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Inducted 2009  
Dean Hayes was raised in Naperville, Illinois, and graduated from Naperville Central High School where he was a member of the baseball team.
Hayes entered Lake Forest College in the fall of 1955 and lettered in track and field all four years. He placed in the 880-yard run at the College Conference of Illinois Championship Meet as a junior and in the mile at the NCAA Mideast Regional his senior season. He also competed in the 440-yard run, long jump, and triple jump during his collegiate career. Hayes majored in chemistry and graduated in 1959. He later earned a master’s degree from Northern Illinois University. After coaching track at the high school level for four years, Hayes returned to Lake Forest College as an assistant coach. He was then hired as the head men’s track and cross country coach at Middle Tennessee State University in 1965 and, at the time of his induction, was set to begin his 45th year at the institution. Hayes also took over the women’s track and cross country programs in 1987 and has directed MTSU teams to a combined 44 conference championships. His teams have placed among the top 25 at NCAA Division I National Championship Meets 18 times and his athletes have earned 84 All-American honors. Hayes’ coaching experience also extends to international competition, where he was a head coach at the World University Games, Goodwill Games, World Cup, and World Championships. He also served as an assistant at the U.S. Olympic Festival, World University Games, World Championships, and 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, South Korea. Hayes’ experience and success has obviously led to numerous awards. He was selected as Coach of the Year in the Ohio Valley and Sun Belt Conferences a combined 27 times and named NCAA Men’s Outdoor Track & Field Coach of the Year in 1981. In May 2009, the outdoor track facility at Middle Tennessee State was renamed Dean A. Hayes Track and Soccer Stadium in his honor. He is also a member of the Blue Raider, Illinois Sports, Tennessee Sports, Mason-Dixon Athletic Club, and United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Halls of Fame. Despite the long list of accomplishments, Hayes takes more pride in the educational opportunities his program has provided for the many student-athletes he has coached. Hayes and his wife Jan have two daughters, Erin and Kara.
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