State's rich tradition is what makes the 'greatest' debate so great

I had seen a poll and story some time back and, when the Trey Williams hysteria broke out a few weeks back, went back to look for it again. It took a couple of weeks, but I’ve found it. Years ago, TexasHSFootball.com posted a poll asking their forum members to vote for the greatest Texas high school running back of all time.

In response, one reader posted a Houston Chronicle story by Mickey Herskowitz, the prolific sportswriter, who made a case for one Kenneth Hall from Sugar Land High in the 1950s. The story intrigued me then—as it still does—because I didn’t really know anything about Hall until I read Herskowitz’s story. And it’s legendary stuff.

According to the record books, Hall rushed for 11,232 yards between 1950 and 1953. No other high school back had ever reached 10,000 when the story was written (a couple have since then, but still not surpassed Hall's totals). And he was apparently the quintessential 1950s All-American boy, too.

According to the story, he once “rushed for 520 yards, scored seven touchdowns and kicked seven extra points. Then, with the game in the second quarter, he came out.”

That’s a movie waiting to be made! In fact, Hall, who is by all accounts alive and well in Fredericksburg, has a nice MySpace page that, among other things, has some clips of a documentary he has commissioned. If you love the history of Texas high school sports, you have to visit the site.

Hall Stadium in the Fort Bend ISD is named after him. There’s an annual award given out to the U.S. Army National Player of the Year named for him too. The statuette that accompanies the award bears the likeness of a youthful Hall, in his number 31 uniform.  Some folks remember.

He went to Texas A&M (which, naturally, increases my fondness for him) after his high school days, to play for another legend, Paul ‘Bear’ Bryant. Unfortunately, as all-too-often happens, the high school legend never became a college or pro legend.

Perhaps that contributes to the fact that Ken Hall slips from our consciousness as the greatest running back of all time. But a case can be made that there was never a greater high school running back than Ken Hall of Sugar Land, Texas. 

The TxHSF poll also listed a Who’s Who of Texas high school greats, some of whom may also slide from our ever-shrinking consciousness: Billy Sims, Robert Strait, Rodney Thomas, Steve Worster, Earl Campbell, Eric Dickerson, Ced Benson, David Overstreet, Warren McVea, Little Joe Washington, Doak Walker, Adrian Peterson.

I can think of another couple that could be thrown in as well.  Others could too.  In the thread, someone attempted to make a case for a running back from a Class 2A school—Bangs—that got little media attention. His name was Jacoby Jones. Not the Texans' Jacoby Jones (thanks, Bailey, for keeping me accurate!).

This Friday night, our crew will get another look at Daniel Lasco of The Woodlands, a very good running back who first drew a lot of attention as a freshman two seasons ago. He has the potential to be a great football player, as does Williams at Dekaney. And in Lasco or Williams, we may be seeing the next great Texas high school legend. Williams certainly is having a marvelous season.

But, even if neither of those young men ever achieves legendary status, what a great tradition they have the opportunity to be a part of.  And, when it's all said and done, it's the rich tradition of Texas high school football that makes these debates about who is the 'greatest' the great thing that it is.