Coach Tom Hall Takes On Prince George

In December of 2023, the Richmond region and state was shocked when Coach Tom Hall, Manchester Lancers Coach since 1999, announced he was stepping down. Coach Hall never said retire... in countless interviews that word was never mentioned. Even in February on National Signing Day, he grinned and told this guy, "I'm not done".

What that meant was pure speculation. Speculation ran rampant since December as to what the future held for Coach Tom Hall with much of that speculation centering around Prince George. The big question was in what capacity? The Royals had a coach, Scott Girolmo, would Coach Hall be an assistant? That had been discussed with AD Bruce Carroll before, at a Big River Rivalry.

In February things became a bit more interesting when Coach Scott Girolmo stepped down. In the nearly two months since that news broke, the region waited to see who would be named head coach. No announcement before Spring Break, no announcement after Spring Break. Then today, the news broke... Tom Hall is the next Head Coach of the Prince George Royals.

To put this into some context... from 1999-2023 Coach Tom Hall won 194 games whereas in that same span, the Royals won 84 games. In fact, Coach Tom Hall is just 68 wins shy of the Royals win total from from 1953 (first season) to present day.

That speaks to the success of Coach Hall at Manchester and it speaks to the magnitude of his taking on this new challenge. Some might question why? Some might say he's crazy to leave Manchester for Prince George but that 'new challenge' is what excites Coach Hall. "Every coach comes to a crossroads at some point in their career where they are faced with hanging up the whistle or making a change. It was time for a change, I still got a lot of juice". Coach Hall had won it all in 2018 at Manchester and the 2023 edition was the best since that team. The Lancers fell short of their but there is no questioning Coach Hall left the Lancers better than he found them.

But again, why Prince George?

For those that are not aware of the backstory of Coach Hall, he was once an assistant at Buffalo Gap High School. Road trips, playing one school towns, counties... that was once the norm and it is something that appealed to Coach Hall, that was his 'end game'. When he landed at Manchester in 1999, he did not know where the road would take him. He had no idea he would be there 25 years but alas he was.

"When we (family) came to Manchester I made a promise to my family that I would not be a suitcase coach". That is a coach who goes from job to job and offers came, and offers were passed up by Coach Hall. He raised a family, his family became as much a part of the Lancer program and community as he did. "When I told my wife and girls that it was time, they took it harder than anyone, that is how much they loved the Lancer program". That said, family is what also links him to Prince George; it is a case of connect the dots.

Coach Tom Hall lives in Dinwiddie which borders Prince George. Coach Hall's son-in-law is an athletic trainer at Prince George. Coach Hall's father worked at Fort Lee. Many that settle and live in Prince George work at Fort Lee, are stationed at Fort Lee. Just as his family had been a part of the Lancer program, his family now had ties to Prince George and will form new ties just as they did in Manchester.

All the boxes were checked and the dominoes fell from December to present day. Now comes the tough part... building a program... something Coach Hall has not done in 25 years. That process is ongoing.

"I've known for a couple of weeks and over the next few days I will be spending time down there getting to know kids, the program. I have to build a staff, some new faces, some familiar faces."

Coach Hall is not sure what scheme he will run at Prince George, the players, the athletes and his staff will dictate that. Coach Hall has an idea but like any good coach, he will build around the players.

Those players will be hitting the weight room right away... that as Coach Hall put it is the "cornerstone of the program". The weight room is no different than any other. The weight room is demanding, coaches and football programs are demanding but you get back what you put in. "Hard work, a commitment to get better everyday will build this program as much as anything".

Just as important is partnerships. Partnerships with players, parents, community and the programs that feed into Prince George. "Rec league, middle school... that is where the foundation is laid. I want to work with them, I want to be a resource for them."

Then there is the challenge of the Central District slate... Colonials Heights has been improved under Coach Keeler, Dinwiddie is always a state title contender, Hopewell is always a contender, Meadowbrook is on the rise under Coach Rudd, Thomas Dale is never easy and then there is Matoaca... the Region 5C champion last year. "The Central District is among the toughest districts in the state" according to Coach Tom Hall and there is an argument for that but Coach Hall did not always have easy roads at Manchester. The experience of the last 25 years will surely be immeasurable in the building of a program.

It is not lost on Coach Hall the challenge ahead of him. "The first year will be the toughest, it always is" but what comes next... in the seasons to come... that is what excites Coach Hall and that is what should excite Prince George faithful.