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Quarterback Brian Hall ’03 overcame
injuries to write a new chapter in Crusader football history
By Patrick Maloney ’02
Holy Cross football has a rich tradition. The Crusaders
have posted a record of 550-423-54 in 107 years of action,
but in the six years prior to the arrival of quarterback
Brian Hall ’03, the team had won just 15 games. Hall
was determined to change that trend and bring the Crusaders
back to prominence.
Hall had been an outstanding high school athlete at Dallas
Jesuit, leading his squad to back-to-back state championships
in his third and fourth seasons. Hall hoped to continue that
success in college, as he was being recruited by several
Division I-AA schools. Then his head coach, Bob Wunderlick ’88,
introduced him to a small, Jesuit college in Worcester, Mass.
“It was a little different going from my high school
team to Holy Cross,” says Hall.
Holy Cross had struggled the past few seasons before Hall’s
arrival and continued to do so during his first year. Then,
in October 1999, Hall got his shot and finished the last
four games of the ’99 season as the starting quarterback.
In the season finale against Colgate—his Fitton Field
debut—Hall etched his name into the Holy Cross record
book by throwing for 301 yards, notching two touchdowns and
rushing for 105 yards. His performance that season finally
gave fans some hope for the future. He ended the season having
been named “Patriot League Rookie of the Week” three
times in the final five weeks of the season, and captured “Patriot
League Rookie-of-the-Year” honors as well.
“After the Colgate game, I felt bad for the seniors
that were leaving,” Hall says. “But I was also
really looking forward to the next season.” The Crusaders
finished 3-8, but Hall’s strong finish gave the fans
hope for the next season.
The hard work began to show results. Hall and the 2000 Crusader
team picked up on their strong finish from the previous season
and jumped out of the starting gate with victories over Georgetown
and Harvard. The 2-0 start was the Crusaders’ first
since the 1991 season.
“The win over Harvard had been the program’s biggest
win in a number of years,” says Hall. “I have never
seen Coach Allen jump higher than he did on the sideline
during that game. People from Holy Cross were so excited
after that game, I could not believe it !”
That began the Crusders’ turnaround but, unfortunately,
the ride took another rough turn. Hall suffered a season-ending
injury to his collarbone in the sixth game of the season.
“It was very hard for me not being out there during
games,” says Hall. “But I think that the experience
actually turned out to be a positive. Instead of just concentrating
on the offense for a game, I got to see our team as a whole
prepare for the game. I was more informed about the preparation
and was able to help some of my teammates. I became a much
more vocal player while I was out with the injury, and that
has really helped me being a captain the past two seasons.”
Hall’s rehab was tough, but it was made easier by the
team’s first winning season (7-4) since 1991. Then in
2001, Hall and his team overcame more adversity. Holy Cross
opened 2-0 for the second-straight season behind 379 yards
passing, four passing touchdowns and one rushing touchdown
from Hall in the first two games. During the Pennsylvania
game, Hall broke his thumb, which threatened to slow down
his offensive production.
“It was a little painful, but I felt if I could play
through it,” says Hall. “I could still have an
effect on the game.”
Hall started the next game against Dartmouth sporting a
brace on his thumb. As it turned out, Hall would have quite
an effect on the game, winning Patriot League Offensive Player
of the Week and the Johnny Turco Memorial Award for his 13-of-16
passes for 158 yards and five touchdowns in the homecoming
game against Dartmouth. The following week, Hall repeated
as Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week and earned
the Dr. Edward N. Anderson Award as the most outstanding
player in the family weekend game in front of the Fitton
faithful, after completing 32-of-42 passes for 416 yards,
five touchdowns and rushing nine times for 42 yards and a
score in a win over Lafayette. Hall won the Coca-Cola New
England Sportswriters’ Player-of-the-Week award for
the second time in his career, joining an elite group in
Holy Cross history to do so.
“My coaches joke around saying that they should break
my thumb again this year,” says Hall with a smile. “That
might help me put up those kinds of numbers again.” Unfortunately,
following the win over Lafayette, the Crusaders fell to Patriot
League Champion Lehigh, then dropped the final three games
of the season to finish 4-6.
“We put a lot of emphasis on winning the [Patriot]
League last year,” Hall says. “Maybe a little too
much. After the loss to Lehigh, everyone got a little disheartened.
I personally took the loss hard as a leader. And finishing
4-6 was very disappointing to all of us. This year, we still
want to win the league, but we are emphasizing togetherness,
and not straying, and taking each game one week at a time.”
Hall enters his final season as a second-year captain expecting
to prove the pundits—who picked Holy Cross to finish
sixth in the Patriot League—wrong. He has been a winner
from high school on and expects nothing less this year.
“I think this year I am more confident in the offense
and my throwing,” Hall states. “It is a tribute
to my coaching over the years that I am able to understand
the game plan more.”
For Brian Hall, his four years at Holy Cross have been a
challenging road, but he and his teammates have helped re-energize
the Holy Cross football program and hope to continue that
success into the future.
“I found out that Holy Cross football is very important
to the alumni here,” says Hall. “It is not something
they just forget about. I just hope to help bring the team
back to where it was in the past, and just go out on a high
note.”
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