Dr. J.D. Rottweiler, president of Cochise College, presenting the 2016 Hall of Fame Award to Dr. Bo Hall, athletic director and dean of Student Services.
Dr. James “Bo” Hall, athletic director and dean of Student Services at Cochise College, was inducted into the Arizona Community College Athletic Conference (ACCAC) 2016 Hall of Fame Class last summer.
Additional members of the 2016 ACCAC Hall of Fame Class are: Ray Butcher and Charles Dine (Arizona Western College); Jerry Hekekia (Eastern Arizona College); Lin Laursen (Central Arizona College); Heinz Mueller (Phoenix College); Greg Silcox (Glendale); George Young (Central Arizona College); Dave Brown and Gary Ward, (Yavapai College).
“It’s always an honor to be recognized by your peers,” Hall said.
Hall’s passion for sports initially brought him to Cochise College as a student. He signed a letter of intent to play football for the University of Arizona, but a knee injury got in the way and forced Bo to look into other options. Bo opted to play baseball for the Cochise College Apaches. Years later, after successfully completing his bachelor’s degree from Grand Canyon University, Bo was drafted by the San Francisco Giants. From there he started his coaching career, which eventually led him back to his alma mater, here at Cochise College. He took the Apaches to the state championship in 1988, and in the next year, took the Apaches to the World Series and finished third in the nation.
Hall coached for about ten years before walking away in 1992 to focus on running the Cochise College Athletic department and eventually become dean of Student Services.
“Seventeen years ago when they offered me the dean of Student Services job here at Cochise, I told them I would take it only if they let me keep being the athletic director,” he said. “…but I’ve never felt like working here at Cochise College was a job. I felt like this was something I enjoyed doing. I’ve always enjoyed what I’ve done here. Cochise College has always been really good to me.”
But what’s next for the longtime Athletic Director? Bo says he’s going to retire—maybe.
Bo is the legal guardian for his grandson, Derek Hall, who was recently drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies. In the past, Bo has stood close by to help support his grandson financially through his education.
“Since the day he was born we’ve raised him. I always wanted to make sure I had a job to help him get through a college education. Well, he’s now playing pro baseball for the Phillies, and part of his signing bonus is to pay for his last two years of college. Now that he’s taken care of, probably a year from now, I’ll start looking at the idea of possibly retiring. So, the next big thing is that when I get ready to leave here and retire, that the college’s Athletic department is left in great shape.”
To find out more information about the Cochise College Athletic department, go to the athletics website.