_(cropped).jpg) Hall in 2023 | |||||||||||||
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| Positions | Wide receiver Return specialist | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
| Born | (1978-09-20)September 20, 1978 (age 47) Lufkin, Texas, U.S. | ||||||||||||
| Listed height | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) | ||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 187 lb (85 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school | Nimitz (Houston, Texas) | ||||||||||||
| College | Texas A&M (1996–1999) | ||||||||||||
| NFL draft | 2000: 5th round, 153rd overall pick | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||
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Damieon Dante Hall (born September 20, 1978) is an American former professionalfootball player who was awide receiver andreturn specialist for nine seasons in theNational Football League (NFL). He is nicknamed "the Human Joystick" and "the X-Factor".[1] He playedcollege football for theTexas A&M Aggies and was selected by theKansas City Chiefs in the fifth round of the2000 NFL draft. Hall played for the Chiefs for seven years before being traded to theSt. Louis Rams in 2007.[2] Hall was ranked the 10th greatest return specialist in NFL history onNFL Network'sNFL Top 10 Return Aces. He was inducted into theMissouri Sports Hall of Fame in 2018.[3]
Hall played forTexas A&M University as arunning back andreturn specialist.[4] In 1996, he led the nation with 573 punt return yards.[5] In 1998, he was named offensive MVP of the Aggies football team.[6] His 4,707 careerall-purpose yards place him second in school history behindDarren Lewis.[7] He majored in Ag Leadership & Development.[8]
On November 8, 1999, Texas A&M announced Hall's dismissal from the team for violations of the team's policy. Hall stated he thinks he was ousted due to parking violations.[9]
Hall was inducted into the Texas A&M Athletic Hall of Fame in 2021.[10]
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 ft7+3⁄4 in (1.72 m) | 191 lb (87 kg) | 29+1⁄2 in (0.75 m) | 8+7⁄8 in (0.23 m) | 4.42 s | 1.55 s | 2.56 s | 3.82 s | 6.62 s | 38.0 in (0.97 m) | 10 ft 3 in (3.12 m) | 18 reps | |
| All values fromNFL Combine[11][12] | ||||||||||||
The Kansas City Chiefs drafted Hall in the fifth-round of the 2000 NFL Draft.[13] He made his NFL debut on September 24, 2000, as a kick/punt returner. In five games, he returned 17kickoffs for 358 yards and sixpunts for 37 yards.[7][14]
He spent the spring of 2001 playing inNFL Europe for theScottish Claymores as a wide receiver. He led the league with 26 kickoff returns for 635 yards and was second in punt returns with 15 for 177 yards and second in combined net yards with 1,286.[7]
In 2002, Hall had his first NFL touchdown off a 60-yardreception at theNew York Jets on October 6, 2002.[15] Hall returned one kickoff and two punts for touchdowns. His two touchdowns off punt returns tied him for first in Chief franchise history. The2002 NFL season earned Hall his first NFLPro Bowl, being selected as a kick returner.[7] Hall became the second player in NFL history to return a kickoff and a punt return for a touchdown in the same game.[citation needed]
In 2003, Hall returned a kickoff or a punt for a touchdown four games in a row, which is an NFL record.[15] The most memorable moment of the season came against theDenver Broncos in which he reversed direction twice to evade the entirespecial teams unit en route to a 93-yard punt return for a touchdown, his 7th in the 10-game stretch from the previous season, then went on to score 10 total touchdowns in 13 games.[16] In the playoffs that year against theIndianapolis Colts, Hall had another kickoff return for a touchdown, giving him five for the year, as well as a receiving touchdown. Hall was named to the2004 Pro Bowl as a kick/punt returner for his second time.[7]
In 2004, Hall touched the ball eight times for 242 yards vs. theSan Diego Chargers on November 28, 2004. His six kickoff returns for 233 yards with a 96-yard touchdown in the game set a career-high. On December 19, 2004, he returned the opening kickoff 97-yards for a touchdown. This touchdown made him the Chiefs' franchise leader in career kickoff return touchdowns and career special teams touchdowns. During the2004 NFL season, Hall set single-season Chiefs' franchise records with 68 kickoff returns and career-high 1,718 kickoff return yards.[15]
In 2005, in a memorable game against theDenver Broncos, Hall appeared to be on his way to a kickoff return for a touchdown, but he surprisingly fumbled the ball without being touched by a defensive player. With a touchdown on a kickoff return against thePhiladelphia Eagles on October 2, 2005, he tied four players, among themOllie Matson andGale Sayers, for the most career kickoff return touchdowns, with six. That record stood untilJoshua Cribbs broke it in 2009. Hall's sixth return was also his 10th return touchdown, placing him third in that category behindBrian Mitchell (13) andEric Metcalf (12).
In 2006, Hall had two kickoff returns for 86 yards and three punt returns for seven yards in Week 12 vs. the Denver Broncos on November 23, 2006. This game made him the sixth player to have 10,000 career kick return yards. Hall played his second postseason game atIndianapolis on January 6, 2007, in a rematch from the 2003 Divisional Playoffs.[15]
In 2007, Hall was traded along with a third-round draft pick to the St. Louis Rams for their third and fifth-round draft pick in the 2007 NFL Draft. Hall tied Metcalf on September 30, 2007, against theDallas Cowboys with his 12th return touchdown. On October 7, 2008, Hall injured his ankle vs. theArizona Cardinals, missing four games. He further aggravated his ankle on October 25, 2008, vs. theSeattle Seahawks and was placed on injured reserve.[17]
In 2013, Hall worked as an assistant coach atSt. Anthony High School in Long Beach, California.[18] In 2016, he spent several months as a radio host forKILT-FM in Houston, Texas.[19]
Receiving Stats[20]
| Year | Team | GP | Rec | Yards | Avg | Lng | TD | FD | Fum | Lost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | KC | 16 | 20 | 322 | 16.1 | 75 | 3 | 11 | 0 | 0 |
| 2003 | KC | 16 | 40 | 423 | 10.6 | 67 | 1 | 16 | 0 | 0 |
| 2004 | KC | 16 | 25 | 230 | 9.2 | 22 | 0 | 15 | 0 | 0 |
| 2005 | KC | 16 | 34 | 436 | 12.8 | 52 | 3 | 19 | 0 | 0 |
| 2006 | KC | 15 | 26 | 204 | 7.8 | 19 | 2 | 15 | 0 | 0 |
| 2007 | STL | 7 | 5 | 27 | 5.4 | 12 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2008 | STL | 8 | 12 | 105 | 8.8 | 20 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | 94 | 162 | 1,747 | 10.8 | 75 | 9 | 85 | 0 | 0 | |
Rushing Stats[20]
| Year | Team | GP | Att | Yards | Avg | Lng | TD | FD | Fum | Lost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | KC | 13 | 2 | 10 | 5.0 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2002 | KC | 16 | 11 | 54 | 4.9 | 21 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 2003 | KC | 16 | 16 | 73 | 4.6 | 16 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 2004 | KC | 16 | 8 | 56 | 7.0 | 17 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2005 | KC | 16 | 7 | 11 | 1.6 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2006 | KC | 15 | 3 | 11 | 3.7 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2007 | STL | 7 | 3 | 18 | 6.0 | 9 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2008 | STL | 8 | 4 | 9 | 2.3 | 10 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | 107 | 54 | 242 | 4.5 | 21 | 0 | 16 | 0 | 0 | |
Returning Stats[20]
| Year | Team | GP | PRet | Yards | Lng | TD | FC | KRet | Yards | Lng | TD | FC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | KC | 5 | 6 | 37 | 22 | 0 | 5 | 17 | 358 | 36 | 0 | 0 |
| 2001 | KC | 13 | 32 | 235 | 26 | 0 | 6 | 43 | 969 | 71 | 0 | 0 |
| 2002 | KC | 16 | 29 | 390 | 90 | 2 | 11 | 57 | 1,354 | 88 | 1 | 0 |
| 2003 | KC | 16 | 29 | 472 | 93 | 2 | 14 | 57 | 1,478 | 100 | 2 | 0 |
| 2004 | KC | 16 | 23 | 232 | 46 | 0 | 17 | 68 | 1,718 | 97 | 2 | 0 |
| 2005 | KC | 16 | 42 | 276 | 52 | 0 | 6 | 65 | 1,560 | 96 | 1 | 0 |
| 2006 | KC | 15 | 27 | 240 | 60 | 1 | 6 | 53 | 1,207 | 60 | 0 | 0 |
| 2007 | STL | 7 | 19 | 286 | 85 | 1 | 6 | 29 | 729 | 84 | 0 | 0 |
| 2008 | STL | 8 | 9 | 93 | 34 | 0 | 1 | 37 | 763 | 41 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | 112 | 216 | 2,261 | 93 | 6 | 72 | 426 | 10,136 | 100 | 6 | 0 | |
Hall is the co-author ofDante Hall: X-Factor, a book that details his journey from Texas A&Mrunning back to one of the best kick returners in the NFL. He is mentioned inLil Wayne's song "Dipset (Reppin Time)" in the line "I'm like Dante Hall, I just throw up the X." Hall appeared as a guest on the Late Show with David Letterman on October 30, 2003.
Hall has established many nicknames in his career, perhaps the best known being "X-factor", referring to how whenever he scored a touchdown he would cross his forearms to resemble an "X".[22]
In 2004, he was selected to star in the inaugural advertisement forGatorade's X-Factor sports drink because he often proved to be the "X-factor" in many Chiefs victories during the 2003 NFL season.[23]
Hall was also known as "The Human Joystick", referring to the agility he showed during returns.[24]
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