Texas high school football legend known as 'The Sugar Land Express' dies at 89

Legendary Texas high school football player Kenneth Hall, famously known as "The Sugar Land Express," has passed away at the age of 89, according to the Houston Chronicle.

Hall, who played in the early 1950s, set a national rushing record of 11,232 career yards that stood until Derrick Henry broke it in 2012.

Born in Madisonville, Texas, in 1935, Hall attended Sugar Land High School and rose to prominence as a dual-threat quarterback. Hall's senior year in 1953 was particularly remarkable, as he rushed for 4,045 yards, still the highest single-season output in Texas history and seventh best all-time nationally. He also had two other seasons with over 3,000 rushing yards.

(Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)

After high school, Hall was recruited by Paul "Bear" Bryant to play at Texas A&M. However, he left the program after his freshman year due to a mismatch between Bryant's philosophy and Hall's skills. Hall got married and did not return to college football, but he did later play professionally in the Canadian Football League and in the NFL with the Chicago Cardinals, Houston Oilers and St. Louis Cardinals.

Hall was inducted into the Texas High School Football Hall of Fame and the National High School Hall of Fame in 1983, and the Texas Sports Hall of Fame in 1994.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY High School Sports Wire: Texas football legend known as 'The Sugar Land Express' dies at 89

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