CANTON, Ohio - Legendary Malone University cross country head coach Jack Hazen has received another prestigious honor as the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association announced on Tuesday that Hazen has been elected to the organization’s Coaches Hall of Fame.
“I am very honored and extremely humbled to learn of my selection into the USTFCCCA Hall of Fame,” commented Hazen, who will begin his 51st year at the helm of the Pioneer cross country program this fall. “This Hall represents many of my friends, mentors and legends of our sport. I am thrilled to join this distinguished group.”
The USTFCCCA Coaches Hall of Fame was started in 1995 and exists to recognize coaches who have brought great distinction to themselves, their institutions and to the sports of cross country and track and field.
The USTFCCCA recognition adds to an already incredible list of career accolades for Hazen. He previously has been inducted into the Malone Athletics Hall of Fame, the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Hall of Fame, the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) Hall of Fame, the Asbury University Hall of Fame, the Ohio Association of Track and Cross Country Coaches (OATCCC) Hall of Fame and the Marlboro High School Hall of Fame.
“Jack is a beloved member of the Malone community,” noted Pioneer Athletic Director Charlie Grimes, who previously served alongside Hazen as Malone’s track & field head coach for 11 seasons. “Seeing our longtime mentor and friend receive this well-deserved honor is very special to me and the entire athletic department.”
In addition to leading the Malone men’s cross country program for the past 50 years, Hazen has also served as women’s cross country coach for 26 years. The Pioneers have captured a total of four NAIA men’s cross country national titles (1972, 2007, 2008, 2009) and one women’s national championship (1999) during his tenure.
Malone’s men’s cross country program qualified for the national meet each and every year during the institution’s time in the NAIA, never losing a conference/district meet from 1968 to 2010 - an incredible streak of 43 years that may be unmatched in collegiate sports. In addition, the Pioneer men recorded 35 Top-10 NAIA national finishes during Hazen’s tenure and are still ranked as the winningest program by the NAIA.
In addition to his numerous cross country accomplishments, Hazen also has an extensive history of coaching track & field. He served as Malone’s head coach of men’s track & field for 28 years and women’s track & field for three years. Combined between track & field and cross country, Hazen has coached over 325 All-Americans, which represents more than 80% of the All-Americans in Malone Athletics history.
Hazen has written textbooks on coaching and has had numerous international coaching opportunities. Most recently, he was selected to serve as an assistant coach for the USA Track & Field Team at the 2012 London Olympic Games where he worked with Team USA’s distance runners. His other international appointments include being named Head Manager for the 1999 Junior Pan American Track & Field Team, twice serving as the U.S. Coach for men’s cross country at the World Championships in Boston and Capetown, South Africa, and serving as an assistant coach for the U.S. World Championship meet in Helsinki, Finland in 2005. Jack has also coached two Olympians and served on the Track & Field Competition Management Team at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.
In the spring of 2016, Hazen received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the OATCCC, recognizing 100 total seasons of combined coaching service between track & field and cross country.
Hazen and fellow 2017 USTFCCCA Hall of Fame honorees Amy Deem of the University of Miami, Peter Farwell of Williams College, Bob Kersee of UCLA, Fred Samara of Princeton University and Patrick Shane of Brigham Young University will be officially inducted at the USTFCCCA National Convention on Wednesday, December 13 in Phoenix, Arizona.