DeLaSalle alum named head football coach
C.J. Hallman was settled in his role as associate director of Lasallian Ministry, assistant football coach, and ninth-grade basketball coach at DeLaSalle High School.
“I was very comfortable,” said Hallman, a 2002 graduate of the school located on Nicollet Island in downtown Minneapolis. “I loved what I was doing to contribute.”
Well, Hallman, son of MSR veteran sports columnist and Staff Writer Charles Hallman, got what he called “a lifetime opportunity” last month when he was named head football coach at his alma mater.
He replaces Sean McMenomy, who left after seven seasons as head coach.
“I never even thought about the head coaching job when Coach McMenomy announced that he was stepping down,” C.J. Hallman recalled. “My friends encouraged me to apply. I was one of the last applicants.”
The new coach comes into the job with definite familiarity.
As a sophomore, he was a backup lineman to future NFL player Derrick Robinson on DeLaSalle’s Class 3A state championship team. Other teammates included Star Tribune Metro Player of the Year player Dominique Sims and current NBA guard Alan Anderson.
After graduation, Hallman earned a sociology degree from DePaul University in 2007. He has been working in the Lasallian Ministry, a student Christian service program at DeLaSalle, since 2008.
C.J. Hallman indicated that his familiarity with the program and, more importantly, the players will help him transition from his role as an assistant. “I know the players well,” he said with enthusiasm. “I’ve coached them, I’ve run the off-season workouts, and in the process have built relationships with them.”
During his tenure as an assistant, the Islanders made it to the state championship game in 2008 and 2014. DeLaSalle had 13 consecutive winning seasons before finishing with a 3-7 record in 2015.
C.J. Hallman, despite last season, is simply looking forward to 2016. “I’m very excited for the opportunity to coach this team,” he said. “I’m ready to get started.”
Mitchell Palmer McDonald welcomes reader responses to mmcdonald@spokesman-recorder.com.
