Place
Central Missouri State: 19–6 9–1
Kentucky Wildcats (Southeastern Conference) (1972–1985)
1972–73 Kentucky 20–8 14–4 1st NCAA University Division Elite Eight
1973–74 Kentucky 13–13 9–9 T–4th
1974–75 Kentucky 26–5 15–3 T–1st NCAA Division I Runner-up
1975–76 Kentucky 20–10 11–7 T–4th NIT champion
1976–77 Kentucky 26–4 16–2 T–1st NCAA Division I Elite Eight
1977–78 Kentucky 30–2 16–2 1st NCAA Division I champion
1978–79 Kentucky 19–12 10–8 6th NIT First Round
1979–80 Kentucky 29–6 15–3 1st NCAA Division I Sweet 16
1980–81 Kentucky 22–6 15–3 2nd NCAA Division I Second Round
1981–82 Kentucky 22–8 13–5 T–1st NCAA Division I First Round
1982–83 Kentucky 23–8 13–5 1st NCAA Division I Elite Eight
1983–84 Kentucky 29–5 14–4 1st NCAA Division I Final Four
1984–85 Kentucky 18–13 11–7 T–3rd NCAA Division I Sweet 16
Kentucky: 297–100 172–62
Total: 373–156

      National champion         Postseason invitational champion  
      Conference regular season champion         Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
      Division regular season champion       Division regular season and conference tournament champion
      Conference tournament champion

See also

References

  1. ^ "Joe B. Hall, who won national college basketball titles at Kentucky as player and coach, dies at 93". espn.com. ESPN, Inc. January 15, 2022. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
  2. ^ a b Cobb, David (January 15, 2022). "Joe B. Hall, legendary Kentucky basketball coach and architect of 1978 championship team, dies at 93". CBS Sports. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
  3. ^ Wolfson, Andy; Hall, C. Ray (January 15, 2022). "Legendary Kentucky men's basketball coach Joe B. Hall, who led UK to 1978 title, dies at 93". USA Today. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
  4. ^ "Kentucky Hall of Fame Basketball Coach Joe B. Hall Has Died". Sports Illustrated. January 15, 2022. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
  5. ^ "Joe B. Hall, who led Kentucky to national title, 3 Final Fours, dies at 93". The Athletic. January 15, 2022. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
  6. ^ Fenlon, Dick (April 1, 1972). "Hall will Continue UK Style". Courier-Journal. pp. B4.
  7. ^ a b "Former UK Men's Basketball Coach Joe B. Hall Dead at 93". University of Kentucky Athletics. January 15, 2022. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
  8. ^ Franklin, Drew (January 15, 2022). "Remembering Joe B. Hall, a Kentucky Basketball Legend". on3.com. On3Media, LLP. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
  9. ^ Asher, Mark. "Georgetown, Houston Advance to Finals". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
  10. ^ Goldstein, Richard (January 15, 2022). "Joe B. Hall, Longtime Kentucky Men's Basketball Coach, Dies at 93". The New York Times. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
  11. ^ DeCourcy, Mike. "Joe B. Hall's decades as Kentucky basketball ambassador will be tough act to follow". sportingnews.com. Sporting News. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
  12. ^ "Joe B. Hall". jbgsculpture.net. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
  13. ^ Story, Mark (October 30, 2014). "For Joe B. and Denny, a bittersweet end to their radio days". Lexington Herald-Leader. Archived from the original on March 7, 2016.
  14. ^ "Joe B. Hall, basketball coach who led Kentucky to 1978 NCAA title, dies at 93". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved January 16, 2022.
  15. ^ Goldstein, Richard (January 15, 2022). "Joe B. Hall, Longtime Kentucky Men's Basketball Coach, Dies at 93". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 16, 2022.

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