Coach Gayle Hatch

On Thursday, May 24 2012, Delaware tribal member Gayle Hatch went to the opening of the Native American Olympic Exhibit at the Smithsonian and had the opportunity to stand beside Jim Thorpe’s son and the legendary Billy Mills, first American to win the 10,000 Meters. Now who is Gayle Hatch, you ask? Let me tell you a few things that I have found out in the past few weeks about this remarkable tribal member:

In his early youth Gayle Hatch lived in Muskogee, Oklahoma, until his father moved the family to Baton Rouge, Louisiana at the age of 10. Gayle remembers fondly coming back to Oklahoma and traveling to Tulsa to visit his grandmother, who was Delaware, and grandfather, who was Wyandotte. His grandmother, the president of the Tulsa Indian Women’s Club at the time, told stories of what it was like when she was young, telling him what she had heard about the Trail of Tears and other Native people. She gave Gayle a book about Jim Thorpe that would influence the rest of his life. Looking through the book he saw all of the pictures and marveled at the accomplishments of the man he looked up to and decided he wanted to be like. Gayle went to his father and asked him if he would help him reach his goal. His father made him promise to give it 100% and he did.

Going to Baton Rouge’s Catholic High School, Gayle kept that goal in mind and proceeded to excel in basketball, football, and track. He set school records in basketball, averaging 35 points and 23 rebounds, records that still hold 55 years later! He attended Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, Louisiana where he played basketball, again setting records those have lasted 51 years. After college, Gayle was drafted into the ABL (American Basketball League) where he played for the Chicago Majors for a few years before returning back home.

While building his real estate business in Baton Rouge, Gayle started working out with Alvin Roy, a local gym owner, on a weightlifting/strength and conditioning program. When a group of investors bought out Alvin’s gym, he told them the best thing for them to do would be hire Gayle to run the place. So after an offer and several discussions his wife Peggy, Gayle accepted the position and started on the path that has led to 49 National and American Championships. Coach Hatch developed the Hatch System for weightlifting/strength and conditioning, which six National Football champion teams have used during their championship seasons. At the 2000 Olympic Trials he was presented an award for being the winningest coach and has been inducted into multiple Halls of Fame over the years.

In the summer games of 2004 Gayle was honored to serve as the head coach of the USA Men’s Olympic Weightlifting Team. “It’s like climbing Mt. Everest and reaching the summit! You remember everything that had brought you to this point. Parents, grandparents, coaches, teammates, everyone is there with you. Then it is down to business and getting to the matter of why you are here.”

Both Gayle and his wife Peggy will be going to the 2012 Games in London this year. Neither has had the opportunity to visit England yet and they are looking forward to touring the countryside while cheering on the US Olympic Team as they strive for greatness. We are honored to have a photo of Gayle in his 2004 Olympic uniform which hangs in the Wellness Center where, under the gaze of this great man, you can work out 8 AM to 8 PM Monday-Friday and 8 AM to 1 PM on Saturdays.