he Battalion
Sports
Page 7 • Thursday, October 15, 1998
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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
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