Hall earned All-State honors as senior at St. Augustine High School in New Orleans. after totaling 67 tackles, eight sacks, and one interception as senior.
College career
At the University of Michigan, Hall majored in sports marketing and administration and was a three-year starting defensive end for the Michigan Wolverines. Hall had 185 tackles and 25 sacks in his career.[1] Coming off the bench for 11 games, Hall had 17 tackles and three sacks as a redshirt freshman in 1996. Then in 1997, when Michigan won the AP National Championship Trophy, Hall started 11 out of 12 games played at rush linebacker, with 51 tackles and four sacks.[2] As a junior in 1998, Hall was named to the All-Big Ten Conference second-team with career-highs in tackles (63) and sacks (11). In his senior season of 1999, he was a third-team The Sporting News All-American, All-Big Ten honorable mention, and Butkus Award semifinalist after making 54 tackles and seven sacks.[1]
Hall would play his first game of the season in the Week 11 matchup against the Atlanta Falcons, but wouldn't record a statistic. In the next week against the New York Giants, he would record his first statistics, sacking quarterback Kerry Collins and recording 3 tackles. He would play in the last three games of the season, but wouldn't record any statistics, ending his season with one sack.[5]
Hall would get more playing time in 2001, playing in 15 of the teams' 16 games. In the first six games of the season, Hall would record ½ sack and 13 tackles including four tackles-for-loss.[6] In the latter half of the season, Hall would improve in play. In the Week 8 matchup against the San Francisco 49ers, he would record his first fumble recovery. During the Thanksgiving Day game against the Green Bay Packers, Hall picked up a fumble and returned it 8 yards for his first career touchdown. His best game of the season would come in the Week 13 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where he recorded 3½ sacks, a career high, and 8 tackles including 4 tackles-for-loss. He ended the 2001 season with 4 sacks, 35 tackles including 8-tackles-for-loss, two fumble recoveries including one touchdown, and one pass defended.[7]
In the Week 4 matchup against the New Orleans Saints, Hall scored his second career touchdown when he recovered a fumble and returned it 22 yards for the score; he also recorded a sack and three solo tackles. Hall finished the season with 2 sacks, 49 tackles including 7 tackles-for-loss, two fumble recoveries including one for the score, and three passes defended.[8] His 49 tackles and 7 tackles-for-loss would be the most of any Detroit defensive lineman that season.[9]
On March 3, 2004, the Lions re-signed Hall to a five-year deal. Lions' president and CEO Matt Millen said of Hall, "He is a guy who we think can be a strong contributor for us."[11]
St. Louis Rams
On March 2, 2007, the Detroit Lions traded James Hall to the St. Louis Rams for a conditional draft selection. After two seasons, he was released but later re-signed by the Rams. Hall would go on to start for rest of his tenure in St.Louis and was fairly productive with Chris Long on the other side. He went on to have 250 combined tackles and 30 sacks in five seasons in St. Louis.[12] He was cut on March 12, 2012.
^"Fourth-year DE Hall re-signs". May 28, 2003. Archived from [www.nfl.com/teams/story/DET/6398027 the original] on March 22, 2007. Retrieved December 29, 2024. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
^"Lions retain Porcher and Hall". March 3, 2004. Archived from [www.nfl.com/teams/story/DET/7141896 the original] on March 21, 2007. Retrieved December 29, 2024. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
^"James Hall". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved October 19, 2020.
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