Feb. 11, 2005

OXFORD, Miss. - Ole Miss lost two of its finest football players ever over the past week with the passing of College Football Hall of Fame halfback Parker Hall of Vicksburg on February 8 and end Bud Slay of Oxford on February 5.

Hall was a consensus first team All-America halfback in 1938 when he was also named first team All-Southeastern Conference. He became just the second Ole Miss player to earn first team All-America honors (Bruiser Kinard was chosen in 1936 and again in 1937) and was the first back ever so honored from the state of Mississippi.

In 1938, Hall led the nation in six individual categories: scoring (73 points), highest average per rush (6.46), highest average per kickoff and punt return (18.56), most pass interception yards (128 for 18.29 average), TDs responsible (22, 11 rushing and 11 passing) and all-purpose yards per game (129.1).

He earned three letters (1936-38) at Ole Miss as the Rebels went 18-12-3, playing for Coach Ed Walker in 1936 and 1937 before helping lead Coach Harry Mehre's first Rebel squad to a Cinderella 9-2 season in 1938. Hall also picked up letters in basketball, baseball, and track, and received the Norris Trophy in 1939, the most coveted honor bestowed on an Ole Miss athlete.

Hall was selected by the Cleveland Rams in the first round (3rd overall pick) of the 1939 National Football League draft. He was named NFL Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year in 1939 when he completed 106 of 208 passes for 1,227 yards and nine touchdowns.

The 106 completions and 208 attempts led the NFL in 1939 and the 106 completions marked the first time for a professional passer to complete more than 100 passes in a season. He was a first team All-Pro selection in 1939 and second team pick in 1940.

Hall, a native of Tunica and longtime resident of Memphis, Tenn., before moving to Vicksburg, was inducted into the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame in 1970, the Ole Miss Athletic Hall of Fame in 1987, and the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame in 1991.

Bud Slay played for legendary coach John Vaught from 1950-1952.

Slay was a three-year letterman (1950-51-52) for Coach John Vaught's Rebels and helped lead Ole Miss to a 19-9-3 record during his three varsity seasons, which included the 1953 Sugar Bowl appearance against Georgia Tech.

A native of Waynesboro, Slay was named national Lineman of the Week by the Associated Press after catching a then school-record five passes for 123 yards in a 21-14 victory over No. 3 Maryland in 1952, which the A.P. tabbed the "Upset of the Year" in college football. That victory is generally considered to have been the game which finally put Ole Miss and Vaught on the national football map.

As a sophomore in 1950, Slay performed mostly as a defensive end and his top individual effort came against Boston College when he returned a pass interception 60 yards for a score. He had a 67-yard TD reception from Jimmy Lear in a 25-6 victory over Tulane in 1951. He was selected by Washington in the 16th round of the 1953 National Football League draft.

Updated bios of Parker Hall and Bud Slay:

LINUS PARKER (Bullet) HALL
University of Mississippi
Halfback, 6-1, 200, 3 Letters (1936-38)
Tunica, Miss. (Tunica High School)

Consensus first team All-America halfback in 1938 when he also earned first team All-Southeastern Conference honors from The Associated Press and United Press International ... Became just the second Ole Miss player to earn first team All-America honors (Bruiser Kinard was honored in 1936 and again in 1937) and was the first back ever so honored from the state of Mississippi ... In 1938, led the nation in six individual categories: scoring (73 points), highest average per rush (6.46), highest average per kickoff and punt return (18.56), most pass interception yards (128 for 18.29 average), TDs responsible (22, 11 rushing and 11 passing) and all-purpose yards per game (129.1) ... Ranked second in the nation with seven pass interceptions and average gain per play (7.53), and was third in the nation in rushing (698 yards) and total offense (1,558 yards)... Ranked ninth nationally in passing by completing 51 of 91 passes for 860 yards and 11 touchdowns ... Earned three letters (1936-38) at Ole Miss as Rebels went 18-12-3 ... Played for Coach Ed Walker in 1936 and 1937 before helping lead Coach Harry Mehre's first Rebel squad to a Cinderella 9-2 season in 1938 ... Participated in the 1939 Chicago All-Star Game ... Earned three letters in football and also picked up letters in basketball, baseball, and track ... Received the Norris Trophy in 1939, the most coveted honor bestowed on an Ole Miss athlete ... Selected by the Cleveland Rams in the first round (3rd overall pick) of the 1939 National Football League draft ... Named NFL Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year in 1939 when he completed 106 of 208 passes for 1,227 yards and nine touchdowns ... The 106 completions and 208 attempts led the NFL in 1939 and the 106 completions marked the first time for a professional passer to complete more than 100 passes in a season ... First team All-Pro selection in 1939 and second team pick in 1940 ... Played in 1940 Pro Bowl ... In four years with the Cleveland Rams, played in 42 games, completing 329 of 721 passes for 4,013 yards and 30 touchdowns ... Also rushed 312 times for 1,052 yards and six touchdowns ... Had 25 punt returns for 273 yards and averaged 41.1 yards on 200 career punts ... His 58 punts in 1939, 57 in 1940, and 49 in 1941 led the NFL as did his 2,369 punting yards in 1939 and his 2,489 punting yards in 1940 ... Pro career was interrupted by a World War II tour of duty as a U.S. Naval Officer ... Played three years for St. Mary's Preflight ... Returned to professional football in 1946 with the San Francisco 49ers, playing one year before retiring from the sport ... Inducted into the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame in 1970, the Ole Miss Athletic Hall of Fame in 1987, and the National Football Hall of Fame in 1991 ... Received Distinguished American Award from the Ole Miss Chapter of the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame in 1986 ... Played at Tunica High School and was coached by Howard Selma ... Full name: Linus Parker Hall ... Nickname: Bullet ... Born: December 10, 1916 ... Died: February 8, 2005 ... Prior to moving to Vicksburg, Miss., lived in Memphis, Tenn., where he had a successful career as Vice President of Anderson-Tully Lumber Company, one of the world's major lumber companies ... Was married Josephine Tully of Memphis and the father of four sons ... Omicron Delta Kappa ... Kappa Sigma Social Fraternity.

JAMES EDWIN "Bud" SLAY
University of Mississippi
End, 6-1 ½, 185, 3 Letters (1950-51-52)
Waynesboro, Miss. (Waynesboro High)

Three-year letterman (1950-51-52) for Coach John Vaught's Rebels ... Helped lead Ole Miss to 19-9-3 record during his three varsity seasons, which included the 1953 Sugar Bowl against Georgia Tech ... Was named national Lineman of the Week by the Associated Press after catching then school-record five passes for 123 yards in the 1952 victory over No. 3 Maryland, 21-14, in what the A.P. called the "Upset of the Year" in college football ... The 123 yards broke the previous best of 121 yards receiving by Barney Poole against Tennessee in 1947 ... Finished the 1952 season with 14 receptions for 274 yards and one touchdown, which led the Rebels for the second straight year in receiving, having caught seven for 179 yards and three touchdowns his 1951 junior season ... Had one kickoff return for eight yards in 1952 ... As a sophomore in 1950, performed mostly as a defensive end and his top individual effort came against Boston College when he returned a pass interception 60 yards for a score ... Had a 67-yard TD reception from Jimmy Lear in 25-6 victory over Tulane in 1951 ... Selected by Washington in the 16th round of the 1953 National Football League draft ... Was an outstanding player in football and basketball at Waynesboro High School ... Full name is James Edwin Slay ... Born: October 22, 1928 ... Died: February 5, 2005 ... Member of Ole Miss M-Club, Hopewell Water Association Board, Lafayette County Planning Commission, and Lions Club ... Married to Ester Slay of Oxford ... Three daughters: Jill Lovett of Bossier City, La., Lory Hans of Glyndon, Md., and Kerry Slay of Oxford, and one son, James E. Slay, Jr., of Birmingham, Ala.