CHICAGO – Former Chicago State head men's basketball coach, and CSU alum, Bob Hallberg passed on November 19. He was 75 years old and had courageously battled liver cancer since being diagnosed in November 2018.
As an athlete, Hallberg played basketball at Leo and Chicago State. He took his first coaching position at Kennedy High School in 1966.
In 1971, Hallberg became the men's basketball coach at St. Xavier before moving on to Chicago State in 1977.
In 1984, the CSU men's basketball team captured a third place finish at the NAIA National Championships, under Hallberg's leadership, dropping an overtime loss against Westmont (Calif.) in the semifinals.
During the 1984-85 season, Chicago State transitioned to a Division I, independent program, finishing 16-11, 22-6, and 11-17 respectively during Hallberg's final seasons as a Cougar.
Barry Shaw, who served as Hallberg's assistant coach for 30 years, cited another impressive accomplishment.
"When he was hired at Chicago State (in 1977), they had been 13-16 the year before," Shaw said. "We were 25-5 with basically the same players. He went in there and just organized them.
Hallberg retired as the athletic director and women's basketball coach at St. Xavier following the 2018-19 school year. He was diagnosed with liver cancer in November 2018.
His career coaching record was 1,080-420.
