| 73rd | Top American Football League players |
| Galen Hall | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Date of birth | August 14, 1940 |
| Place of birth | Altoona, Pennsylvania |
| Position(s) | Quarterback Offensive coordinator Head Coach |
| College | B.A., Penn State University, 1962 |
| Jersey number | 17 |
| Stats | |
| Playing stats | Pro Football Reference |
| Playing stats | NFL.com |
| Playing stats | DatabaseFootball |
| Team(s) as a player | |
| 1962 1963 |
Washington Redskins New York Jets (AFL) |
| Team(s) as a coach/administrator | |
| 1966–1983 1984 (3 games) 1984–1989 1992 1995–2000 2001 2002 2004–Present |
U. of Oklahoma (OC) U. of Florida (OC) U. of Florida (HC) Orlando Thunder (WLAF) (HC) Rhein Fire (NFL Europa) Orlando Rage (XFL) (HC) Dallas Cowboys (RB coach) Penn State (OC) |
Galen Samuel Hall (born August 14, 1940) is an American college and professional football player and coach. Hall is a native of Pennsylvania, and currently serves as the offensive coordinator at his alma mater, Penn State University.
Hall was previously the offensive coordinator at the University of Oklahoma and the University of Florida, and head coach of the University of Florida, the Orlando Thunder, the Rhein Fire, and the XFL's Orlando Rage.
Contents |
Hall was born in Altoona, Pennsylvania and grew up in Williamsburg, Pennsylvania.[1] He was raised by his grandparents, following the death of his father several months before he was born.[1]
He graduated from Penn State University, where he was the starting quarterback for the Nittany Lions in 1960 and 1961. He led those teams to a combined 15–6 record and wins in the 1960 Liberty Bowl and 1961 Gator Bowl. He was a member of Delta Upsilon fraternity while at Penn State.
Hall had a short stint as quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) in 1962, during which he appeared in three games with the Washington Redskins. Afterward, he played for the New York Jets of the American Football League (AFL) in 1963. Hall appeared in thirteen games that season, completing 45 of 118 pass attempts, including his only start, a 48–0 loss late in the season against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Hall served as offensive coordinator at the University of Oklahoma from 1966 to 1983. During that time, the Sooners boasted one of the most prolific offenses in college football, predominantly using the wishbone attack. The team won two national championships and produced Heisman-winning running back Billy Sims.[2] After a disappointing season in 1983, Oklahoma replaced many assistant coaches while retaining head coach Barry Switzer. Hall was let go, but was quickly hired to be the offensive coordinator for the Florida Gators.
Hall installed a conventional I formation offense at Florida under head coach Charley Pell for the 1984 season.[2] However, between the third and fourth games, Pell was fired after an NCAA investigation alleged 107 violations of NCAA rules. Hall, who had not been at Florida when the violations occurred, was named interim head coach.
Under Hall, the Gators won the remaining eight games on the 1984 schedule, winning what appeared to be the Gator's first-ever Southeastern Conference (SEC) football championship. However, the SEC university presidents would later vote to vacate Florida's 1984 SEC title because of the rule violations committed under Charley Pell. Hall, however, was named the Associated Press Coach of the Year[3]and and given the permanent position of head coach. In 1985, Hall's Florida team would again finish with the best record in the SEC, but again could not claim the conference title because of NCAA and SEC probation.
The 1984 and 1985 seasons are remembered, as "Best in the SEC" years for Florida Gators football. However, Hall's teams found it increasingly difficult to compete under the burden of significant NCAA sanctions, including scholarship restrictions that limited the team's number of scholarship players. His teams typically featured strong defense and a solid rushing attack (especially with record-setting running back Emmitt Smith), and managed to avoid a losing record during his tenure. After the 1985 season, however, Hall's Gators never won more than seven games in a season.
University president Robert A. Bryan requested Hall's resignation in the middle of the 1989 season during another investigation of NCAA rule violations. The new allegations were primarily related to Hall paying several of his assistants out of his own pocket as well as paying the legal expenses related to the child-support obligations of one of his players. The new NCAA investigation would eventually lead to another NCAA probation for Florida football in 1990. Under Hall's leadership, the Gators compiled a 40–18–1 record.[4]
In 1992, Hall was the second head coach of the Orlando Thunder of the World League of American Football. He coached the team to an 8–2 record before losing to the Sacramento Surge in the World Bowl II championship game.
In 1994, Hall became the head coach of the Charlotte Rage of the Arena Football League. He led the team to a 5–7 record, and a spot in the playoffs. He went on to become head coach of the Rhein Fire in NFL Europa from 1995–2000, leading the team to three World Bowl berths, including NFL Europa championships in 1998 and 2000. He is the second-winningest coach in NFL Europa history with forty-four victories and was selected Coach of the Year three times.
In 2001 Hall was named head coach of the XFL's Orlando Rage, posting a league-best 8–2 record before losing in the first round of the playoffs. He was named XFL Coach of the Year that season.[5]
He was reunited with former Florida running back Emmitt Smith while serving as running backs coach for the Dallas Cowboys in 2002.
In late 2004, Hall returned to his alma mater Penn State to become the offensive coordinator and running backs coach under head coach Joe Paterno. The Nittany Lions were coming off of consecutive losing seasons, but finished the 2005 slate with an 11–1 record and a share of the Big Ten Conference title behind a much-improved offensive attack. They would win nine games in 2006 and 2007, and won the conference title in 2008 with another 11–1 record, earning a trip to the Rose Bowl and fielding one of top offenses in college football.[6]
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl | Coaches# | AP° | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Florida Gators (Southeastern Conference) (1984–1989) | |||||||||
| 1984 | Florida | 8–0 | 5–0 | 1st* | 3rd | ||||
| 1985 | Florida | 9–1–1 | 5–1 | 1st-Tie** | 5th | ||||
| 1986 | Florida | 6–5 | 2–4 | 7th-Tie | |||||
| 1987 | Florida | 6–6 | 3–3 | 6th | L Aloha | ||||
| 1988 | Florida | 7–5 | 4–3 | 4th-Tie | W All-American | ||||
| 1989 | Florida | 4–1 | 2–1 | ||||||
| Florida: | 40–18–1 | 21–12[7] | * SEC championship vacated. ** Ineligible for SEC championship. |
||||||
| Total: | 40–18–1[4] | ||||||||
| National Championship Conference Title Conference Division Title | |||||||||
| †Indicates BCS bowl game. #Rankings from final Coaches Poll. °Rankings from final AP Poll. |
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| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Richie Lucas |
Penn State Starting Quarterback 1960 – 1961 |
Succeeded by Pete Liske |
| Preceded by Charley Pell |
University of Florida Head Football Coach 1984 – 1989 |
Succeeded by Gary Darnell |
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   | Galen Hall, Head Coach and Director of Football Operations - XFL Orlando Rage |
| | Galen Hall Profile - PENN STATE OFFICIAL ATHLETIC SITE - Football |
| | 1961 Galen Hall football card - 1961 Nu-Card #172: Galen Hall - Vintage Football Card Gallery |
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