Remembering Coach Dean Hayes

(MURFREESBORO) This community, MTSU, and the worldwide athletic community lost a sports legend. 84-year old Coach Dean Hayes passed away Friday afternoon (1/7/2022) at Ascension St. Thomas Rutherford Hospital with his family by his side.

A family spokesperson indicated there will be a private funeral for family only; however, plans are underway for a Celebration of Life that will be open to the public. Date and time of the Celebration of Life is to be determined.

Legacy of Champions

Throughout the history of Middle Tennessee track & field, there have been two constants - veteran coach Dean Hayes and a legacy of championship performances.

MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee said, "He was a champion in so many ways: As a father, mentor and role model, a world-class recruiter, and a winning coach at the highest echelons. Dean was a living legend. I speak for Elizabeth and my family, as well as all Blue Raiders, in expressing our deepest and heartfelt condolences to Jan and all of his family."

Former State Representative, MTSU Alumnus and Director John Hood stated, "We have lost a legend in the death of Coach Dean Hayes. For so many years he produced outstanding teams for MTSU. Dean produced not only winners, but successful young citizens from around the world."

Senior Judge Don Ash noted, “Coach Hayes was not only a legend at MTSU but also across college athletics. He touched so many lives and reflected the values of a true Blue Raider. His accomplishments have established a legacy for track and field at MTSU. A life well lived! Soli Deo Gloria!”

Because of Hayes' international success, numerous international athletes have sought out Middle Tennessee as their college of choice.

Hayes' most successful student-athletes at Middle Tennessee have competed in the NCAA triple jump, an event in which Hayes specializes.

A runner who had competed in the Dean Hayes Track and Soccer Stadium told WGNS, "Coach was always there, and he would walk around and make everyone feel welcome. Such a great person who dedicated his life to helping others."

Rutherford County Mayor Bill Ketron commented, "Coach Dean Hayes is an Icon, Around the Globe in the World of Track and Field. His ability to find and recruit the best Athletes for decade after decade and bring them to MTSU where they out preformed their potential setting us apart from all others. He carried the Blue Raider Banner from the Indoor Track at Murphy Center to the Outdoor Stage of the Olympics. His ability to be the Father to many Athletes, and to be your friend with his gentle smile will be surely missed."

Murfreesboro Mayor Shane McFarland said, "Dean Hayes has been a staple in our community for years. He brought Murfreesboro national and international attention before anyone knew where Murfreesboro was located. He was a tireless supporter of young men and women and his leadership will be dearly missed."

Aside from the first Olympic Sports Festival, Hayes worked as an assistant at the World University Games in Bucharest, Romania (1981); the World Championships in Helsinki (1983) and the Coach of the Summer Olympic Games in Seoul, South Korea (1988). He also acted as a referee at the Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta.

True Blue for 57-Years

MTSU's Director of Athletics Chris Massaro commented, "He is on the Mount Rushmore of Middle Tennessee, and not just athletics. Coach Hayes was a pioneer and an institution at MTSU. He will be sorely missed by the community, the University, and all of his former and present student-athletes. Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife Jan and his daughters Erin and Kara."

Overall, Hayes has guided the programs to 29 OVC titles, 19 Sun Belt championships, and 20 NCAA Top 25 finishes. Fifty-three of his student-athletes have earned a total of 125 All-America honors, five have become national champions six times and a number of them have gone on to compete internationally in the Olympic Games, World University Games, World Championships, Goodwill Games, Pan-American Games and African Championships.

In Conference USA, Hayes claimed seven titles, five with the women and two with the men's team. Most recently, sweeping the 2021 men's and women's cross country championships.

His men's teams dominated the Ohio Valley Conference, and the women's teams duplicated that success after Hayes took over the program in 1987. Both squads continued their success in the Sun Belt Conference, capturing 19 of the 51 indoor and outdoor titles for which they were eligible to win.

Hayes added four Conference USA Coach of the Year accolades, 15 Sun Belt Coach of the Year awards to complement his 15 OVC Coach of the Year honors, which included 10 in a row from 1977 to 1986. He was inducted into the Blue Raider Hall of Fame in 1982 and the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame in 1994. In addition, Hayes became a member of the Illinois Sports Hall of Fame in 1993, the Mason-Dixon Athletic Club Hall of Fame in March 2005, the USTFCCCA Hall of Fame in 2008, the Lake Forest College Hall of Fame in 2009 and the Naperville Hall of Fame in 2019.

Following the 1981 season, the Division I Track & Field Coaches Association voted Hayes the NCAA Outdoor Coach of the Year. Hayes then served as president of the TFCA in 1982-83.

After joining the Sun Belt full-time prior to the beginning of the 2000-01 academic year, Hayes and his staff were instrumental in helping Middle Tennessee capture the school's first Vic Bubas Cup in 2001 (the league's all-sports trophy) when the track programs won three SBC titles. The teams also played significant roles in Middle Tennessee winning the trophy in 2004, 2005, 2007, 2009 and 2011.

Coach Hayes Early Years

Dean Hayes was a native of Napier, Illinois.

He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from his home state's Lake Forest College. During college, he competed in the 800-meters, the long jump as well as the triple jump in which he was an NCAA qualifier.

After earning his M.S. Ed. at Northern Illinois, Hayes began his coaching career at the high school level in Chicago where he coached for three years followed by spending one year in Minneapolis. He then jumped to the collegiate ranks at his alma mater, Lake Forest, before coming to Middle Tennessee in 1965.