Remembering a UK legend with University Press of Kentucky
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Jan. 12, 2023) — “Until I was nine or 10, everyone called me Joe or Joe Hall. Then one day my grandmother, for reasons known only to her, pulled me aside and told me my name was ‘too short and too plain’.” She said, “Let's add your middle initial to make it more interesting. From now on, you say your name is Joe B., not just Joe. It's Joe B. Hall.”
And the legend was born. A true Kentuckian through and through, Joe B. Hall’s memory and impact on the University of Kentucky community is unforgettable. One year after Coach Hall’s death, there is still so much to learn about the man who, in his first season as head coach of the Wildcats, finished 20-8, won the Southeastern Conference (SEC) and advanced to the NCAA Regional Finals.
“Coach Hall: My Life On and Off the Court,” a 2019 memoir published by the University Press of Kentucky, is Coach Hall’s story — from the man who lived it all.
“The conversational tone of this book evokes the sense that Coach Hall is sitting right across the table from you, telling his life story for the very first time,” explained Doug Brunk, author of “Forty Minutes to Glory: Inside the Kentucky Wildcats’ 1978 Championship Season” in his critique.
Hall coached the Wildcats from 1972 to 1985. He won two-thirds of his games (297-100), received four SEC Coach of the Year honors and won a National Championship in 1978. He also steered the program to two other Final Fours, won eight SEC regular season championships and one SEC tournament championship in 1984.
“Coach Hall not only continued the tradition of winning and excellence, but he did it with grace and humility,” said current UK Men’s Basketball Coach John Calipari in his review. “I am happy that there is now a book that looks back on all that Coach Hall did for this state and this university and examines how he did it. He’s been a mentor to me, and I’m thrilled our fans will be able to read about him.”
And for Coach Calipari, those aren’t just words. He still carries a rolled-up program into every game with him in honor of mentor, Coach Hall. That program was taken throughout the state this past summer and fans signed the program for Coach. One of the stops was in Coach Hall’s hometown of Cynthiana, Kentucky.
In this riveting memoir, Hall presents intimate details about his remarkable life on and off the court. He reveals never-before-heard stories about memorable players, coaches and friends and expresses the joys and fulfillments of his rewarding life and career.
Coach Hall’s national influence continues to live on through the Joe B. Hall Award. Presented annually, the recognition honors the top first-year coach in Division One college basketball.
Joe B. Hall passed away on Jan. 15, 2022, at the age of 93.
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In addition to Hall's memoir, UPK has several other publications for UK basketball fans, including:
- House of Champions: The Story of Kentucky Basketball’s Home Courts
- Forty Minutes to Glory: Inside the Kentucky Wildcats’ 1978 Championship Season
- Kentucky Basketball: Two Decades Behind the Scenes
- Voice of the Wildcats: Claude Sullivan and the Rise of Modern Sportscasting
- Adolph Rupp and the Rise of Kentucky Basketball
- Wildcat Memories: Inside Stories from Kentucky Basketball Greats
- The Winning Tradition: A History of Kentucky Wildcat Basketball
About the University Press of Kentucky (UPK)
The University Press of Kentucky is the scholarly publisher for the Commonwealth, serving Bellarmine University, Berea College, Centre College, Eastern Kentucky University, The Filson Historical Society, Georgetown College, Kentucky Historical Society, Kentucky State University, Morehead State University, Murray State University, Northern Kentucky University, Spalding University, Transylvania University, University of Kentucky, University of Louisville, University of Pikeville and Western Kentucky University.
From its offices on the UK campus, the press’s full-time staff publishes 50-55 titles per year in print and electronic formats. The press has 1,865 titles in print. UPK books are available through all major retail and wholesale channels, libraries and online platforms, both domestic and international.
As the state’s flagship, land-grant institution, the University of Kentucky exists to advance the Commonwealth. We do that by preparing the next generation of leaders — placing students at the heart of everything we do — and transforming the lives of Kentuckians through education, research and creative work, service and health care. We pride ourselves on being a catalyst for breakthroughs and a force for healing, a place where ingenuity unfolds. It's all made possible by our people — visionaries, disruptors and pioneers — who make up 200 academic programs, a $476.5 million research and development enterprise and a world-class medical center, all on one campus.
In 2022, UK was ranked by Forbes as one of the “Best Employers for New Grads” and named a “Diversity Champion” by INSIGHT into Diversity, a testament to our commitment to advance Kentucky and create a community of belonging for everyone. While our mission looks different in many ways than it did in 1865, the vision of service to our Commonwealth and the world remains the same. We are the University for Kentucky.