The 15th AHSCA-AOA Hall of Fame banquet was scheduled for this Friday, July 16 and former Hope high School coach Melba Hall, is one of seven inductees to be inducted into the Arkansas High School Coaches Association Hall of Fame.
Joining Hall into the 2010 Hall of Fame will be: the late George Burke of Stuttgart (football), Joe Graham of Conway (basketball), C.D. Taylor of Conway (basketball), Bobby Tiner of Pulaski Oak Grove (football), Johnny Watson of Little Rock Christian (football), and Lou Wood of Flippin (basketball).
Melba Hall, has coached for 34 years with a state championship and several conference titles during her career.
She started her coaching career at Prescott High School in 1967, as the basketball and girls track coach.
As the Lady Wolves basketball coach, she won district titles along with a state championship in 1971. This is the only state title won in Prescott High School history in basketball.
The 1971 championship team along with Hall was recognized during a special ceremony this past season of the Prescott Wolves and Lady Wolves basketball game.
Also in 1971, Hall was selected to coach during the Arkansas High School All-Star basketball game and named coach of the year.
Hall continued her coaching career and achievements at Hope High School from 1973-2000.
In her 28 years coaching in Hope, she coached tennis, track, volleyball and basketball. She holds several conference titles in basketball and led the tennis team to a state title in 1992.
She was the president of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) and ran the CAT's boys and girls summer basketball camp for 25 years.
Before beginning her coaching career, Hall is a 1962 graduate of Hope High School.
In college, she graduated from Ouachita Baptist University in 1966 and played basketball for the Lady Tigers all four years. During her senior year playing basketball at OBU, the Lady Tigers were ranked No. 3 in the nation.
She was a double major in Physical Education and Health with a B.S.E. She received her masters in Physical Education at Southern Arkansas University.
She is currently married to Don Hall with two children, their daughter Dusty Hall Patterson and son Mark Hall, who is the head basketball coach of the Prescott Curley Wolves.
Melba Hall retired from coaching in 2000 at Hope High School. She holds over 800 wins in her coaching career for basketball.
The family of coach Hall is very honored, blessed and privileged for her to be inducted into the Arkansas coaches Hall of Fame.
