Larry Hays is a US college baseball, basketball, women's basketball, and softball coach. Hewas the head baseball coach at

Lubbock Christian University Lubbock Christian University (LCU) is a private Christian university associated with the Churches of Christ and located in Lubbock, Texas. Chartered originally as part of a grade school called Lubbock Christian School in 1954, the institutio ...

(LCU) (1971–1986) and

Texas Tech University Texas Tech University (Texas Tech, Tech, or TTU) is a public research university in Lubbock, Texas. Established on , and called Texas Technological College until 1969, it is the main institution of the five-institution Texas Tech University Sy ...

(1987–2008). He was the head coach of the LCU Chaparrals basketball (1969–1975, 1978–1980), LCU Lady Chaps basketball (1982–83), LCU Lady Chaps softball (2010) and LCU athletic director (1979–1987). Under the leadership of Hays, the LCU Chaparrals baseball team won the

National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) established in 1940, is a college athletics association for colleges and universities in North America. Most colleges and universities in the NAIA offer athletic scholarships to its st ...

(NAIA) Baseball World Series in 1983.

Early life

Hays was born in

Elida, New Mexico Elida is a town in Roosevelt County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 197 at the 2010 census. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , all land. Demographics As of the census of 2000 ...

, but went to school in Dora, where he played basketball and baseball in high school. He attended Lubbock Christian College and played for the men's basketball team while earning an Associates of Arts degree in 1964. He then attended

Eastern New Mexico University Eastern New Mexico University (ENMU or Eastern) is a public university with a main campus in Portales, New Mexico, and two associate degree-granting branches, one at Ruidoso and one at Roswell. ENMU is New Mexico's largest regional comprehensiv ...

(ENMU), in

Portales, New Mexico Portales is a city in and the county seat of Roosevelt County, New Mexico, United States. Its population was 12,280 at the 2010 census. Portales is located near the larger city of Clovis, and Cannon Air Force Base, a major contributor to the ...

, where he earned a Bachelors (1966) and master's degree (1969). As Hays put it, "I've always liked to say when I was at Eastern, that I averaged 30 a game. When I said that, people looked at me, and I would say '30 seconds, not 30 points."

Coaching career

Lubbock Christian

Hays began his coaching career when he was hired as the assistant coach of the

Lubbock Christian Chaparrals basketball The Lubbock Christian Chaparrals and Lady Chaps (also LCU Chaparrals and LCU Chaps) are the athletic teams that represent Lubbock Christian University, located in Lubbock, Texas, in intercollegiate sports as a member of the NCAA Division II rank ...

team. He was promoted to head coach in 1969. When Lubbock Christian added baseball in 1971, Hays became the program's second head coach (he played on teams for LCC in the 1960s which were coached by Lester Perrin, the head basketball coach at the school at that time). He led the Chaparrals baseball team to an NAIA national championship in 1983. In the same season, he was, for a single season, the head women's basketball coach of the Lady Chaps. From 1979 until 1987, he was the university's athletic director. Hays was the softball program's second head coach after his son, Shanon Hays, resigned to take the same position with the

Texas Tech Red Raiders softball The Texas Tech Red Raiders softball team competes in the NCAA Division I, representing Texas Tech University as a member of the Big 12 Conference. Texas Tech has played its home games at Rocky Johnson Field in Lubbock, Texas since 2001. History ...

team. He was succeeded by his son Daren Hays, after a single season as the Lady Chaps' head coach in 2010.

Texas Tech

Hays became the head baseball coach of the Texas Tech Red Raiders in 1987. He led the Red Raiders to two SWC championships, two Big 12 championships and nine NCAA tournament appearances and posted a winning season in every year but his first and last. In 2005, he became the fourth coach ever to gain 1,400 wins. On April 2, 2008, Hays became just the fourth coach in NCAA baseball history to win 1,500 games, 805 with the Red Raiders, with a 10–5 win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in his 22nd year as Texas Tech's head coach. On June 2, 2008, Hays retired from coaching after 38 years, 22 of which were spent at Texas Tech. His final record stands at 1,509 wins and 860 losses, fourth all-time in NCAA history. He will remain on the Tech staff in a developmental role. Hays's No. 27 jersey was retired on March 23, 2009. Ceremonies were held at

Dan Law Field Dan Law Field at Rip Griffin Park, nicknamed "The Law", is the home stadium of the Texas Tech Red Raiders baseball team in Lubbock, Texas. It is located on the Texas Tech University campus, adjacent to Jones AT&T Stadium and Fuller Track. Dan L ...

before the Texas Tech Red Raiders game against the Lubbock Christian Chaparrals. Texas Tech won the game 4–3.

Head coaching record

Baseball

Men's basketball

Women's basketball

Reference:

Softball

References

External links

Bio at Texas Tech Athletics
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hays, Larry Living people Eastern New Mexico Greyhounds men's basketball players Junior college baseball players in the United States Junior college men's basketball players in the United States Lubbock Christian Chaparrals and Lady Chaps athletic directors Lubbock Christian Chaparrals baseball coaches Lubbock Christian Chaparrals baseball players Texas Tech Red Raiders baseball coaches People from Roosevelt County, New Mexico Lubbock Christian Lady Chaps basketball coaches Lubbock Christian Chaparrals basketball coaches American softball coaches Lubbock Christian Lady Chaps softball coaches American women's basketball coaches Basketball coaches from New Mexico Junior college women's basketball coaches in the United States American men's basketball players Year of birth missing (living people) National College Baseball Hall of Fame inductees