Feb. 22, 2010
 |
|
| Vanderbilt Vice Chancellor David Williams and Commodore head coach Bobby Johnson congratulate former Commodore football captain and scholar-athlete John Hall following his induction into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame on Feb. 19. |
John Hall, a former Vanderbilt football captain and scholar-athlete who has continued to give back to Vanderbilt athletics for more than five decades, has been named to the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame.
Hall was the only honoree with Vanderbilt connections among 11 inductees into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame during ceremonies Feb. 19 at the Renaissance Hotel in Nashville. The event was attended by more than 500 guests, including more than 30 of Hall’s relatives and friends. Vanderbilt football head coach Bobby Johnson and university vice chancellor David Williams II were among the attendees.
A native of Knoxville, Hall was an inaugural inductee to the Vanderbilt Athletics Hall of Fame in 2008.
During his induction remarks, Hall said his four years on the Nashville campus as an offensive lineman and engineering student contributed greatly toward his distinguished career in business. After graduating with a chemical engineering degree in 1955, Hall went on to four decades of success with Ashland Inc., where he retired as chairman of the board in 1997.
“I’m a different person that I would have been without that football scholarship and those Vanderbilt engineering professors,” Hall said. “Because of what each have meant to me, I’ve always felt it was my responsibility to give back to Vanderbilt.”
Hall, despite standing just 5-10 and weighing 175 pounds, started at defensive guard from 1951-54 under Commodore head coaches Bill Edwards and Art Guepe. As a senior, Hall served as co-captain, helping form the foundation for Vanderbilt’s 8-3 Peach Bowl victors the following year.
“Sports has always been an important part in my life and given me more than I can ever imagine,” Hall said. “Lessons I learned through sports, such as teamwork, determination and aspiring to greatness, has stayed with me to this day.”
The son of a Vanderbilt graduate, Hall also earned many accolades for his classroom success. As a senior, he became the first Commodore player ever to receive academic All-American recognition. In 2001, Hall was named to the Academic All-America Hall of Fame by the sponsoring College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) organization.
While Hall’s business achievements grew, so did his love and devotion to Vanderbilt. He was a longtime member of the influential Vanderbilt Board of Trust, serving as its chairman from 1995-99. Today, Hall serves as emeritus of the board.
Throughout his Board of Trustee tenure and to this day, Hall has been a stalwart for Vanderbilt athletics.
With much gratitude for this Vanderbilt education, Hall has dedicated much of his professional life to improving education both regionally and nationally. In addition to his close ties to Vanderbilt, Hall has served as co-chairman of the steering committee of the Partnership for Kentucky School Reform where he was a leading advocate for improving the state’s elementary and secondary schools. He also formerly chaired the West Virginia Business and Education Alliance.
Hall also is a member of the Vanderbilt School of Engineering Committee of Visitors. He is chairman of the Commonwealth Fund for Kentucky Educational Television and the Blue Grass Community Foundation. He is past chairman of Leadership Kentucky and The Conference Board.
