Hall of Fame
Like many of the university's Hall of Fame inductees, Earl Hatcher was a versatile athlete for the Bulldogs. He earned five letters in eight academic quarters-three in football, two in track and one in basketball. Mr. Hatcher was named to the All-Conference Team in 1930 and 1931 as a back. Although he weighed only 145 pounds and stood just 5 foot 7 l/2 inches, he was considered one of the best broken field runners to play for the Bulldogs during the Don Faurot era. A 67-yard touchdown scamper at Maryville against the Bearcats brought the Bulldogs back from a 6-0 deficit and gave them a conference championship in 1930. At that time, Mr. Hatcher was a member of what was called the 4-H Backfield, which was comprised of Morris Hammond, Art House, Dick House and Earl Hatcher. As a member of the Bulldog basketball team, he was usually called to guard the other team's best offensive player because of his defensive prowess. He usually threw the javelin for the track team, but he was also capable of running the hurdles and competing in the relays. Mr. Hatcher left the university for California, where he was a carpenter and then worked in tooling for Lockheed. There is a story that once while Don Faurot was Missouri football coach he took his team to California for a game. Mr. Hatcher looked up his old coach before the game, and Mr. Faurot invited his former player to sit on the bench during the game. Coach Faurot gave Mr. Hatcher a uniform to wear on the bench. After the game, Mr. Hatcher commented that it was the first time he had dressed for a game that he didn't get an opportunity to play in. Mr. Hatcher retired in 1978.
