High school lacrosse in Central New York has many historical figures. Few, though, loom as large as Tom Hall.
Not only did Hall establish the boys lacrosse program at Fayetteville-Manlius High School, he provided leadership and guidance as the sport continued to grow in stature and popularity.
Hall passed away Friday morning at the age of 82 after spending most of his lifetime in service of the sport of lacrosse.
“The F-M and lacrosse world lost a great legend today,” the school said in a statement announcing Hall’s death. “(Tom Hall’s) impact at Fayetteville-Manlius, (and on) Central New York and New York State lacrosse, will be remembered forever.”
That Hall did all this while at F-M only made sense, since it was his alma mater. He was a three-sport star at the school in the late 1950s, competing in football, basketball and baseball but not lacrosse since the sport was not offered at the varsity level.
After graduating from SUNY-Cortland, Hall returned to F-M to teach and coach. And it was in 1964 that varsity boys lacrosse was started at the high school.
For the next 36 years, Hall led the Hornets, gradually building a powerhouse program that often reached the national rankings and featured more than 350 players that would go on to the college and professional ranks, including 25 college All-Americans.
All told, Hall’s F-M teams won 454 games, fourth all-time in the state at the time of his retirement, with four Section III, two regional championships and two state runner-up finishes. He earned several Coach of the Year honors, including the Jerry Carroll National Coach of the Year prize in 1977.
And the Hornets may have achieved a whole lot more were it not for another dynastic program across town at West Genesee built by another coaching legend, Mike Messere, who also went to SUNY-Cortland and was mentored by Hall while there.
The rivalry between F-M and West Genesee came to define high school lacrosse throughout Upstate New York. Two generations of Hornets and Wildcats battled under the guidance of Hall and Messere until Hall decided to retire after the 1999 season, replaced by long-time assistant Chris Kenneally, who had among his assistant coaches Hall’s son, Geoff.
Just as important as what Hall’s teams accomplished on the field was what he did to spread the sport beyond F-M.
In 1976, Hall became Section III lacrosse chairman and served in that capacity for decades, helping to establish the New York State Public High School Athletic Association tournament shortly after he took over sectional leadership.
It was also Hall’s influence that helped bring scholastic lacrosse to the Empire State Games in 1983, where it stayed for a quarter-century. He served for a decade, from 1977 to 1987, as president of the National Interscholastic Lacrosse Association.
Among the many accolades Hall earned in his life was induction into the Greater Syracuse Sports Hall of Fame in 2003 along with Halls of Fame at F-M, SUNY-Cortland and NYSPHSAA.
Hall was married to his wife, Sally, for 59 years. They have four children – Christine, Stephanie, Geoff and Sarah, and four grandchildren.
Calling hours for Hall are from 4 to 7 p.m. Friday at Eaton-Tubbs Fayetteville Chapel, with the funeral set for Saturday at 11 a.m. at Trinity Episcopal Church in Fayetteville.
