Last Wednesday, November 13, saw Athletic Director Bob Hallberg honored with both a court dedication and a scholarship endowed in his name.
Hallberg coached both Saint Xavier College’s men’s basketball (1971-1977) and women’s basketball here at Saint Xavier Univeristy (2000-Present), a career that spans forty years. During most these two time periods, he also served as Althetic Director. It is no wonder that Saint Xavier wanted to show its admiration.
Senior Leslie Rosario, a Communicatons major and cross country runner, stated, “Hallberg is well respected not only within the athletic department, but within the entire school. His dedication to the athletes and the school did not go unnoticed.”
Hallberg’s coaching career began early when around age eighteen he started coaching for his little brothers while attending college.
When asked if there was a moment where he knew that he wanted to be a coach Hallberg replied, “I played basketball my whole life, but there was this one incident when I was a sophomore at Leo High School here in Chicago where my coach called me off the bench to put me in and he kept saying ‘Hallberg this is all you. I want you to go out there and steal that ball. You go out there and get it.’ In that moment he motivated me so much that I probably would have stolen the ball from my own teammates. Afterwards I realized I wanted to be able to motivate others in that same way.”
That motivation paid off when Hallberg went on to Chicago State University where he was point guard and captain while obtaining a degree in physical education.
After graduating Hallberg went on to coach basketball at Kennedy High School in Chicago until he was selected as the men’s basketball coach and Athletic Director of Saint Xavier College in 1971 at the age of twenty-seven. Leaving Saint Xavier in 1977 he went on to coach at both Chicago State University as well as the University of Chicago. Eventually he found himself back here at Saint Xavier University in 1999 where he helped begin the women’s basketball team.
While Hallberg may have gone into coaching with the thought that he might one day find himself at the college level, it was never something he was completely set on.
According to Hallberg, he states, “Your whole life is a mystery and you never know where it’s going to take you.”
It appears that Saint Xavier was extremely lucky for these little mysteries considering that Hallberg has lead women’s basketball to a record of 329-101 (.765) and has commanded the athletic director’s job since 2001 where he supervises a successful fourteen-sport program. Taking in all these accomplishments its no wonder that the University and the community wanted to honor him.
Dr. Steven Murphy, the Executive Director of Development at Saint Xavier University and a friend from Hallberg’s days as men’s basketball coach and athletic director at Saint Xavier College, stated that, “The University honored him for being a very successful coach, but also for running an entire athletic program marked by excellence, integrity, and the academic achievements of our student athletes.”
Hallberg’s dedication to Saint Xavier’s Athletic program can be clearly seen in his appearance at almost all athletic events. He even arrived late to the last football game because he was coming from a cross-country event.
When asked what made Director Hallberg a prime candidate for such a dedication President Christine Wiseman explained, “His history both in Chicago, Illinois, and Saint Xavier has shown a pretty spectacular career. He’s chosen to dedicate himself to the scholar athletes of this institution.”
Having the newly renovated court at Saint Xavier’s Shannon Center named the “Bob Hallberg Court” was not the only recognition that he saw last Wednesday. The University went even further in its acknowledgement of Bob Hallberg as an important person to Saint Xavier through the creation of the Bob Hallberg Scholarship.
The creation of this scholarship acknowledges and honors Hallberg’s service by contributing to something he values greatly here at Saint Xavier, its scholar athletes.
President Wiseman says that she feels there is, “nothing more special that a university can do than endow a scholarship in someone’s name.”
While the exact terms of the scholarship are still being worked out, efforts are being taken to ensure that the scholarship is endowed. Dr. Murphy states that, “We hope that all athletic alumni and friends will get behind the current effort to improve athletic facilities and to endow the Bob Hallberg Scholarship at SXU.”
Hallberg explains that when it comes to both the court dedication and the scholarship, “I never expected it. It is such an honor to have something named after you that’s permanent. It makes you feel appreciated and that what you did over the years was of value and something to be proud of. I’m overwhelmed that somebody thought that much about me that they would bestow this honor on me.”
Knowing his history and dedication to Chicago, athletics, athletes, etc. no one is surprised that he received such a dedication, and many in the community would exclaim that Bob Hallberg deserves it.
Catlyn Hicks
Senior News Editor