Hall grateful for support following brother’s death

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This article was published 16/10/2019 (2179 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Richie Hall was one of the toughest men to play against in the CFL during the 1980s, displaying courage that belied his 5-6, 160-pound frame.

During his 25-year coaching career, he has forged a reputation as a soft-spoken, consummate pro.

Hall was away from his job as defensive co-ordinator of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers for a couple of weeks while dealing with family matters in Colorado following the Oct. 2 cardiac arrest death of his younger brother, Michael.

His absence triggered concern from around the football fraternity, and Hall, 59, is grateful for the support he has received.

“It’s more than I could ever ask for,” Hall said Wednesday, the day after his return to the field in Winnipeg. “That makes it hard, too, because you see the love that they’ve shown to me.”

Michael Hall, 57, was a retired police officer who had recently served as a resource consultant at a Denver-area elementary school. The brothers, Richie said, were close. And Michael, a football player in his younger days, last paid his older brother a visit in September.

“He was up here for the Banjo Bowl and less than a month later, we’re saying goodbye to him,” Hall said. “It was something very unexpected, but you find a way to get through it, because that’s life. What happened to our family is no different than what happens to every family…

“It makes you appreciate life just a little bit more because you just don’t know when it’s gonna happen. We talked after the Hamilton game on the phone, OK. And 48 hours later, we’re saying goodbye to him.”

Some of the students at Michael’s school have received grief counselling since learning of his death.

“They were taking it pretty hard. But, you know, kids are very resilient. In time — as my dad would say — in time everything will take care of itself. But what is that element of time? Is it a week, is it a month, is it 10 years?”

Of Hall’s tight-knit family, only a sister and his father remain. He found some solace in getting back to work this week.

“You’ve still gotta live, that’s what I’m trying to say,” he said. “It makes it somewhat easier because you’ve got something else to do. You can’t spend your time moping and feeling sorry for yourself because you’ve still gotta pick yourself up. You’ve still gotta go forward. At the same time, you still take a step back and reflect on what has happened. I guess one of the challenging things is it’s something you can never be prepared for. It’s an emotional thing.”

The outreach of many friends and relatives has been gratifying, too.

“The extended family has really been what was carrying us through,” Hall said. “Michael has touched people that we’ve been involved with over the years and currently (and they’ve) been outstanding.”

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Offensive co-ordinator Paul LaPolice knows Winnipeg is in for a difficult test in Calgary on Saturday night.

“I think the biggest complexity is they’re very good at keeping you out of the end zone,” LaPolice said. “For years, they’ve done it. Brent Monson’s done a great job as defensive co-ordinator of just having a group that is physical. They tackle well, they don’t give up big plays and they keep you out of the end zone. They’ve done an outstanding job all year.”

Many observers expect LaPolice’s offence to emphasize the running game, much like they did with running back Andrew Harris’s 24-carry, 166-yard output in a 35-24 win over the Montreal Alouettes in Week 18.

On Monday, Harris suggested he would welcome a similar workload against the Stampeders.

“I’m sure that he’ll want that, right?” LaPolice said. “I’m sure the receivers will say, ‘Throw it 40 times.’ But when things are working and if you’re in second and short a lot of the game, you’re going to run the ball a lot more than if you’re in second and long all game. That’s just the fact of having only two downs to get a first down. Certainly, when those things are working, we will continue to do that.”

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Adam Bighill did not practise Wednesday, but head coach Mike O’Shea indicated it was merely a day off for the veteran linebacker and O’Shea expects him to play against the Stampeders… Receiver Darvin Adams and fullback Mike Miller were also spectators, but O’Shea expects both to be ready for Saturday’s game.

mike.sawatzky@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @sawa14