As coach at Indiana University from 1925 to 1943, Earl "Billy" Hayes developed some of the best distance runners in the nation's history. Hayes' cross country teams won three NCAA team titles and also won the national collegiate outdoor team title. The Hoosiers' track team went from finishing 8th in the Big Ten in 1925 to capturing eight conference titles, six straight from 1928 through 1933. Indiana never finished below second from 1928 until Hayes retired. An exponent of long distance training for his athletes, including sprinters, Hayes built a reputation as one of the finest coaches of his era and his influence carried over long after his death in 1943. His star athletes included Olympians Ivan Fuqua, Chuck Hornbostel, Don Lash (also a Hall of Famer), Roy Cochran, Fred Wilt (also a Hall of Famer) and Tom Deckard. Others such as Campbell Kane and Archie Harris were National AAU champions. Hayes was instrumental in organizing the first NCAA Cross Country Championship as well as the formation of the National Collegiate Cross Country Association, for which he served as president. Hayes also was an assistant coach on the 1936 U.S. Olympic team.
Coach