Chris Hatcher
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Chris Hatcher | ||
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| Title | [Head Coach) | |
| College | [Georgia Southern) | |
| Sport | Football | |
| Team record | 7-4 | |
| Career highlights | ||
| Overall | 83-16 | |
| Championships | ||
| 2004 Division II National Championship | ||
| Awards | ||
| Gulf South Conf. Coach of the Year 2000, 2001, 2002 AFCA National Coach of the Year 2004 |
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| Playing career | ||
| 1991-94 | Valdosta State | |
| Position | QB | |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | ||
| 1996 1997-98 1999 2000-2006 2007-present |
UCF(QB/TE) Kentucky (GA) Kentucky (QB/WR) Valdosta State Georgia Southern |
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Chris Hatcher is an American College Football coach and the current head coach at Georgia Southern and the former head coach at his alma mater Valdosta State University.
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[edit] College
A two-time All-American quarterback 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.
[edit] Coaching Experience
Head Coach, Valdosta State
Year Record Final Rankings Postseason
2000 10-2 (.833) 9th (AFCA) NCAA Playoffs
2001 12-1 (.923) 4th (AFCA) NCAA Playoffs Quarterfinals
2002 14-1 (.933) 2nd (AFCA) NCAA National Championship Runner-Up
2003 10-2 (.833) n/a NCAA Playoffs
2004 13-1 (.929) 1st (AFCA) NCAA National Champions
2005 9-3 (.750) 14th (AFCA) NCAA Playoffs
2006 8-2 (.800) 10th (AFCA)
Totals 76-12 (.864) Six NCAA Playoff appearances; two National Championship Game appearances 2004 National Champions
1999 Assistant Coach, University of Kentucky (QB/WR)
1997-98 Graduate Assistant, University of Kentucky (QB)
1996 Assistant Coach, University of Central Florida (QB/TE)
1995 Student Assistant Coach, Valdosta State University
[edit] Valdosta State Head Coach
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 GFC 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 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.
[edit] Georgia Southern Head coach
Georgia Southern University Director of Athletics Sam Baker announced the hiring of Chris Hatcher as head football coach in January 2007. The sixth full-time head coach in Eagle Football takes over the Georgia Southern program following a successful seven years at Valdosta State University (Ga.).
“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.”
[edit] Personal
He and his wife Lori, also a graduate of VSU, are the parents of a son, Ty and a daughter, Talley Ann.
[edit] Awards and Honors
[edit] 2000
- Gulf South Conference Coach of the Year
- Schutt Sports National Coach of the Year
- Atlanta Touchdown Club Coach of the Year
[edit] 2001
- AFCA Region 2 Coach of the Year
- Gulf South Conference Coach of the Year
- Atlanta Touchdown Club Coach of the Year
[edit] 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
[edit] 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
- NCAA Division II National Champions
[edit] References
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