Chris Hatcher
Encyclopedia
Chris Hatcher is an American football
coach and former player. He is currently the head coach at Murray State University
, a position he has held since the 2010 season. Previsouly, Hatcher served as the head coach at Valdosta State University
from 2000 to 2006 and at Georgia Southern University
from 2007 to 2009. His Valdosta State Blazers
won the NCAA Division II National Football Championship
in 2004. Hatcher played college football
as a quarterback
at Valdosta State from 1991 to 1994.
at Valdosta State University
, Hatcher threw for 11,363 yards and 121 touchdowns during his stellar career. During his senior year in 1994, he led the Blazers to their first-ever postseason berth, advancing to the quarterfinals. When his career was completed, Hatcher set 29 VSU passing and total offense records. Among the national records he once set were a 68.5 career completion percentage and streak of 20 straight completions in a game against New Haven.
Hatcher was also successful in the classroom. Twice he received the Gulf South Conference’s Commissioner’s Trophy (which is awarded to the league’s Most Outstanding Student-Athlete). He finished his senior year by winning several national honors including: the NCAA Top Eight Award, the CoSIDA Academic All-America National Player of the Year and a postgraduate scholarship from the National Football Foundation
and College Football Hall of Fame
. In 1994 he won the Harlon Hill Trophy
, awarded to the NCAA Division II National Player of the Year. Hatcher graduated from Valdosta State in 1995.
His 2001 and 2002 teams posted back-to-back undefeated records during the regular season, part of a Gulf South Conference
record 35 straight victories during the regular season.
During the 2004 championship season, the Blazers lost their season-opener before rattling off 14 consecutive victories, capped by a 36–31 victory over Pittsburg State in the title game. Hatcher was named "National Coach of the Year" by the American Football Coaches Association
and was the offensive coordinator
for the East squad at the Hula Bowl
.
In 2005, Valdosta opened the season ranked No. 1 for four straight weeks and saw the season culminate with a sixth-straight NCAA postseason appearance. Despite an 8-2 record in 2006, the 10th-ranked Blazers did not receive an invitation to the playoffs, marking the first time that occurred in the Hatcher era.
2006's team finished sixth nationally in passing offense (283 yards per game), 12th in scoring offense (34.9 ppg) and 19th in total offense (389.9 yards). However, Hatcher’s teams have been successful in all three facets. The 2006 defense ranked 27th nationally in scoring defense (15.7 points allowed) while the special teams ranked third in punt returns (17.3 yards) and blocked seven kicks.
Director of Athletics Sam Baker announced the hiring of Hatcher as head football coach in January 2007.
"There were a lot of qualified candidates, but Chris Hatcher was someone I felt embodied all we were looking for," said Baker. "Chris has a proven track record as a head coach - capturing the national championship in 2004 and recording an .864 winning percentage during his seven-year tenure at Valdosta State. I looked for a coach who knows how to win and I believe Coach Hatcher can do that at the Division I level. I also wanted to hire a coach with strong recruiting ties in Georgia and Florida. Coach Hatcher knows the area well… Our Athletic Department’s charge was to go out and hire a head coach that will improve on the progress we made off the field, and have that translate to on-the-field success. I think we have that coach in Chris Hatcher."
On November 21, 2009, Georgia Southern Athletic Director, Sam Baker, announced the firing of Hatcher after the 2009 season.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
coach and former player. He is currently the head coach at Murray State University
Murray State University
Murray State University, located in the city of Murray, Kentucky, is a four-year public university with approximately 10,400 students. The school is Kentucky’s only public university to be listed in the U.S.News & World Report regional university top tier for the past 20 consecutive years...
, a position he has held since the 2010 season. Previsouly, Hatcher served as the head coach at Valdosta State University
Valdosta State University
Valdosta State University, also referred to as VSU, or Valdosta State, is an American public university and is one of the two regional universities in the University System of Georgia. Valdosta State is located on a campus at the heart of the city of Valdosta...
from 2000 to 2006 and at Georgia Southern University
Georgia Southern University
Georgia Southern University is a national public university located on a campus in Statesboro, Georgia, USA. Founded in 1906, it is part of the University System of Georgia and is the largest center of higher education in the southern half of Georgia offering 117 academic majors in a comprehensive...
from 2007 to 2009. His Valdosta State Blazers
Valdosta State Blazers football
The Valdosta State football team represents Valdosta State University in football. The Blazers are a member of the Gulf South Conference in NCAA Division II, and are currently a top 10 team. Valdosta State University has had a football team since 1981. The Blazers play in Bazemore–Hyder Stadium in...
won the NCAA Division II National Football Championship
NCAA Division II national football championship
The NCAA Division II National Football Championship began in 1973. Prior to 1973, four regional bowl games were played in order to provide postseason action for what was then called the NCAA College Division and a poll determined the final champion....
in 2004. Hatcher played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
as a quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
at Valdosta State from 1991 to 1994.
Playing career
A two-time All-American quarterbackQuarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
at Valdosta State University
Valdosta State University
Valdosta State University, also referred to as VSU, or Valdosta State, is an American public university and is one of the two regional universities in the University System of Georgia. Valdosta State is located on a campus at the heart of the city of Valdosta...
, Hatcher threw for 11,363 yards and 121 touchdowns during his stellar career. During his senior year in 1994, he led the Blazers to their first-ever postseason berth, advancing to the quarterfinals. When his career was completed, Hatcher set 29 VSU passing and total offense records. Among the national records he once set were a 68.5 career completion percentage and streak of 20 straight completions in a game against New Haven.
Hatcher was also successful in the classroom. Twice he received the Gulf South Conference’s Commissioner’s Trophy (which is awarded to the league’s Most Outstanding Student-Athlete). He finished his senior year by winning several national honors including: the NCAA Top Eight Award, the CoSIDA Academic All-America National Player of the Year and a postgraduate scholarship from the National Football Foundation
National Football Foundation
The National Football Foundation is a non-profit organization founded in 1947 by General Douglas MacArthur, legendary Army Black Knights football coach Earl "Red" Blaik and journalist Grantland Rice...
and College Football Hall of Fame
College Football Hall of Fame
The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and museum devoted to college football. Located in South Bend, Indiana, it is connected to a convention center and situated in the city's renovated downtown district, two miles south of the University of Notre Dame campus. It is slated to move...
. In 1994 he won the Harlon Hill Trophy
Harlon Hill Trophy
The Harlon Hill Trophy is an award in American college football given to the individual selected as the most valuable player in NCAA Division II. The award is named for former University of North Alabama and National Football League player Harlon Hill...
, awarded to the NCAA Division II National Player of the Year. Hatcher graduated from Valdosta State in 1995.
Valdosta State
The winningest coach in Blazers' history, Hatcher was 76–12 at his alma mater. When Hatcher took over as head coach in 2000, he wasted no time molding the Valdosta State program into the "Hatch Attack". In his first year back at VSU, Hatcher took a 4–7 squad the previous year and turned it around to a 10–2 record (8–1 in GSC action) and berth in the Division II playoffs.His 2001 and 2002 teams posted back-to-back undefeated records during the regular season, part of a Gulf South Conference
Gulf South Conference
The Gulf South Conference is a College Athletic Conference which operates in the southeastern United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division II.-History:...
record 35 straight victories during the regular season.
During the 2004 championship season, the Blazers lost their season-opener before rattling off 14 consecutive victories, capped by a 36–31 victory over Pittsburg State in the title game. Hatcher was named "National Coach of the Year" by the American Football Coaches Association
American Football Coaches Association
The American Football Coaches Association is an association of over 11,000 football coaches and staff on all levels. According to its constitution, some of the main goals of the American Football Coaches Association are to "maintain the highest possible standards in football and the profession of...
and was the offensive coordinator
Offensive coordinator
An offensive coordinator is a member of the coaching staff of a gridiron football team who is in charge of the offense. Generally, along with his defensive counterpart, he represents the second level of command structure after the head coach...
for the East squad at the Hula Bowl
Hula Bowl
The Hula Bowl was an independently administered post-season invitational college football game held each year in Hawaii from 1947 to 2008. The game was last played at Aloha Stadium in the Hālawa district of Honolulu, Hawaii. At one point the longest-running sporting event in Hawaii, it had been...
.
In 2005, Valdosta opened the season ranked No. 1 for four straight weeks and saw the season culminate with a sixth-straight NCAA postseason appearance. Despite an 8-2 record in 2006, the 10th-ranked Blazers did not receive an invitation to the playoffs, marking the first time that occurred in the Hatcher era.
2006's team finished sixth nationally in passing offense (283 yards per game), 12th in scoring offense (34.9 ppg) and 19th in total offense (389.9 yards). However, Hatcher’s teams have been successful in all three facets. The 2006 defense ranked 27th nationally in scoring defense (15.7 points allowed) while the special teams ranked third in punt returns (17.3 yards) and blocked seven kicks.
Georgia Southern
Georgia SouthernGeorgia Southern University
Georgia Southern University is a national public university located on a campus in Statesboro, Georgia, USA. Founded in 1906, it is part of the University System of Georgia and is the largest center of higher education in the southern half of Georgia offering 117 academic majors in a comprehensive...
Director of Athletics Sam Baker announced the hiring of Hatcher as head football coach in January 2007.
"There were a lot of qualified candidates, but Chris Hatcher was someone I felt embodied all we were looking for," said Baker. "Chris has a proven track record as a head coach - capturing the national championship in 2004 and recording an .864 winning percentage during his seven-year tenure at Valdosta State. I looked for a coach who knows how to win and I believe Coach Hatcher can do that at the Division I level. I also wanted to hire a coach with strong recruiting ties in Georgia and Florida. Coach Hatcher knows the area well… Our Athletic Department’s charge was to go out and hire a head coach that will improve on the progress we made off the field, and have that translate to on-the-field success. I think we have that coach in Chris Hatcher."
On November 21, 2009, Georgia Southern Athletic Director, Sam Baker, announced the firing of Hatcher after the 2009 season.
Murray State
On December 21, 2009, Murray State University Athletic Director, Allen Ward, announced the hiring of Hatcher beginning the 2010 season. In his first year at Murray State Hatcher led the Racers to a 5–3 record in the Ohio Valley Conference (tied for fourth place), and a 6–5 record overall. 2010 was the Racers first winning season since 2004.Personal life
Hatcher and his wife, Lori, also a graduate of Valdosta State, are the parents of a son, Ty and a daughter, Talley Ann.Head coaching record
2000
- Gulf South Conference Coach of the Year
- Schutt Sports National Coach of the Year
- Atlanta Touchdown Club Coach of the Year
2001
- AFCA Region 2 Coach of the Year
- Gulf South Conference Coach of the Year
- Atlanta Touchdown Club Coach of the Year
2002
- AFCA Region 2 Coach of the Year
- Gulf South Conference Coach of the Year
- Schutt Sports National Coach of the Year
- Atlanta Touchdown Club Coach of the Year
2004
- AFCA National Coach of the Year
- Johnny Vaught Coach of the Year
- Macon Touchdown Club Coach of the Year
- Atlanta Touchdown Club Coach of the Year
- Offensive Coordinator for East squad at the Hula Bowl