Alexander Hall (soccer)

Alexander Noble Hall (3 December 1880 – 25 September 1943), sometimes known as Sandy Hall,[4] was a professional soccer player who played as a centre forward in the Scottish League for Dunfermline Athletic, Dundee, Motherwell and St Bernard's.[1][5] Born in Scotland, he was a part of Canada's gold medal-winning 1904 Olympic team and finished the tournament as joint-top scorer,[6] with three goals.[7] The goals came in the form of a hat-trick in a 7–0 win over the United States, represented by Christian Brothers College.[8]

Alex Hall
Personal information
Full name Alexander Noble Hall[1]
Date of birth 3 December 1880[2]
Place of birth Aberdeen, Scotland[2]
Date of death 25 September 1943(1943-09-25) (aged 62)[3]
Place of death Toronto, Ontario, Canada[3]
Position(s) Centre forward
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1898–1901 Peterhead
1901 Buckie Thistle
1902–1903 Toronto Scots
1904 Galt F.C.
1905 Westmount
1905 Aberdeen 0 (0)
1905–1906 Peterhead
1906–1907 St Bernard's 10 (12)
1907–1908 Newcastle United 6 (2)
1908–1910 Dundee 25 (8)
1910–1911 Portsmouth
1911–1912 Motherwell 11 (0)
1912–1915 Dunfermline Athletic 68 (33)
1920–1923 Peterhead
International career
1904 Canada Olympic 2 (3)
Medal record
Men's football
Canada
First placeOlympic Games1904
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Personal life

Born in Aberdeen and growing up in Peterhead, Hall played amateur football and worked as a stonecutter locally before emigrating to Canada in 1901.[4] He returned to Scotland in 1905 and became a professional footballer in 1906.[4] In 1912, the Carnegie Hero Fund and the Royal Humane Society recognised Hall with awards for bravery, for his rescuing of a child from Peterhead harbour.[4] While a player with Dunfermline Athletic prior to the First World War, he also served as the club's groundsman.[4] During the war, Hall served in the Royal Garrison Artillery, the Royal Engineers, the Tank Corps and married his wife,[9] with whom he had three children.[4] The family emigrated to Toronto in 1923.[4] Hall died there on 25 September 1943 and is buried in the city's Prospect Cemetery.[10] In 1983, Hall's youngest son Tom was the world’s first recipient of a successful single lung transplant.[6]

Career statistics
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National Cup Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
St Bernard's 1906–07[5] Scottish Second Division 10 12 0 0 7[lower-alpha 1] 4 17 16
Newcastle United 1907–08[11] First Division 6 2 0 0 ― 6 2
Dundee 1907–08[5] Scottish First Division 3 0 2 3 ― 5 3
1908–09[5] 3 0 0 0 ― 3 0
1909–10[5] 19 8 5 4 ― 24 12
Total 25 8 7 7 ― 32 15
Motherwell 1911–12[5] Scottish First Division 11 0 5 0 ― 16 0
Dunfermline Athletic 1912–13[5] Scottish Second Division 25 18 7 0 ― 32 18
1913–14[5] 21 11 0 0 6[lower-alpha 1] 0 27 11
1914–15[5] 22 4 ― 1[lower-alpha 1] 0 23 4
Total 68 33 7 7 0 82 33
Career total 120 55 19 7 14 4 153 66
  1. Appearances in Scottish Qualifying Cup
List of international goals scored by Alexander Hall
No.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
1. November 16, 1904 World's Fair Stadium, St. Louis, United States United States Christian Brothers College 1–0 7–0 1904 Summer Olympics
2.  ?–0
3.  ?–0

Honours

Canada Olympic

St Bernard's

Dundee

Motherwell

Dunfermline Athletic

Peterhead

  • Aberdeenshire Charity Cup: 1920–21[4]

Individual

  • Summer Olympic Games top-scorer: 1904[7]

References
  1. Joyce, Michael (2012). Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939. Nottingham: Tony Brown. p. 122. ISBN 978-1905891610.
  2. "Alexander Hall". Aberdeen Football Club Heritage Trust. Retrieved 27 October 2019.
  3. "Alex Hall Bio, Stats, and Results". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Archived from the original on 3 December 2016. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
  4. "Played for Dundee and Motherwell – Sandy Hall". Dundee Football Club – Official Website. 26 April 2018. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
  5. Litster, John. Record of Pre-War Scottish League Players. Norwich: PM Publications.
  6. "Alexander Hall". Olympedia. Retrieved 14 February 2021.
  7. "Olympic Football Top Goalscorers". My Football Facts. 6 April 2017. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
  8. "Football, Men – Round-Robin, Match #1". Olympedia. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
  9. "Newcastle United Footballers in the Great War". North East War Memorials Project. Archived from the original on 25 September 2020. Retrieved 27 October 2019.
  10. "Alexander Noble Hall (1880–1943)". Find A Grave. Archived from the original on 3 August 2021. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
  11. "Alex Hall". 11v11.com. Retrieved 27 October 2019.
  12. "Scots hero who won football's first Olympic gold". Scottish Sport History – devoted to our sporting heritage. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
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