Coach John Hackney Retires After 25 Years of Coaching in Division II

Hartsville, SC- Coker University golf coach John Hackney has announced his retirement after a remarkable career that spanned 25-plus years – all at the NCAA DII level.  Hackney, who was at the helm for the Cobras the last three seasons, coached men's golf for all 25 years and was the women's coach at three different schools for three years each.

Under his guidance, Hackney's teams at Coker, Wingate, California Baptist, and Barton won an impressive 63 tournaments. They advanced to the NCAA DII Tournament 20 times, including six National Championship appearances and seven individual NCAA qualifiers. He had 21 student-athletes earn All-America honors and two of his players were named National Freshman of the Year. Hackney was named Conference Coach of the Year seven times in his career and Regional Coach of the Year three times. He also hosted 37 collegiate tournaments, including two regionals and one conference championship.

Most recently, Hackney guided the 2023-24 edition of the Coker men during a historic run to the NCAA Championships in Florida. The Cobras, who were ranked in the Top 25 all season, finished second in the South Atlantic Conference Championships, second in the South-Southeast Regional Championships, and third in the stroke play portion of the National Championships before falling to No. 1 ranked North Georgia in the Medal Match Play quarterfinals. Along the way, Coker rewrote the golf record book, averaging a school-best 288.64 per round and setting marks for birdies (497) and eagles (20) in a season. The Cobras fired a school-record 6-under par for 54 holes at the Nationals when seven of their 15 rounds were under par.

Hackney's impact on his players goes beyond their performance on the golf course. He has mentored 52 All-American scholars, 17 Academic All-American teams, and three Elite 23 winners (awarded to the participant with the top GPA at SAC Championships in each sport).

He has instilled qualities that will serve his players well beyond their collegiate careers and has a fairly substantial coaching tree of former players and assistants. Hackney led his men's teams to the NCAA tournament an impressive 17 times out of 24 completed seasons. Hackney's success is not limited to just one team, as he took three different programs to the NCAA tournament. With Barton College, he made the trip 14 straight times, with California Baptist twice, and with Coker once. His 2019-20 Wingate team won its last event by 30 shots and was headed for the Regionals when COVID-19 halted the season.

Not only has Hackney been able to lead his teams to the NCAA tournament, but he has also seen success once there. Six of his teams have made it to the final. The Barton and CBU men placed as high as 5th at the National Championships and the Cobras were third this year. This level of achievement at the highest level of competition is a testament to the hard work and dedication that Hackney instills in his players.

During his time at Coker University, Hackney's teams achieved numerous accolades and accomplishments. He coached two All-Americans, six All-SAC players, 21 Academic All-American scholars, and five Academic All-American teams. Teammates Caleb Tidd and Jonathan Hallinger tied for the individual title at this year's SAC Championships, with Tidd prevailing in a playoff. Hackney's Coker men's and women's squads now own the two lowest-scoring averages of all-time. The Coker women won three tournaments over the last two seasons, and had one individual medalist and two Elite 23 recipients. The women averaged 315.54 two years ago and 315.96 this past season.

At Wingate University, Hackney coached a successful men's golf program that registered three of the lowest four season scoring averages of all-time, posting a school-best 292.4 in 2019-20. The Bulldogs won two tournaments and had two individual champions. Hackney, a big proponent of having his student-athletes give back to their local areas, also led the Bulldogs to a third-place national ranking in community service hours. Additionally, his focus on academics resulted in his team earning the GCAA Team Academic Award in 2019 with a 3.2 GPA.

During his time at California Baptist University, Hackney played a key role in transitioning the men's and women's golf programs to NCAA Division II. Under his guidance, the women's team became a force on the national scene, posting a sensational 330-61-7 overall record. The Lancers achieved a No. 1 national ranking in 2015, were ranked in the top 5 nationally all three years, won 10-of-31 tournaments (were runners-up six times),  captured two PacWest championships and qualified for the NCAA Tournament all three seasons. He was named PacWest Women's Coach of the Year in 2014. His men's teams made the NCAA Tournament 2-of-3 seasons, were ranked in the Top 20 twice, won two tournaments, had three individual champions and placed 5th in the 2016 NCAA DII National Championships.  His commitment to academic excellence was evident with the men's and women's teams earning the GCAA Team Academic Award for three consecutive seasons.

Hackney began his coaching career at Barton College in 1997, where he quickly turned the Bulldogs into a men's powerhouse. After revamping the program the first two seasons and changing the culture, he guided Barton to 14 consecutive NCAA Tournaments, including four Finals appearances, where the Bulldogs twice finished fifth. Along the way, Barton seized 45 team titles, had 33 individual tournament champions and was ranked in the Top 25 12 times and Top 10 seven times in his final 13 seasons at the helm. Barton was 341-82-8 (.806) in his last three years. He was named Conference Coach of the Year five times and Regional Coach of the Year three times. Hackney also started the women's golf program at BC in 2011 and coached it for two seasons.

While at Barton, Hackney was also the Sports Information Director for 17 years and established the Men's and Women's Cross Country program, which he coached for three seasons. For his efforts at Barton, Hackney was inducted into the Barton Athletic Hall of Fame in 2021.

He served as Conference Golf Chair while at three of four institutions, was a member of the Men's DII National Coaches Congress and the South-Southeast Regional Ranking and Selection committees.

After graduating with a Bachelor of Science in journalism from UNC Chapel Hill, Hackney was a sportswriter before getting into coaching. 

Overall, Hackney's coaching career was defined by his dedication to developing well-rounded student-athletes. His emphasis on academic success, community service, and competitive excellence made him a respected figure in the college golf community for the past quarter century.

"I am truly grateful to all the student-athletes, coaches, administrators and staff I have worked with for the past 25 years," said Hackney, whose last day was August 2nd. "Few people get to do what they believe God put them on the earth to do, so I feel blessed to have been a college coach for so many years."

"I have learned a lot from my players and colleagues along the way and it has been both rewarding and fun to make adjustments as the game, and young people, have changed. I have always said that teams with good chemistry will beat teams with good talent, and I believe my squads have almost always done a great job of working together to achieve their goals. This past season at Coker was a perfect example. Assistant coach Dan Schmotzer and I had four seniors and a junior who were blood brothers, and they would do anything and everything to play their best and not let their teammates down."

"I am truly honored to have been in the coaching profession for so many years. Some of my best friends are coaches and former players that I have roamed courses with all over the country. What makes me most proud is not all the championships, but that so many of my student-athletes have gone on to be successful people in a variety of fields. That is why we coach. Thanks to all of you for the great memories!"