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As a senior at Freeman High School, Kevin Hatch was a three-sport star who set school records in track, led the football team to the state championship game and dunked a basketball despite being well under 6 feet tall.
Despite all his success and a string of accolades that included seven state track titles and being named Inland Northwest Junior Athlete of the Year in 2004, Hatch may have received more advertising mailers than football recruiting letters during his final year as a Scottie.
Hatch made visits to Washington State and the University of Washington for track, but the only legitimate football offer came from Western Oregon, an NCAA Division II school that competes in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference.
Then, during basketball season of his senior year, Hatch received word that Eastern Washington University would welcome him as an invited walk-on to practices the following summer. There would be no guarantees that he would earn a roster spot, but, for Hatch, it meant an opportunity to participate in his favorite sport for a school that had earned respect as one of the best Division 1-AA programs in the nation.
“Out of high school, I knew that if I did get a scholarship, it would most likely be in track,” Hatch said. “But I knew if I had the chance to play football, I would.”
The first practices out in Cheney made it clear that Hatch was in for a significant transition from 1A high school football.
“Everything was just so much faster,” Hatch recalled. “It was a big step up.”
Hatch played well enough to avoid cuts that autumn, qualifying for the team as a redshirt freshman. His work ethic never wavered, despite the missing scholarship. At one point, he was named defensive scout team player of the week.
“On the scout team, Kevin went up against some good receivers,” said EWU head coach Beau Baldwin, who was an assistant back in 2005. “He’s someone who started as a walk-on and worked his way up to being a scholarship player in every aspect – as an athlete, a student and a person.”
Hatch moved on to the varsity squad in 2006, seeing time on special teams and as a backup cornerback. He earned special team player of the week honors against Weber State and was named to the Big Sky Conference All-Academic Team. Hatch also revived his track career, competing for the Eagles in the high jump and pole vault. At the league indoor championships, the sophomore soared to a sixth place finish in the pole vault.
Hatch left his track shoes behind after that season to concentrate on football. The emphasis paid off as he moved into a starting defensive back spot following injuries to two starters. In his first game, the former walk-on had a pair of interceptions in an Eastern victory.
“It was a good start,” Hatch said.
The Eagles won nine games and advanced to the quarterfinals of the national playoffs that season, upsetting McNeese State before losing to top-ranked Appalachian State. Hatch finished with 15 defensive stops in the 38-35 defeat, Eastern’s best tackling effort of the year.
“Kevin is a hard worker who understands the game,” said Chris Hansen, the EWU assistant coach who scouted Hatch at Freeman. “Sometimes he faces better athletes, but he just gets it done. He’s had a great career here.”
Hatch’s dedication also translates to the classroom where he maintains a 3.3 grade point average while majoring in management information systems.
Freeman track coach John Hayes said Hatch has always maintained a balanced perspective despite all of his achievements on the athletic field.
“Kevin is a real gentleman and a super citizen,” Hayes said. “He’s not the kind of kid who ever had a chip on his shoulder or thought he was better than anyone else. He just competes and believes in himself.”
Last season, Hatch started all 11 games and emerged as a team leader, calling out many of the defensive formations. He returned an interception for a 73-yard touchdown against Weber State, a key play in Eastern’s 33-26 win over the eventual Big Sky champions. In a nonleague game at Colorado, the junior had 10 tackles.
“I’m just grateful I had the opportunity to play here,” Hatch said. “I was blessed to have some athletic ability – I just stayed motivated to work my way up to a scholarship.”
This season, Hatch has continued as a catalyst for a squad that has gone 7-3 and is in the race for a playoff bid. The Eagles travel to Northern Arizona this Saturday for their final regular season game. With 48 tackles this year, Hatch needs half-a-dozen to move into 25th place on the all-time EWU list with 204.
From walk-on to team leader, Hatch said his success is keyed by a commitment to keep forging ahead, even if the road is uphill.
“I got the chance to step up,” he said. “When you get some adversity in your life, you keep working and find a way over it.”
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By
Craig Howard
