Carl Hatfield Biography

Matewan High School / (Class of 1965)

Classification: AA-A

Specialty: Mid-Distance / Distance

West Virginia University / (Class of 1969) Morgantown, WV

[High School]

Carl E. Hatfield (born May 5, 1947) is from the Tug River Valley community of Matewan, where he attended Magnolia (Matewan) High School in Matewan, West Virginia.

Hatfield didn’t begin running until his senior year in high school, where he was coached by James Melmige. He would run around a football field marked off with tires, and he was able to run a 4:57 mile.

At Fairfield Stadium in Huntington, Hatfield set a Class AA record in the Mile run of 4:43.

At the 1965 Class AA West Virginia State Meet at Charleston, Hatfield just took off running when the gun went off. That’s the only thing he knew how to do. He usually wore himself out. While coming down the stretch he was about ready to tie-up, when some tall guy in a black uniform from Pineville passed him about 10-yards from the finish. Then another guy from Beverly passed him, he ended up finishing third eight-tenths of a second from a state championship.

It was Adkins of Pineville who won the Mile run in 4:36.2, while Church of Beverly was second, Hatfield of Matewan was a close third, Bee of West Union was fourth, and Jackson of Milton was fifth.

Upon graduation, Hatfield was a walk-on with the West Virginia University cross country team.

[College]

Carl Hatfield is recalled as a 5-foot-9, 135-pound lad who reported to the West Virginia University Field House in search of the “running coach.” Hatfield ran his first cross country meet at Pittsburg, beating everyone – Pitt and WVU runners alike.

He would have cracked the course record if he wouldn’t have lost his way twice. Some markings along the route had been washed away by heavy rain.

Hatfield still won the race by 80-yards. Coach Romanoski says “He lost at least 25 seconds the two times he took the wrong turn.” Hatfield’s only experience was as a senior running on the track team at Matewan. He knew nothing about cross country. The rest is history.

Regarded as the premier harrier in the history of West Virginia cross country, Carl Hatfield was WVU's first-ever cross country All-American. As a junior, Hatfield won his first All-America honors by finishing 20th at the NCAA meet in Cheyenne, Wyo., in 1967. He followed that with a 10th-place finish during his senior season in New York City, to earn his second-straight All-America award.

The Matewan, W.Va., native also won two NCAA district titles, the first in 1967 at Williamsburg, Va., and the second in 1968 at Atlanta, Ga. Including NCAA championships, Hatfield won 27 of 35 cross country races he entered during his time in Morgantown.

At the time he graduated, Hatfield held or shared Mountaineer records on five indoor events and nine outdoor events. He is one of only two WVU athletes who has won three distance track events in one meet and was named WVU's outstanding senior in academics and athletics in 1968.

Hatfield lettered from 1966-68 for Coach Stan Romanoski and was team captain as a senior. He also ran track for the Mountaineers and won several Eastern and Southern conference titles. After graduating in 1969 with a degree in biology and education, Hatfield founded the West Virginia Track Club, which has since become one of the best running clubs on the East Coast.

In 1972, he earned his master's degree from WVU in guidance and counseling, and then went on to lead the WVTC to the Boston Marathon team championship in 1974, and the AAU national team championship in 1978. Hatfield also won the AAU national marathon championship in 1978 and represented the United States at several meets around the world. A direct descendant of history's famed Hatfield (and McCoy) family, he ironically won the Ray McCoy Award as West Virginia's best amateur track athlete in 1976. Hatfield is also one of only a handful of distance runners who have qualified for four U.S. Olympics Trials. According to Track & Field News US Rankings in the Men's Marathon, Carl Hatfield Ranked 5th (1974) & 9th (1976).

Hatfield has competed in more than 700 races, including the Boston and New York marathons. Since his graduation from WVU, Hatfield has been involved professionally in teaching and coaching at the high school and collegiate levels. In fact, he has been involved with several universities throughout West Virginia, including Alderson-Broaddus, Salem, and WVU.

In 1995, Carl Hatfield was inducted into the WVU Sports Hall of Fame for Men's Track & Field and Men's Cross Country.

[Personal]

Hatfield has been a member of Mountain and Phi Sigma Kappa fraternity since 1968. He is married to the former Georgia Strum since July 26, 1980, and the two reside in Bridgeport and have a daughter, Stephanie Lynn. Hatfield also has a son from a previous marriage, Bryan Carl, who is a graduate of Virginia Tech.

Hatfield credits Coach Stan Romanoski for how far he has come.

Accomplishments:

· WVU's first-ever cross country All-American

· NCAA All-American Honors (1967 & 1968)

· Individual NCAA Qualifier (1966-1967)

· Won two NCAA district titles (1967& 1968)

· Won 27 of 35 cross country races

· Hatfield held or shared Mountaineer records on five indoor events and nine outdoor events (at the time he graduated)

· Named WVU's outstanding senior in academics and athletics (1968)

· Lettered from 1966-68

· Team captain (Senior year)

· Led the WVTC to the Boston Marathon team championship (1974)

· Led the WVTC to the AAU national team championship (1978)

· Won the AAU national marathon championship (1978)

· Won the Ray McCoy Award as West Virginia's best amateur track athlete (1976)

· Qualified for four U.S. Olympics Trials

· US Rankings in the Men's Marathon - Ranked 5th (1974) & 9th (1976) [T&F News]

· Inducted: WVU Sports Hall of Fame 1995

· Graduated with a degree in biology and education (1969)

· Earned his master's degree from WVU in guidance and counseling (1972)

Written by Greg Walker and Mike McMillion (updated 03/19/18)