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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 15, 1998)
he Battalion Sports Page 7 • Thursday, October 15, 1998 agents vi: nducting - er questif infronto: day said, nal Netwt lied 235n June 195: at busini Services but sa are to all-ing the load nior running back carries weight of Aggie offense year. But plaint ha; lized. alandth: s,” Rene I has appi: actoryeas: nts stem the agent; what w, avebeen Lucas,; 3, said, ae First Pa ‘d resideti BY DOUG SHILLING The Battalion orn to run. That would be the best reason that could possibly be given to explain why Dante Hall became Inning back. la the first two games of his first sea- jn of football, Hall’s coaches put him at Irterback. After those two games the ithes realized that quarterback would opposec j iot|be a suitable position for him. Why? lealways took the ball and ran but nev- ep stati;u| pssed the ball. Iver since his stint at quarterback, Hall ■been running on a path that has led |to become Texas A&M’s starting run- back. ithe beginning, however, college foot- was the farthest thing from his mind, i ll didn’t know anything about college Iball when I was little,” Hall said. “For |t was small football [junior high] and I was just playing football. ” orn in Lufkin, Texas, Hall is the sec- I of three children. His mother and ler divorced when he was 3 years djHis mother raised him and his sib- 1s alone. [My mother is a very influential per- ■inmylife,” Hall said. “She kept me in ced them:: I an d out °f trouble. All I can say is Id flooro:::M s a ver y amazing person. ” Ball did not even begin to think about lege football until the tenth-grade in recruiting letters started pouring in. |)uring his senior year of high school, was heavily recruited by both Texas ' and Michigan. oth schools were in the running un- all injured himself. After the injury [higan’s interest in Hall seemed to (down. I used to get these hand written post- sfrom Michigan about once or twice :ek,” Hall said. “Once I got hurt I did- ee anymore. ” 'OF ce Michigan dropped out of the re Hi "HI! cruiting race. Hall focused his attention on A&M. Hall said that his mother and A&M’s commitment to him while he was injured were his main reasons for choos ing the Aggies. “It was mainly two things,” Hall said. “My mother being one. She really want ed me to come here. Secondly, A&M ba sically was up front and straight with me throughout the whole recruiting process, even when I got hurt. They kept calling and telling me that they still wanted me.” Since he stepped foot on the A&M cam pus, Hall has electrified the Aggie faithful. His freshman year he was named Big 12 Freshman of the Year, leading the Big 12 in punt returning. He also broke Bucky Richardson’s school record for yards per carry, averag ing seven yards per carry. He did not disappoint anyone his sophomore year, leading the team with 973 yards rushing. He also broke his own school record by averaging 7.3 yards per carry. He had seven offensive plays that went for more than 40 yards, including a 74-yard run against fifth-ranked UCLA in the Cotton Bowl. Despite his growing reputation as a big play maker. Hall says big plays are a part of his job. “Being at an offensive skill position, I think that’s all of our responsibility [mak ing big plays],” Hall said. “Receiver, quar terback, tailback, fullback, anything but a lineman, your job is to make big plays.” Coming into the 1998 season, Hall was set to be a part of an Aggie platoon of running backs that included D’Andre Hardeman and Sirr Parker. But with the suspension of Hardeman and Parker’s struggle through an off year. Hall has stepped up and become the main back for the Aggies. In the last two games against the Uni versity of Kansas and the University of Nebraska, Hall has combined for 290 yards on 68 carries. Despite the increased workload. Hall said he is pleased with his feature, role in the offense. “Shoot yeah, I like it,’ Hall said. “I’m a run ning back, of course I want the carries. We go with what the defense is giving us. If we’re run ning the ball well then I’ll keep getting it. Fortunately we’ve been running the ball pretty well lately so I’ve been able to get more car ries than in the past.” A&M football coach R.C. Slocum said he has also been pleased with Hall’s performance thus far this sea son. “Dante’s got good toughness and good speed,” Slocum said. “I don’t know that he’s just a blazing fast guy, but he’s got great moves. I thought the last two games that he’s run tougher and harder. Lie’s made some two- and three-yard runs which were really good runs.” Hall’s goal for himself during his time at Texas A&M is just to be remembered when he leaves. The goal he has set for the team is a little more ambitious. “With as good as we’re doing now, it used to be I wanted to win the Big 12 Championship,” Hall said. “But with as good as we’re doing now. I’m going to have to up that to a National Championship.” .. jpllJ I PHOTOILLUSTRATION BY MIKE PUENTES AND BRANDON BOLLOM/ Thk Battalion It a J Would you pay $42 for a cup of coffee? vsT'* >n T' ival tto^ idilla* adas Probably not. So why pay higher auto insurance rates just because you y re a student? If you ’re a responsible driver, InsureDirect can help. With InsureDirect you could save up to 25% or more. InsureDfrecr is the better way to get your car insurance. We keep our rates low by insuring safer drivers — whether they’re students or not. And you deal directly with us — there’s ho middleman commission to pay. 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