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David Hall is in his 10th year as Charlotte’s head track and field coach and 20th with the athletic department. In addition to overseeing the school's track teams, he serves as head coach for the 49ers’ cross country program.
Hall began his tenure with the Niners as men's cross country coach in 1981, then took over the women's team in 1985. In 1992, the women earned the school's first women's league championship in any sport. They repeated as conference champions each of the next two seasons, becoming the first program in school history to earn back-to-back championships for any sport. For his efforts, Hall was named Metro Conference Coach of the Year all three seasons. He has enjoyed success with the men's team as well, earning Conference USA Coach of the Year honors in 1998 after directing the team to a second-place finish. This past fall, Charlotte finished third with some of their best runners redshirting. Ian Dickinson, running his first year for the 49ers, was named C-USA Freshman of the Year.
Hall is building a similar foundation for success with the track and field program. This past March, Hall was unanimously named Men’s Coach of the Year after his team won the Conference USA Indoor Championship at Houston. In addition to Hall’s honor, Kenneth Svendsen was named Athlete of the Year.
The women’s team has shown marked improvement as well. In 2000, Naomi Wendland was named Freshman of the Year at the C-USA Outdoor Championships.
In 1992, when Charlotte revived track as a varsity sport, Hall unveiled the 49ers' first teams since 1968. While recruiting, creating a talent pool and developing that talent has been at the forefront of his daily itinerary since then, the Niners have already made significant strides.
In 1995, Molly Kerin gave the 49ers their first NCAA qualifier and then made good on her invite by earning All-America honors in the 3,000 meters. The next year Robb Marks claimed his third conference triple jump title — two indoor and one outdoor — to give Charlotte its first non-distance championships of any kind. In 2000, Rephel Martin was named C-USA Men’s Indoor Athlete of the Year and earned a trip to the NCAA Championships. The Niners doubled their efforts during the outdoor season with Martin and Will Montgomery going to NCAAs and Martin earning All-America honors.
A native of Statesville, N.C., Hall earned his master’s in health promotion from Charlotte in 1995. He completed his undergraduate work at Furman, where he graduated cum laude with a degree in English in 1980. He was a two-time letterwinner in track and cross country and set a Paladins record in the indoor three-mile run. He received an Associate of Arts degree in 1978 from junior college power Brevard (N.C.), where he was an All-American in the steeplechase.
Hall and his wife, Kimberlee, enjoy biking and antique hunting.
