KEVIN HALL: "QUIT BEING AFRAID AND REACH FOR THE SKY"

by Stan Griffin

Becoming a world-class professional golfer is a challenge to every young man who dreams that dream. However, Kevin Hall has extra obstacles to overcome: he is African-American as well as deaf.

Kevin Hall got to meet his idol (Tiger Woods) when he was 16, attending a golf clinic where Woods gave him some advice on his backswing. He also said to Hall: "See you on the Tour someday!" (He was referring to the Professional Golfers Association (PGA.) and their numerous tournaments played every year.)

Six years later, after winning the Big Ten Golf Championship and graduating from Ohio State University, Kevin remembered Tiger’s words. Since then he has made his life’s goal to become a professional and play on the Tour. Kevin Hall was the first African-American to qualify for a golf scholarship at Ohio State University and become their first deaf golfer . And so far, the PGA. " ... has been unable to find a record of any other deaf golfer to play on the Tour."

In the year since turning pro (2004), Kevin has participated in a few sanctioned Tour events; but still "... is looking to cash his first paycheck as a pro ..." He hopes now to " ... make ‘cuts’ at tournaments (playing well enough in early rounds to win a place in the final rounds) ... gain experience that is valuable for the years (to come) ... improve every time I tee it up ... and ... use this year as a springboard ..." (to future success)

Kevin Michael Hall was born six weeks prematurely in Cincinnati, Ohio on September 24, 1982. His father is Percy Hall, a retired meat cutter; his mother is Jackie Hall, a business analyst. He has an older sister: Oris.

Kevin’s birth weight was just over three pounds, so he spent the first 20 days of his life in an incubator. During his second year, he was stricken with a form of meningitis. He battled it for a month, enduring fevers that sometimes reached 102 degrees. Doctors feared "he might die or become a vegetable ..." Both of those predictions proved incorrect; but unfortunately during the struggle, he lost his hearing. Today he says he can’t remember any sounds–ever.

Percy and Jackie have supported Kevin from the beginning, taking the attitude he should " ... get out there ... get the experience ... do what hearing people do ... so he knows what is coming." They taught him fingerspelling, reading, and counting.

His parents emphasized " ... succeed in school ..." At age three Kevin was enrolled in kindergarten at St. Rita School for the Deaf in Cincinnati, and he remained at St. Rita’s until high school graduation. It was at St. Rita’s he learned lipreading and sign language.

Kevin was athletically talented, specializing in baseball and bowling. When he was nine, a family friend took him to a golf driving range. It was "love at first sight" for Kevin. Immediately, without any instruction, he was able to swing his club as though he had been playing for years. He was "hooked"!

St. Rita didn’t have a golf team so Kevin’s parents successfully petitioned the school board to allow hm to play for neighboring Winton Woods High School. There he was a four-year letterman in golf. By the end of his high school career, he was "All-Ohio" and Cincinnati’s top prep golfer.

Kevin graduated from St. Rita as valedictorian of his class. He liked Ohio State University’s "golf tradition"; and he was able to qualify for a golf scholarship there, becoming the first African-American and the first hearing-impaired student to achieve that distinction.

Kevin’s years at Ohio State culminated in his becoming the Big Ten golf champion. In addition to his success on the links, he majored in journalism and graduated with honors.

While attending O. S. U., Kevin took an interpreter to classes. During his freshman year, one even went along when the golf team traveled to "away" matches so he could join in the casual by-play with his teammates. "His transition to college competition wasn’t easy at first ..." Kevin says, "It was weeks before everyone was comfortable .." Eventually, they got to know each other; and the "barriers" disappeared.

After a few practices, Jim Brown, the Ohio State golf coach, was able to get used to Hall’s voice and read his lips. Brown even learned some signs relating to golf.

Kevin found some noticeable differences between college golf and the professional game. Three of them: (1) the speed of play is faster; players are encouraged to "move along"; (2) the crowds are much, much larger and can become a distraction; and (3) pin placement (where the cup is located on the green) can be--and frequently is– moved from one day to the next.

Communication between Kevin, his caddy, and playing partners during a tournament is very important. He is a top notch lip reader; but he has a backup system in emergencies. His cell phone organizer can be used to type "text messages" for others to read, if necessary.

Kevin’s attitude in the classroom, as well as on the golf course: "Don’t treat him like a person with a disability ... no special favors ... (or) extended deadlines ... (or) leniency ..."

At 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighing 175 pounds, Kevin might be described as "small." But he’s come a long way from being an "incubator baby" weighing three pounds to competing against the best golfers in the world.

He doesn’t like to call himself a "role model," but he continues to return to St. Rita’s to tell students "about life." He’s often accompanied by his friend, Chad Metcalf. They’ve know each other for 15 years and were classmates at St. Rita.

Kevin says, "As long as I’m doing good things in life and helping other people, I’m content."


© Deaf Friends International, 2005

SOURCES

Web sites:

ohiostatebuckeyes.collegesports.com

si.com

msnbc.com

rnews.com, "For Hall, the Language is Golf," Mike Hedeen

golfdigest.com Golf Digest, "A Quiet Confidence," David Kindred, March, 2005

pgatour.com "Deaf Golfer to Make TOUR Debut," Joel Schuchmann, July 20, 2005

bigten.collegesports.com "A Story Worth Hearing" April 2, 2004

usatoday.com "Putting is Deaf Hall’s Biggest Worry in Tour Debut," Morgan Kelly, July 21, 2005

jsonline.com "Fresh Face: Deaf Golfer Hall Will Make PGA Tour Debut Today," Dan Manoyan, July 21, 2005