Jim Hatch's contributions live on in Cheney

Editor's note: The Cheney Free Press seldom reruns past articles, but sometimes events require something be said a second time. In this case, it's the late Jim Hatch.

Cheney High School is going to dedicate the small gym in Hatch's honor during halftime of Friday night's, Feb. 20, boys' basketball game with Clarkston. Game time is 7:30 p.m.

Hatch played a big part in not just Blackhawks sports, but in the Cheney community as a whole. The following story was originally published in the Nov. 15, 2007 issue of the Cheney Free Press. In honor of Hatch and Friday's dedication, we have re-run a slightly edited version.

By PAUL DELANEY

Staff Reporter

Simple words seem to do the best job of summing up the life of Jim Hatch, Sr. Words like teach, loved, humor, competitor, rock, coach, cared, successful, fun, honest and straightforward.

Then there are others, vociferous for example, that might send one to their Funk and Wagnall's to do a little research.

Hatch passed away Nov. 4, 2007 at his home in Cheney from complications due to lymphoma at age 80. It was is wife of 54 years, Betty Hatch, who spoke of just a few of the memories of their long, long life together following his passing.

She first met her future husband when she was just 4 years old. Jim Hatch was her brother's best friend she said. With eight older brothers, Jim was always sticking up for Betty and protecting her from their teasing.

Jim Hatch graduated from Coeur d'Alene High School in 1945, where he played football and baseball. He attended the University of Idaho on a football scholarship and was a four-year letterman. Hatch was later served in Army in Germany.

Upon his return from the service, Jim and Betty struck up a more serious relationship and were married on July 10, 1953, fueled in part, perhaps, by a first date at Spokane's old Playfair Race Course. “He loved to bet the horses,” Betty Hatch said. “Even when he was so sick, he loved to bet the horses.”

Jim started his education career in Huntington, Ore., a small railroad town where he taught social studies and coached six-man football guiding, that team to the state playoffs. Next, Hatch took a teaching position at Harrington, coaching eight-man football and basketball. Hatch's team went undefeate.

Betty Hatch struggled for words as she described her husband's coaching style. Then it came to her. “Vociferous?” she said with a laugh. “He did a lot of yelling. He yelled at the kids, he yelled at the referees. I mean he was just loud.”

She recalled one game, “(It was) terrible officiating,” she said. “I think he got like 60 yards in penalties. It was the most yardage the opponents got all day. He just kept talking and they (the refs) kept walking.”

Hatch moved on to Carnation, Wash. before arriving in Cheney in 1964. His first Blackhawks' team went winless but his 1966 squad was one for the ages. They finished undefeated and ranked second in the state. In those days, state playoffs were still on the drawing board, however.

Bob Crabb was a member of that 1966 team and spoke of bonds Hatch helped forge that are still in place over 40 years later. “To us, he was always coach and we were his kids,” Crabb said.

Crabb recalled one story about how inventive his coach was in the old Northeast A league where they played Medical Lake, Colville, Chewelah and Colfax. “We were a big school in a smaller conference,” Crabb said.

Trying to keep alive their hopes of an undefeated season, Crabb recalled that, “In ‘66 our second to last game was Mead. They weren't in our league, but to have an undefeated season we had to beat them and Colfax.”

Mead had installed an all-audible offense, Crabb, said. It was similar to today's no-huddle, 2-minute offense. To counter, Hatch had his team learn an all-audible defense, and do so in just a week. “It was one of the best coaching jobs I really ever saw,” Crabb said. Cheney won the game and went on to go undefeated.

Stories about Hatch losing his temper were plentiful. “Jim could get wound up and go pretty ballistic,” Crabb said. He once got so mad at the team he threw his clipboard about 40 feet in the air.

“It was the end of the year and the clipboard was full of papers and it rained,” Crabb said. “And our biggest task was to keep from laughing.”

Crabb said Hatch “took great pride in how we played. Like a lot of other coaches then, he was an old-time, hard-ass coach.” But he cared an awful lot about his players.

Hatch retired from coaching in 1973 and became the CHS athletic director where he served until 1987. He retired in 1988, and 20 years later, Hatch's influence is still very much present.

“There's an awful lot of guys who still stick together,” Crabb said. “Part of that is because we had a successful experience. But you can't have a successful experience unless you have somebody at the head.”

“Jim was Jim,” Crabb said. “There was no pretense. He cared about us and he cared about the game. With Jim, what you saw right there was Jim Hatch.”

Paul Delaney can be reached at [email protected]