Coach Chris Hatcher led Samford Football against VMI on Saturday, Nov. 5 to a win of 35-15, making him the winningest head coach in Samford Football history.
The win gives Hatcher 48 total in his eighth season at Samford. He currently holds a record of 48-37 overall as. The previous record was held by Pat Sullivan, who had a record of 47 wins in eight seasons as head coach.
This season marks one of the best in Coach Hatcher’s tenure with the Bulldogs. This season is currently tied for most wins in a single season under Hatcher. The Bulldogs sit at 8-1, and are ranked No. 9 in the FCS Rankings. With two games left to play in the regular season, the team could match the 1991 Bulldogs with a 10-1 record, the best in program history.
Hatcher came to Samford University after an already storied career. Hatcher started coaching at his alma mater, Valdosta State, where he established a high-powered offense based off of Hal Mumme’s Air Raid offense. Nicknamed “The Hatch Attack,” the run-and-gun offense was able to put up points in a hurry, and it helped Hatcher lead Valdosta State to a Division II National Championship in 2004. After stints at Georgia Southern and Murray State, Hatcher landed at Samford for the 2015 season.
In his first season at Samford, Hatcher made an immediate impact, turning Samford’s offense to number seven in the nation for total offense (479.9 YPG). Along with improvements to the offense, the special team ended the season fifth nationally in kickoff return average (24.34 YPR).
Hatcher’s tenure at Samford has been mixed, with only two NCAA Tournament appearances and no SoCon titles for the head coach.
However, the talent Hatcher has produced is undeniable. Devlin “Duck” Hodges and Montrell Washington have both had stints in the NFL, with Washington currently a return specialist for the Denver Broncos.
This season has been the best yet for Hatcher, as the Bulldogs lone loss is to Georgia on the road. Samford is undefeated in conference play, and has won seven games in a row heading into their next matchup.
Coach Hatcher spoke on how the team has been coming in each week to continue their form to make this season “a special one.”
“I’ve been very fortunate to have a lot of great players on this current team and on former teams,” said Hatcher. “Those are the guys that won those games. I knew going into the year, that to beat the record, we would have to have a very special year and thus far, the guys have come through week in and week out.”
Hatcher and the Bulldogs will look to continue their unprecedented success this Saturday, Nov. 12, as they will face the Chattanooga Mocs on the road.
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