1985 BYU Hall of Fame

Larry Hall, BYU's head tennis coach, had an interesting time making the transition from tennis player to tennis coach. Soon after becoming coach in 1978, his team was on the road and stopped to take a break in a mall. A young sales clerk started talking to the team, and when she asked the young-looking Larry what position he played, he replied, "Oh, I'm definitely number one."

His players have a great deal of respect and admiration for this former Utah State Open Singles Champ (1977 and 1980), All-WAC tennis team member (1969) and NCAA All-American (1970). In fact, on good days, he can still beat some of them.

Larry came to BYU in 1967 on a full athletic scholarship after an already illustrious career. In 1965 he was named recipient of the El Camino (California) High School Senior Athlete Award, then was voted the American River College Athlete of the Year in 1966. Two years later, he was inducted into the Sacramento County Hall of Fame.

He's served as the NCAA Region VII tennis chairman, on the National Championship Team and Individual Seeding Committee, and is presently serving his fourth year as chairman of the Scholar-Athlete Committee. In addition, he's held several positions in the Intercollegiate Tennis Coaches Association, the Utah Governor's Advisory Council on Physical Fitness, the U.S. Tennis Association, and many other organizations.

The honor this "young at heart" coach cherishes the most, however, is the one bestowed upon him by the physical education students at BYU in 1981 when they voted him the "Outstanding Faculty Member" for excellence in "Teaching, Service, and Leadership."

In 2014, Larry was inducted into the Utah Tennis Hall of Fame.