Chris Hatcher (American football)

Chris Hatcher
Current position
Title	Head coach
Team	Samford
Conference	SoCon
Record	57–43
Biographical details
Born	February 18, 1973 (age 50); Macon, Georgia, U.S.
Playing career
1991–1994	Valdosta State
Position(s)	Quarterback
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1996	UCF (QB/TE)
1997–1998	Kentucky (GA)
1999	Kentucky (QB/WR)
2000–2006	Valdosta State
2007–2009	Georgia Southern
2010–2014	Murray State
2015–present	Samford
Head coaching record
Overall	178–100
Tournaments	8–5 (NCAA D-II playoffs); 1–3 (NCAA D-I FCS playoffs)
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
	1 NCAA Division II (2004); 4 GSC (2000–2002, 2004); 1 SoCon (2022)
Awards
	AFCA Division II Coach of the Year (2004); 3× Gulf South Coach of the Year (2000–2002); Harlon Hill Trophy (1994)

Last updated November 19, 2023

Chris Hatcher (born February 18, 1973) is an American football coach and former player. He is the head football coach at Samford University, a position he has held since 2014. Hatcher served as the head football coach at Valdosta State University from 2000 to 2006, Georgia Southern University from 2007 to 2009, and Murray State University from 2010 to 2014. His Valdosta State Blazers won the NCAA Division II Football Championship in 2004. Hatcher played college football as a quarterback at Valdosta State from 1991 to 1994.

Playing career

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.

Coaching career

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. Hatcher’s coaching staff at Valdosta State in 2000 included future SEC head coaches Will Muschamp and Kirby Smart.

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.

Georgia Southern

Georgia Southern 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. Went 7–4 in the 2011 season.

Samford

On December 10, 2014, it was announced that Hatcher would be the new head coach of the Samford Bulldogs. He replaces Pat Sullivan, Samford's all-time leader in wins, who resigned mainly due to health reasons. Former Samford coaches include Bobby Bowden (later head coach at West Virginia and Florida State), Wayne Grubb (who led Samford to the NCAA College Division West Region II Championship in 1971), and Terry Bowden (later head coach at Auburn, North Alabama and Akron).

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


Year	Team	Overall	Conference	Standing	Bowl/playoffs	AFCA/STATS^#	FCS Coaches^°
Valdosta State Blazers (Gulf South Conference)(2000–2006)
2000	Valdosta State	10–2	8–1	1st	L NCAA Division II First Round	8 (South)
2001	Valdosta State	12–1	9–0	1st	L NCAA Division II Quarterfinal	1
2002	Valdosta State	14–1	9–0	1st	L NCAA Division II Championship	2
2003	Valdosta State	10–2	8–1	2nd	L NCAA Division II First Round	5
2004	Valdosta State	13–1	9–0	1st	W NCAA Division II Championship	1
2005	Valdosta State	9–3	7–2	T–2nd	L NCAA Division II First Round	14
2006	Valdosta State	8–2	6–2	T–3rd		14
Valdosta State:		76–12	56–6
Georgia Southern Eagles (Southern Conference)(2007–2009)
2007	Georgia Southern	7–4	4–3	T–3rd
2008	Georgia Southern	6–5	4–4	T–4th
2009	Georgia Southern	5–6	4–4	T–4th
Georgia Southern:		18–15	12–11
Murray State Racers (Ohio Valley Conference)(2010–2014)
2010	Murray State	6–5	5–3	T–4th
2011	Murray State	7–4	5–3	2nd
2012	Murray State	5–6	4–4	6th
2013	Murray State	6–6	4–4	T–5th
2014	Murray State	3–9	1–7	T–8th
Murray State:		27–30	17–25
Samford Bulldogs (Southern Conference)(2015–present)
2015	Samford	6–5	3–4	T–4th
2016	Samford	7–5	5–3	4th	L NCAA Division I First Round	23	23
2017	Samford	8–4	6–2	T–2nd	L NCAA Division I First Round	18	17
2018	Samford	6–5	5–3	4th
2019	Samford	5–7	4–4	T–4th
2020–21	Samford	4–3	4–3	5th
2021	Samford	4–7	3–5	7th
2022	Samford	11–2	8–0	1st	L NCAA Division I Quarterfinal	7	7
2023	Samford	6–5	4–4	T–5th
Samford:		57–43	43–29
Total:		178–100
National championship Conference title Conference division title or championship game berth

Awards and honors

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

Related Research Articles

Patrick Joseph Sullivan was an American professional football player and college coach. An All-America quarterback for the Auburn Tigers, he won the Heisman Trophy in 1971 and then played six seasons in the National Football League (NFL) with the Atlanta Falcons and Washington Redskins. Sullivan was a head football coach at Samford University, a position he held from 2007 to 2014. He was previously the head football coach at Texas Christian University (TCU) from 1992 to 1997 and the offensive coordinator at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) from 1999 to 2006. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a player in 1991.

The Grand Valley State Lakers football team represents Grand Valley State University (GVSU) in NCAA Division II football. The team currently competes in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and was once affiliated with the now defunct Midwest Intercollegiate Football Conference. The Lakers football team has appeared in six NCAA Division II national title games, winning four championships, since 2001. The team has made the playoffs in 20 seasons. They have also won or shared 17 conference titles.

Dusty Bonner is a former American football quarterback. He was a standout Harlon Hill Trophy winner in 2000 and 2001 while playing for Valdosta State University, and was signed as an undrafted free agent in 2002 by the Atlanta Falcons.

Kerwin Douglas Bell is an American football coach and former player who has been the head coach of the Western Carolina Catamounts football team since 2021. Bell was born in the rural North Central Florida town of Live Oak and was a star high school football quarterback at Lafayette County High School. Though he led the Lafayette Hornets to their only state championship, he did not attract the attention of top college football programs while playing at the small high school. He enrolled at the University of Florida, made the football team as a walk-on, and was redshirted during his freshman season of 1983.

The Valdosta State football team represents Valdosta State University in football. The Blazers are a member of the Gulf South Conference (GSC) in NCAA Division II. Valdosta State University has had a football team since 1981. The Blazers play in Bazemore–Hyder Stadium in Valdosta, Georgia, which has a capacity of 11,249. The stadium is also the home of the historical Valdosta High School Wildcats. The Blazers have won a total of four Division II National Championship titles.

The 2008 NCAA Division II football season, part of college football in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association at the Division II level, began on August 30, 2008, and concluded with the NCAA Division II Football Championship on December 15, 2008, at Braly Municipal Stadium in Florence, Alabama, hosted by the University of North Alabama. The Minnesota–Duluth Bulldogs defeated the Northwest Missouri State Bearcats, 21–14, to win their first Division II national title.

David Dean is an American college football coach and former player. He was the head football coach for the University of West Georgia from 2017 to 2023. Dean served as the head football coach at Valdosta State University from 2007 to 2015, compiling a record of 79–27 in nine seasons. His team won the NCAA Division II Football Championship in 2007 and in 2012.

The Murray State Racers football team represents Murray State University in the sport of American football. The Racers compete in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) of the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) Division I and the Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC).

The Valdosta State Blazers are the athletic teams that represent the Valdosta State University, located in Valdosta, Georgia, in intercollegiate sports at the Division II level of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The Blazers have primarily competed in the Gulf South Conference since the 1981–82 academic year.

The 2012 Valdosta State Blazers football team represented Valdosta State University as a member of the a member of the Gulf South Conference during the 2012 NCAA Division II football season. They were led by sixth-year head coach David Dean and played their home games at Bazemore–Hyder Stadium in Valdosta, Georgia. After a 2–2 start, Valdosta State won their next 10 games and defeated Winston–Salem, 35–7, in the title game of the NCAA Division II National Football Championship. The championship was the school's seventh national title, and the third in football. Dean was recognized as the AFCA Division II Coach of the Year. The national championship was Dean's second at Valdosta State, having led the Blazers to the NCAA Division II title in 2007, his first year as head coach. The Blazers finished the season 12–2 overall and 4–1 in conference play, placing second in the Gulf South behind West Alabama, who beat Valdosta State in regular season, but then fell to the Blazers in the second round of the NCAA Division II playoffs.

The 2018 Valdosta State Blazers football team represented Valdosta State University as a member of the Gulf South Conference (GSC) during the 2018 NCAA Division II football season. They were led by third-year head coach Kerwin Bell, who also served as offensive coordinator. The Blazers played their home games at Bazemore–Hyder Stadium in Valdosta, Georgia. Valdosta State compiled an overall record of 14–0 with a conference mark of 8–0, winning the GSC title. They beat Ferris State in the NCAA Division II Championship Game to win the program's fourth national title.

The 2004 Valdosta State Blazers football team was an American football team that represented Valdosta State University as a member of the Gulf South Conference (GSC) during the 2004 NCAA Division II football season. In their fifth year under head coach Chris Hatcher, the team compiled a 13–1 record and won the GSC championship. The team advanced to the NCAA Division II playoffs and defeated Pittsburg State, 36–31, in the championship game.

The 2021 Valdosta State Blazers football team represented Valdosta State University as a member of the Gulf South Conference (GSC) during the 2021 NCAA Division II football season. They were led by third-year head coach Gary Goff. The Blazers played their home games at Bazemore–Hyder Stadium in Valdosta, Georgia.

The 2019 Valdosta State Blazers football team represented Valdosta State University as a member of the Gulf South Conference (GSC) during the 2019 NCAA Division II football season. They were led by first-year head coach Gary Goff. The Blazers played their home games at Bazemore–Hyder Stadium in Valdosta, Georgia.

Roland Rivers III is an American football quarterback who is a free agent. He played college football at Valdosta State and Slippery Rock and was the 2019 winner of the Harlon Hill Trophy. He played for the Pittsburgh Maulers of the United States Football League (USFL) in 2022.

The 2022 Gulf South Conference football season was the season of college football played by the eight member schools of the Gulf South Conference (GSC) as part of the 2022 NCAA Division II football season.

Kaleb Nobles is an American football coach. He is the head football coach for the University of West Florida; a position he has held since 2023.

Buster Faulkner is an American football coach and former player who is currently the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for Georgia Tech team.

The 1994 Valdosta State Blazers football team represented Valdosta State University as a member of the Gulf South Conference (GSC) during the 1994 NCAA Division II football season. Led by third-year head coach Hal Mumme, the Blazers finished the season 11–2 and went 6–1 in GSC play to finish second in the conference. The Blazers received a bid to the NCAA Division II playoffs for the first time in program history, losing in the quarterfinals to eventual champion North Alabama. The team played its home games at Cleveland Field in Valdosta, Georgia.

References

External links

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.