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Jack Hatem
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Jack Hatem beings his fifth season as a member of the Denison University football coaching staff while 2009 will mark his third season as the team's defensive coordinator.
In 2008, Hatem's defense forced 24 turnovers led by junior Drew Homyk and sophomore Nick Weiss who each picked off five passes, which ranked second best in the North Coast Athletic Conference. Over the final six games of last season the defense held their opponents to just 12.8 points per game and overall, opponents averaged 333.0 yards per game which was the lowest average posted by a DU defense since 1995.
Hatem spent the 2005 and 2006 seasons coaching defensive backs for the Big Red and has spent over 20 years coaching in the collegiate and high school ranks prior to coming to Denison. His 2007 defense forced 21 turnovers, highlighted by seven by freshman cornerback Tyler Lambert, the second most in a single season in Denison history.
In 1999 Hatem was named the Division V Ohio High School Co-Coach of the Year after guiding New Albany High School to a 9-1 record and their best season since 1966. The Coach of the Year honor was the second of Hatem's career. He also received the award in 1993 as the head coach at Fisher Catholic in Lancaster, Ohio.
Hatem has also had head coaching stints at Highland High School in Sparta, Ohio, Arvada West in Arvada, Colo., and Greenon High School in Enon, Ohio.
Hatem earned his bachelor's degree from Rio Grande College and received his master's degree in Physical Education from Ohio University. After graduating Magna Cum Laude from Rio Grande in 1982 he would be named the head baseball coach at Fisher Catholic. That would lead to a four-year stint as the head baseball coach at Rio Grande where he led the Red Storm to the NAIA regional playoffs in 1986. He would return to the Ohio high school coaching ranks in 1990 as the head baseball and assistant football coach at Bishop Watterson High School in Columbus. That spring he led Watterson to their first ever baseball state championship.
He will continue to serve as the assistant strength and conditioning
coach and instructor for activities courses in the department of
physical education.