Johnny Hatley

Johnny Ray Hatley (March 16, 1930 – February 10, 2001) was an

Early life and education

Hatley was born on March 16, 1930, in Lometa, Texas. His parents moved to Uvalde, Texas, in 1933, where he grew up on the family ranch.^[1][2] Hatley attended Uvalde High School and was an all-around athlete, competing in track, baseball, basketball, and football.^[1] A March 1948 article in the Austin American-Statesman wrote "In many ways Hatley rates as the year's most phenomenal trackman. A 220-pound football player, Hatley also runs the 100 [metres] in 10.7 [seconds] and high jumps five feet, seven inches, in addition to his shot put duties, where he is a consistent 50-footer. Few men of his size can perform those feats."^[3] In May 1948, Hatley won the state high school shot put championship with a throw of 52 feet, five more than second place.^[4]

In July 1948, it was reported that Hatley had enrolled at

Hatley started the 1954 season with the Bears and was reported as "the sensation of the camp so far," having "won every sprint race to date" despite gaining 15 pounds.^[20] Shortly before the first game of the regular season, he was sent on waivers to the crosstown Chicago Cardinals.^[21] Overall, in 1954, Hatley played in twelve games and started between eight and eleven of them, as the Cardinals finished 2–10.^[18][22] He also made one fumble recovery and returned one kickoff for eleven yards.^[18] In 1955, he appeared in all twelve games and started eleven, as the Cardinals finished the season fourth in the Eastern Conference with a record of 4–7–1.^[18][23] He recorded one fumble recovery and returned two kickoffs for thirteen yards.^[18]

In July

In 1961, Hatley was signed by the New York Titans but was released at the roster cuts.^[31]

1966–1969

In 1966, Hatley became the defensive coach,

In 1968, Hatley led Fort Worth (renamed the Braves that year) to a 10–2 record, placing second in the Western Division but narrowly missing the playoffs.[39] The following year, Hatley retired from playing, at the age of 39, but continued as head coach and general manager.^[6][32][40] The 1969 Fort Worth team played in the Continental Football League (CoFL), and finished with a record of 5–7 in league play, third place in the Texas Division West.^[41] Hatley retired from coaching after the season.^[32]

Rodeo career

Hatley became interested in rodeo when at Sul Ross and competed in the sport during the football off-season each year.^[2] In 1956, he quit football to rodeo full time.^[42] He said that year, "handling animals, even the bulls, isn't half as tough as playing football ... I've never gotten hurt in a professional rodeo, but in football, I'm always getting hurt."^[43] In the next years he won steer wrestling competitions in Odessa, El Paso, Uvalde, Pecos, and Waco, Texas; Palm Springs, California; Cheyenne, Wyoming; and Spokane, Washington.^[42] He placed sixth nationally in steer wrestling in 1957 and moved up to fifth in the following year.^[1] In 1959, he participated in the National Rodeo Finals and placed thirteenth.^[1] He competed only part-time in the 1960s and had his last rodeo in Cheyenne, Wyoming, in 1973.^[42]

Later life and death

Hatley later was in the trucking business.

Citations