Joe B. Hall
UK Record: 297-100 (74.8%), 13 years - 1973-85
Overall Record: 373-156 (70.5%), 19 years
Alma Mater (Year): Kentucky (1955)
Hometown: Cynthiana, Ky.
Born: Nov. 30, 1928
Joe B. Hall, who grew up just 20 minutes north of the University of Kentucky campus in Cynthiana, had the unenviable task of following the legendary Adolph Rupp, who was forced to retire at age 70. But Hall, the former Rupp assistant, met the challenge head on, coaching three teams to the Final Four (1975, '78 and '84) and winning the 1978 NCAA Championship, the school's fifth title and first in 20 seasons.
Hall began his association with Kentucky as a student-athlete during the "Fabulous Five" era. He played one year of junior varsity and one year of varsity basketball before transferring to the University of the South in Sewanee, Tenn., where he finished his eligibility and set a single-game scoring record. Following his college career, Hall toured with the Harlem Globetrotters in 1951, but later returned to UK and completed his degree requirements.
His coaching career began at Shepherdsville (ky.) High School in 1956. It continued on to Regis College in Denver, where he spent five years (57-50 record), and Central Missouri State, where he recorded a 19-6 mark in one season before returning to UK as an assistant to Rupp on July 1, 1965.
As the UK head coach, Hall won National Coach of the Year honors in 1978 and four SEC Coach of the Year awards. He had seven players win All-America honors 11 times and nine Wildcats were voted All-SEC on 18 occasions.
Hall's squads recorded a 172-62 (73.5%) record vs. SEC competition during the regular season, winning eight SEC titles in 13 seasons and one league tournament championship in six tries.
While Coach Rupp witnessed 37 of his players drafted by the NBA, Hall saw 23 players drafted during his 13-year tenure, five in the first round.
Retired, Hall still resides in Lexington.
Coach Hall was given a difficult task, to follow in the footsteps of his legendary predecessor, 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.
Along with the 1978 title, Hall also guided Kentucky to a runner-up finish to UCLA in the 1975 NCAA tournament (which included an upset of heavily-favored and previously undefeated Indiana in a regional final), a Final Four appearance in the 1984 NCAA Tournament (losing to eventual champion Georgetown), and an NIT championship in 1976. He won 8 Southeastern Conference regular season championships and one Southeastern Conference tournament championship (1984).
Coach Hall is one of only three men to win an NCAA championship as a player (1949- Kentucky) and coach (1978- Kentucky). The only others to achieve this feat are Bob Knight and Dean Smith.
Coach Hall played one year of varsity basketball at Kentucky before transferring to the University of the South (Sewanee), where he completed his basketball playing eligibility but did not graduate. After Sewanee, Hall toured with the Harlem Globetrotters and later returned to Kentucky to complete his undergraduate studies. Hall graduated from Kentucky in 1955.
Coach Hall currently co-hosts a popular radio sports talk show with former University of Louisville basketball head coach Denny Crum.
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