Coach Hall: My Life On and Off the Court

by Joe B. Hall, Marianne Walker (With), Rick Bozich (Foreword by)

Overview

Until I was nine or ten, everyone called me Joe or Joe Hall. Then one day my grandmother, for reasons known only to her, pulled me aside and told me my name was "too short and too plain." She said, "Let's add your middle initial to make it more interesting. From now on, you say your name is Joe B., not just Joe. It's Joe B. Hall."

Joe B. Hall is one of only three men to both play on an NCAA championship team (1949, Kentucky) and coach an NCAA championship team (1978, Kentucky), and the only one to do so for the same school. In this riveting memoir, Hall presents intimate details about his remarkable life on and off the court. He reveals never-before-heard stories about memorable players, coaches, and friends and expresses the joys and fulfillments of his rewarding life and career. During his thirteen years as head coach at the University of Kentucky, from 1972 to 1985, Joe B. Hall led the team to 297 victories. The most memorable of these is the 1978 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship. This legendary coach followed in the colossal footsteps of Adolph Rupp but ultimately found his own path to success, becoming one of college basketball's all-time greats.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780813178561
Publisher:	University Press of Kentucky
Publication date:	11/19/2019
Pages:	248
Sales rank:	1,075,237
Product dimensions:	6.30(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.90(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Joe B. Hall was head coach of the University of Kentucky's men's basketball team from 1972 to 1985. He had previously coached at Central Missouri State University and Regis University and served as UK's assistant coach under Adolph Rupp. In the 1978 NCAA tournament, he coached the Wildcats to their fifth NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship. He was named National Coach of the Year in 1978 and Southeastern Conference Coach of the Year on four different occasions. His record at UK was 297–100, and 373–156 over his career. Marianne Walker is a retired professor of English and philosophy at Henderson Community College. She is the author of Margaret Mitchell and John Marsh: The Love Story Behind Gone With the Wind and The Graves County Boys: A Tale of Kentucky Basketball, Perseverance, and the Unlikely Championship of the Cuba Cubs.

Table of Contents

1. Foreward
2. Why 'Joe B. Hall'?
3. Hard Times
4. The Epiphany
5. Back to Kentucky
6. Fishing
7. Teenage Years
8. Football
9. My Early Influences and Role Models
10. About Working
11. Wildcats' World, 1944-1947
12. A UK Freshman
13. First Practice, 1947
14. The Fabulous Five
15. Sewanee
16. My World Tour
17. Katharine
18. Shepherdsville
19. Regis College
20. Great Opportunity
21. Adjusting to Coach Rupp's Routines
22. More Adjusting to Coach Rupp's Routines
23. Recruiting
24. Beginning of the End, 1967
25. The Heir Apparent, 1969-1970
26. The Agony, 1971-1972
27. UK Head Coach, 1972
28. Australian Tour, 1974
29. The Avengers! 1975
30. John Wooden's Ploy: NCAA, 1975
31. Running the Wall
32. About Boys Being Boys
33. Wildcat Lodge
34. NCAA Championship, 1978
35. The Georgetown Game, 1984
36. Life After Coaching
37. Farewell
38. My Thank-You Note

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"The conversational tone of this book evokes the sense that Coach Hall is sitting right across the table from you, telling his life story for the very first time." -- Doug Brunk, author of Forty Minutes to Glory: Inside the Kentucky Wildcats' 1978 Championship Season

Denny Crum

"Joe B. Hall is the best friend a "rival" ever had. His book is one every Kentuckian should read!"

Doug Brunk

"The conversational tone of this book evokes the sense that Coach Hall is sitting right across the table from you, telling his life story for the very first time."

John Calipari

"I've long said that few coaches in our game have ever had as difficult of a task as what Coach Hall faced at Kentucky. To follow a legend like Coach Rupp is incredibly tough. Coach Hall not only continued the tradition of winning and excellence, he did it with grace and humility. I am happy that now there's a book that looks back on all that Coach Hall did for this state and this university and examines how he did it. He's been a mentor and friend to me, and I'm thrilled our fans will be able to read about him."

Kyle Macy

"From being a Kentucky basketball fan as a boy, then a Wildcat player himself, and ultimately the head coach at the University of Kentucky, Joe B. Hall knows Kentucky basketball like no other. Add in his legendary storytelling ability, and you have a great read! Here for the first time ever, Joe B. has put his countless memories on paper."

Editorial Reviews

Joe B. Hall is the best friend a 'rival' ever had. His book is one every Kentuckian should read!

Denny Crum

I've long said that few coaches in our game have ever had as difficult of a task as what Coach Hall faced at Kentucky. To follow a legend like Coach Rupp is incredibly tough. Coach Hall not only continued the tradition of winning and excellence, he did it with grace and humility. I am happy that now there's a book that looks back on all that Coach Hall did for this state and this university and examines how he did it. He's been a mentor and friend to me, and I'm thrilled our fans will be able to read about him.

John Calipari

A quick read chronicling an eventful life.

Lexington Herald-Leader

From being a Kentucky basketball fan as a boy, then a Wildcat player himself, and ultimately the head coach at the University of Kentucky, Joe B. Hall knows Kentucky basketball like no other. Add in his legendary storytelling ability, and you have a great read! Here for the first time ever, Joe B. has put his countless memories on paper.

Kyle Macy

The conversational tone of this book evokes the sense that Coach Hall is sitting right across the table from you, telling his life story for the very first time.

Doug Brunk

"A quick read chronicling an eventful life." — Lexington Herald-Leader

From the Publisher