Jack Hazen continues his Malone legacy
CANTON, Ohio — For 55 years running, the University of Malone Pioneers has had the steady hand of Jack Hazen at the helm of one track and field team or another. 53 of those years were spent as the head coach of the men’s cross country team and 29 of those years were also spent as the head coach of the women’s cross country team. During that tenure as head coach, he has led the Malone Pioneers to be the all-time winningest program in NAIA history.
In 2020 at the age of 79, Hazen finally decided to take a small step towards retirement and took over the role of Coach Emeritus for the cross-country team. The role allows Hazen to remain involved in the day-to-day activities of each respective track team, but also allows his former assistant coaches to step up. Former Associate head coach Dave Gramlich takes over on the men’s side and graduate assistant Tina Oprean takes over the women’s team.
During his 55-year run at Malone, here are a few notable accomplishments that Jack Hazen’s teams accomplished. He led the men’s cross country teams to NAIA championship runs in 1972, 2007, 2008, and 2009. He also led the women’s cross country team to the same victory in 1999. During his tenure at Malone University, Hazen has had a hand in training 117 NAIA and NCAA All-American athletes on his respective teams.
Under Jack Hazen, the private, Christian university in Canton, Ohio enjoyed so much success that they were able to compete at the NCAA Division II level. In 2015, the men’s team placed 22nd in the NCAA Division II National Championships, which is a respectable accomplishment. Overall, the men’s team has claimed 8 All-Ohio championships and the women’s team claimed their lone All-Ohio championship in 2014.
Out of his 55 years coaching at Malone University, 28 of them were spent as head coach of the men’s team and three of them as head coach of the women’s team. Remarkably, Hazen has had a hand in coaching 80% of all of Malone’s All-Americans in their school’s history.
In 2012, Hazen was given the opportunity to serve as an assistant coach for the USA Track and Field Olympic team at the London games. Aside from this achievement, Hazen has had the privilege of serving in a coaching capacity on World Championship teams, USA World Championship teams, and Junior Pan American World Championship teams.
In 2016, Jack Hazen was honored with Lifetime Achievement Award from the Ohio Association of Track and Cross country Coaches (OATCCC) for 100 total seasons of coaching service. He was also elected to the USTFCCCA and joins the ranks as one of the greatest track and field coaches in the history of Ohio and the nation.
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