MVP Profile: Parker Hall, 1939

Tailback/Defensive Back, Cleveland Rams


Age: 23 (Dec. 10)
1st season in pro football
College: Mississippi
Height: 6’0” Weight: 205

Prelude:
An All-American at Mississippi in 1938, Hall was taken in the first round of the 1939 NFL draft by the Rams. He moved directly into the lineup in Cleveland’s single-wing offense.

1939 Season Summary
Appeared in all 11 games
[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Passing
Attempts – 208 [1]
Completions – 106 [1]
Yards – 1227 [2]
Completion percentage – 51.0 [1]
Yards per attempt – 5.9 [7]
TD passes – 9 [2]
Interceptions – 13 [2, tied with Ace Parker, Darrell Tully & Frank Patrick]
Passer rating – 57.5 [5] (Ranked 1st in system used at time)

Rushing
Attempts – 120 [6]
Yards – 458 [5]
Yards per attempt – 3.8 [8]
TDs – 2 [11, tied with sixteen others]

Pass Receiving
Receptions – 1
Yards – -16
TDs - 0

Punting
Punts – 58 [1]
Yards – 2369
Average – 40.8 [5]
Punts blocked – 0
Longest punt – 80 yards

Scoring
TDs – 2
Points – 12

Awards & Honors:
NFL MVP: Joe F. Carr Trophy
1st team All-NFL: UPI, PFWA, INS, Chicago Herald-American, NY Daily News
2nd team All-NFL: League, Collyers
NFL All-Star Game

Rams went 5-5-1 to finish fourth in the Western Division, their first .500 season.

Aftermath:
Hall’s subsequent performances never again approached his MVP rookie season. He passed for 1108 yards with 7 TDs and 16 interceptions in 1940 and led the league by tossing 19 interceptions in ’41. He was picked off 19 times again in 1942 while throwing just 140 passes. Hall went into the military for the next three years and played service football. In 1946 he joined the San Francisco 49ers of the new All-America Football Conference (AAFC) but saw scant action as a T-formation quarterback behind Frankie Albert and retired.

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MVP Profiles feature players who were named MVP or Player of the Year in the NFL, AAFC (1946-49), AFL (1960-69), WFL (1974), or USFL (1983-85) by a recognized organization (Associated Press, Pro Football Writers Association, Newspaper Enterprise Association, United Press International, The Sporting News, Maxwell Club – Bert Bell Award, or the league itself).

[Updated 2/9/14]