The Olympian The Olympian The Olympian

In July, the UW’s student health clinic got a new name: the Husky Health Center. Known as Hall Health for more than 75. years, the facility offers everything from primary care, physical therapy and X-rays to gender-affirming care and safer-sex supplies. The rebranding stems from a bit of confusion (is Hall Health just for students in residence halls? No!) and a bit of technicality (a few departments unrelated to the clinic also occupy the building).

David Connolly Hall in his Brown University running days, circa 1898-1901. He would go on to coach and teach at the University of Washington.

But the man behind Hall Health remains present in the building’s new name: the David C. Hall Building. An athlete, coach and physician, Hall made history in the Paris Olympics…124 years ago.

Originally from Sherbrooke, Quebec, just over the Canadian border from Vermont, Hall moved to Boston and eventually attended Brown University where he earned 107 trophies and captained the track team before becoming Brown’s first Olympian in 1900.

He might have become Brown’s first gold medalist had the second-place finisher, John Cregan (also from the United States), not stepped on his heel at the halfway mark, causing his right shoe to fly off. Still, he persisted, finishing the second half of the race with just one shoe. Hall placed third and took home the bronze.

Hall went on to study at the University of Chicago and obtain a medical degree from Rush Medical College in 1907. He came to the UW for a job as director of physical training and professor of hygiene and also coached several men’s sports.

A bronze medal, like the one Hall received, from the 1900 Paris Olympics.

He left to serve in World War I as a lt. colonel in charge of an ambulance corps—made up of doctors and many UW students— on the front lines in Italy. Back at the UW, in the wake of the Spanish Flu and an outbreak of impetigo, he established the first student health service on campus in 1919 and became its director until retiring in 1947.

Today, Hall’s namesake building houses Husky Health Center along with the offices for Environmental Health & Science and Community Standards & Student Conduct.

“[The name change] brings clarity to our mission, strengthens awareness around our connection to the UW community and honors the legacy of Olympian, coach, WWI veteran, and long-time UW physician David C. Hall,” writes the Husky Health Center. “An added bonus is that we also won’t have to change acronyms!”

Curious about Dawgs at the Games? We’ve compiled a list of alumni competing in the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. See details on UW Athletics’ website.

Athletes
Kelsey Plum, ’17 (USA, women’s basketball)
Sami Whitcomb, ’10 (Australia, women’s basketball)
Pan Cheng-tsung, ’15 (Taiwan, men’s golf)
Nick Taylor, ’10 (Canada, men’s golf)
Carl Yuan, ’18 (China, men’s golf)
Nina Castagna, ’23 (USA, women’s rowing)
Teal Cohen, ’22 (USA, women’s rowing)
Holly Dunford, ’22 (Great Britain, women’s rowing)
Aisha Rocek, ’25 (Italy, women’s rowing)
Tabea Schendekehl, ’21 (Germany, women’s rowing)
Phoebe Spoors, ’17 (New Zealand, women’s rowing)
Jessica Thoennes, ’18 (USA, women’s rowing)
Danielle Hansen, ’17 (USA, women’s rowing)
Chris Carlson, ’19 (USA, men’s rowing)
Ben Davison, ’19 (USA, men’s rowing)
Jacob Dawson, ’16 (Great Britain, men’s rowing)
Rielly Milne, ’18 (USA, men’s rowing)
Evan Olson, ’19 (USA, men’s rowing)
Pieter Quinton, ’25 (USA, men’s rowing)
Simon van Dorp, ’22 (Netherlands, men’s rowing)
Logan Ullrich, ’23 (New Zealand, men’s rowing)
Aaron Small, ’24 (USA, men’s rowing, kayak)
Jonas Ecker, ’25 (USA, men’s rowing, kayak)
Brian Fay, ’23 (Ireland, men’s track and field)
Kirean Lumb, ’22 (Canada, men’s track and field)
Sam Tanner, ’19 (New Zealand, men’s track and field)
Izzi Batt-Doyle, ’19 (Australia, women’s track and field)
Sophie O’Sullivan, ’24 (Ireland, women’s track and field)
Gianna Woodruff, ’15 (Panama, women’s track and field)

Coaches
Michael Callahan (USA men’s rowing eight coach)
Lori Dauphiny (USA women’s rowing pair coach)
Adrienne Martelli (USA women’s rowing sweep coach)
Tama Miyashiro (USA women’s indoor volleyball assistant coach)

Lead photo courtesy of Husky Health Center