HARTSVILLE, S.C. - John Hackney has been hired as Coker's new Head Men's and Women's Golf Coach, announced today (Thursday, Aug. 26) by Vice President of Athletics and Athletic Facilities Dr. Lynn Griffin.
"We are pleased to welcome John Hackney as our head men's and women's golf coach," said Griffin. "Coach Hackney has been successful at leading each of the programs he has coached to national success in the classroom, the community, and on the course and we look forward to watching him continue to mentor and develop our student-athletes. I am confident that continued success lies ahead for Coker men's and women's golf."
Hackney spent the previous three seasons as the head men's golf coach at fellow South Atlantic Conference institution Wingate, where he coached 10 South Atlantic Conference Commissioner's Honor Roll selections, two All-Conference selections, two All-Tournament selections and five Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) All-America Scholars. During his tenure, the Bulldogs registered three of the four lowest team scoring averages in school history including a school record 292.4 during the shortened 2019-20 season. In 2018-19, Wingate finished third nationally amongst all collegiate golf programs in community service hours. In his three seasons, the Bulldogs also posted two tournament victories and numerous other top-five finishes in powerhouse fields. Hackney also coached two individual NCAA tournament medalists in Jarett Stowe and Yannick Koehnen. His 2018-19 team earned the GCAA Team Academic Award with a 3.2 team GPA. Hackney also served on the All-Region Committee for the Southeast region.
Prior to Wingate he spent three years as the head men's and women's golf coach at California Baptist, where he helped the programs transition from NAIA to NCAA Division II. On the men's side, Hackney guided the Lancers to Top-20 national rankings in Division II in two of his three seasons, while leading the women's team to Top-5 national rankings during all three seasons, including a No. 1 national ranking in the fall of 2015. In total at CBU, Hackney coached 38 PacWest All-Academic selections, 13 All-America scholars, five All-Americans, two PacWest individual champions, two PacWest Freshman of the Year selections, 17 All-Conference selections and 16 All-Tournament selections. His 2016 men's team finished tied for fifth at the 2016 Division II National Championships, while the Lancers qualified for the NCAA tournament in two of Hackney's three seasons and two players earned individual medalist honors. Hackney's men's team earned the GCAA Team Academic Award during all three of his seasons. On the women's side, Hackney led the Lancers to 10 tournament victories in 31 events, finishing runner-up six times and posting a head-to-head record of 330-61-7 (.884). Hackney's women won the 2015 and 2016 PacWest tournament championships by 30 and 40 shots respectively. In 2015, he coached the PacWest women's golf Student-Athlete of the Year while the team posted a 3.3 GPA each year. Hackney led the women's team to three consecutive NCAA tournament appearances, and he also was named the PacWest Coach of the Year in 2014.
Before California Baptist, Hackney wore several different hats at Barton College from 1996-2013. He coached men's golf from 1997-2013, served as the Sports Information Director from 1996-2013 and also coached the men's and women's cross country programs from 1997-2000. On the golf course, he led the Bulldogs to 45 team titles over 16 seasons and 14 consecutive NCAA tournament berths. Barton was ranked in the Top 25 for 12 of his final 13 seasons, including rankings in the Top 10 during seven of those seasons. In total, he coached 32 individual medalists, 11 All-Americans, 11 Scholar All-Americans and one Freshman All-American. The Bulldogs posted a 341-82-8 (.806) head-to-head record in Hackney's final three seasons. Hackney also coached Barton's women's golf team from 2010-13, posting four All-Conference selections. He is scheduled to be inducted into the Barton Athletics Hall of Fame on Oct. 15, 2021.
Before his involvement in college golf, Hackney worked as a sports writer for various publications from 1984-96.
"I am thrilled to be joining the Coker University family as the Men's and Women's Golf Coach, said Hackney. 'Since I have spent most of my 23-year coaching career in the Southeast region, I am very familiar with the Cobras and their athletic history. I would like to thank previous Coker golf coaches Dennis Becker, Dan Schmotzer, John Handrigan, Tommy Baker, Danny Allen, Adam Goins and Sam Stark for their hard work and dedication, and for laying the groundwork for a highly successful program. I coached against all of those men, except Becker, and have tremendous respect for what they did to put Coker golf on the map. We are really excited to see what happens with both teams this season since we have quite a few veterans and some excellent newcomers."
Hackney holds a Bachelor of Science in journalism from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.