Gretna retires Vic Hall's number

Four years of putting Gretna football on the map came full circle on Friday night as Vic Hall, a four-year starter at quarterback who led the Hawks to its first two state football championships had his No. 1 jersey retired.

Playing under Gretna coaches Rob Senseney and Chris Thurman, Hall accumulated a state record 13,770 yards from scrimmage, a total that places him fifth all-time nationally. His 8,731 high school career passing yards broke Ronald Curry’s state record and his 104 touchdown passes also rank as tops in state history.

“This is really high on my list of achievements,” Hall said Friday night about Gretna retiring his number. “I didn’t just do this for me. This is for all the players I played with and the coaches and my family. I want to thank God, my family, friends, the team I played with — the fans are great around here and I’m glad to have my jersey retired at Gretna.”

It all started his freshman season, when Hall guided the Hawks to an 11-1 record while accounting for 1,546 total yards and throwing 14 touchdown passes. Following his sophomore season, when Gretna went 8-4, Hall and the Hawks took off.

His junior and senior seasons as the Hawks’ quarterback saw the 5-foot-9 University of Virginia cornerback twice set state records for total yards from scrimmage, totaling 9,286 yards combined.

During his senior season, Hall accounted for the second-most touchdowns in state history with 64 (38 through the air and 26 on the ground), totaled 4,852 yards and most importantly, led the Hawks to a 14-0 record that culminated in a 40-14 win against Poquoson in the title game.

Hall added a state player of the year award to his resume after his senior season, repeating what he did in his junior year, when he led Gretna to its first state championship, a 48-18 victory against Monticello. Hall accounted for 4,434 total yards and 56 touchdowns that season.

His career statistics are unable to account for Hall’s presence in the huddle. He started every game at quarterback in his four years, garnering a 47-5 record.

“He’s the greatest quarterback I ever saw. He put this town on the map,” Gretna coach Chris Thurman said. “When you think of Gretna football, you think of winning and Vic Hall.”