Football | 9/28/2015 11:56:00 AM
ABILENE – Scholarships are the lifeblood of most Division I football programs.
The written bond between athlete and institution, they confer more than just the means to achieve a college education for a young man or woman. Likewise, they constitute something greater than a stipulation of the athlete's performance for a coaching staff, acknowledging the dual role of that young man or woman's potential as both student and athlete. Scholarships, in their purest state, symbolize something far greater than each of these already worthy pursuits: the manifest agreement between university and student athlete to walk side by side, in good times and bad.
Feb. 2, 2015, was one of the bad times.
That was the day J.R. Hall, an energetic senior from Mesquite Horn High School in suburban Dallas, was nearly killed in a single car accident while traveling to baseball practice. The initial assessment was bleak—a fractured back, multiple broken vertebrae, and severe nerve damage in his spine required doctors to undertake two risky surgeries, while Hall's long-term outlook promised no quick return to any degree of normalcy.
But Hall, a standout cornerback who'd planned to sign his National Letter of Intent to play college football later that week, had just one thing on his mind.
"My first thought when I could speak again: 'I didn't get to sign.' That was my first thought."
He wasn't alone in his anxiety. More than two hours away, Abilene Christian Head Coach Ken Collums was desperate for information as to how bad the accident had been.
"You're just waiting—trying to find out who's the main contact," says Collums. "You don't want to pester them out but you kind of want to know what's going on."
He pauses for a moment, before finishing, "The more information we got, the worse it was."
Within hours of hearing about Hall's accident, Collums had a decision to make. As he gradually learned more and more about the severity of Hall's injuries—which would keep him in the hospital for the next three months—Abilene's head coach was given the option to pull Hall's scholarship offer, knowing the bed-stricken player would likely never play football again.
It was a gut-wrenching decision, one made all the more challenging by the knowledge that his young Wildcat program needed players who could contribute right away. But at the end of the day, Collums couldn't get past Hall's enthusiasm for both ACU and for life in general; hallmarks of the young man's character that warranted honoring his scholarship offer regardless of whether he'd ever play—or walk—again.
"To me, he was an ACU Wildcat," explains Collums. "When he came out here on his visit he said 'coach, I'm in. This is what I want to do and who I want to be.' His commitment and who he was is so strong. He embodies who we are as ACU Wildcats."
"The more you find out about J.R. Hall, the more you want him around," Collums continues. "His attitude is unbelievable; his smile, man he's got an infectious smile. When he walks into the room, it's like 'wow, who is this guy?"
Mike Overton, who coached Hall at Mesquite Horn, was well acquainted with that attitude, and says that even though Hall lost the use of his legs following the accident, the cornerback hadn't lost his positive energy or faithful spirit.
"It's remarkable," Overton says. "He's had a tremendous attitude every time I've seen him or talked to him after the accident. There's just an incredible spirit about him—it's really pretty cool."
Collums' decision to honor Hall's scholarship was, according to Overton, almost unprecedented given the limitations of Division I FCS football program like ACU, especially when many larger schools would have dropped him.
"I was shocked," says Overton. "It's not a big FBS [program], it's not the University of Texas—where they have money to throw around. I've seen FBS schools drop kids. I've seen it happen from players who I've coached."
"What an honorable thing for the institution to do," he adds. "It shows the character and the commitment—and the value system—they're holding true to as a Christian school."
Hall credits Collums' decision to honor the scholarship with giving him peace of mind during the recovery process, probably saving him from a future of immediate uncertainty.
"I feel like if I would have committed to any other school, I'd probably be at a junior college or maybe with not even in school," Hall admits.
While most schools wouldn't honor a scholarship for a player who might never play for them, it shouldn't come as a surprise to those who've followed ACU in recent years. Collums has been blazing his own trail in four seasons as the head coach, placing an emphasis on not just getting the best from his players on the field, but preparing them for life after football.
"It goes deeper than just a contract," Collums explains. "When these guys get here, they're ours. Whatever comes their way, we walk through it with them, and we just started a little bit earlier with J.R. When he made the commitment to come here, pretty much he was ours, we were his, and now let's start doing life together."
The Long Road Back
J.R. Hall arrived in Abilene in this past summer with one goal in mind: getting his body back in shape to play college football.
"I've never worried about not being able to play again; I've never worried about not being able to walk again. It's just like, 'when?' I'm anxious."
Anxious or not, Hall's road back to the playing field will be long and arduous. He's started physical therapy and even told doctors and coaches about his plan, but acknowledges that they've told him a return to the field will be nearly impossible. Overton, who's seen Hall several times since the accident, likewise sees little possibility for a comeback. Still, he says, miracles happen.
"He's told me countless times he's going to play again," Overton says. "That's what his goal is, what he wants to do. Miracles happen, so nothing would be shocking. You don't see how it could possibly happen, but he's determined to make it happen."
Until that time, it'll take lots of hard work from Hall and more than a few prayers from family and friends. When it comes to the latter, Hall isn't without supporters—almost as soon as he arrived on campus he became an instant celebrity, bonding with anyone and everyone thanks to his perpetual smile and outgoing personality.
On a September day he's high-fiving other students as he comes and goes to classes, and if there's a crowd gathered around a table over dinner at the dining hall, chances are J.R. Hall is at its center. The welcoming nature of ACU's student body has been amongst the greatest surprises Hall has experienced since the accident, and has helped him find new meaning outside of the football field.
"It's been pretty amazing; sensational," he says of the first month of school. "I don't even know how to explain it—it's been that good.
"It's like I told one of my friends yesterday, 'I shouldn't know this many people coming in as a freshman.' A lot of people show me they care. They don't treat me like I'm different from anyone else—they show me they care, and it makes you feel good on the inside."
Of course, Hall hasn't forgotten about the football team. He's been a constant fixture at practice, even braving Abilene's notorious August heat to support the other players during preseason camp. He's also on the sideline during home games, constantly encouraging the Wildcat players and serving as an example for how a positive outlook can lead to real, substantive results.
"Anytime any of our guys speak to him, it's a positive deal from J.R. Hall," says Collums. "It's not, 'man that was not a good practice' or 'man I'm hot sitting here in this wheelchair.' It's all positive, and it's your approach to things, and the glasses at which you look at life, that determines everything."
"Your perspective determines everything," Collums elaborates. "And he helps everybody with their perspective. It's not a fake deal; that's who he is."
Asked if Hall contributes to the team despite the fact that he'll likely never play a down, Collums doesn't hesitate to answer in the affirmative.
"J.R. adds value to our program simply from his perspective and who he is," he said. "That carries a whole lot of weight with people around here."
For Hall, attending practice and team activities is less of a matter of repaying a debt owed to the university, and more a matter of personal fulfillment and enjoyment.
"I love the game," he says with a smile. "I love to be out there and watching. Coach Collums extended his hand out to me, so why can't I extend my hand out to everybody out on the football team?"
Though his life has changed dramatically since February, Hall hasn't wavered in his Christian faith. He doesn't dwell on the accident or allow his circumstances to discourage him, and, what's more, he's unwavering in his belief that the accident fits into a greater plan God has in store for him.
"If He didn't have a plan it probably wouldn't have happened," Hall said. "It happened, and you can't be mad about the things you can't change. You just work at them."
