Upon his arrival at Middle Tennessee State University in 1965 and throughout a career that spans more than thirty years, Dean Hayes quite simply distinguished himself as one of the leading track coaches in the United States.
His men’s teams dominated the OVC for many years. He was able to duplicate that success with the MTSU women’s team, when he took over that program in 1987. Hayes’ men’s teams won the OVC outdoor championship nine out of ten years, from 1977 to 1986 and then again in 1993. They took the indoor championship in 1979, 1981, 1983, 1985, 1986, and 1993.
His first MTSU women’s team tied for the 1988 OVC outdoor championship and won the indoor title in 1991. On the national level, his teams finished among the nation’s top twenty teams seven times indoors and twice outdoors.
Hayes’ successes have been recognized with a host of honors, including induction into the MTSU Blue Raider Hall of Fame, OVC Coach of the Year ten consecutive years (1977-1986), and Women’s Indoor Coach of the Year and NCAA National Coach of the Year in 1991.
Appropriate for such a prestigious career, Hayes was asked to coach several teams sponsored by the U.S. Olympic Committee. He coached athletes competing in the jumping events for the U.S. at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, Korea.
Hayes continues to coach at Middle Tennessee. In 2016, he was named the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association South region Coach of the Year. This year, Coach Hayes won his 50th conference championship.