BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Samford University Director of Athletics Martin Newton announced on Monday a four-year contract extension for Head Football Coach Chris Hatcher that runs through January 2027.
 
"I'm pleased that Coach Hatcher will continue his tenure as a Samford Bulldog. We look forward to building on the momentum of a SoCon Championship season and FCS playoff appearance that produced an undefeated FCS regular season and the first home playoff win in school history," Newton said. "Coach Hatcher has done a tremendous job of building a solid foundation, with a top-notch staff that will continue to compete for SoCon Championships in the coming years." 
 
Hatcher is heading into his ninth season leading the Bulldog football program and is the winningest coach in school history with a record of 51-38. During his tenure in Birmingham, Hatcher has coached 12 All-Americans, five Southern Conference Offensive Players of the Year, two NFL Daft selections and one Walter Payton Award winner. 
 
"I am grateful to President (Beck) Taylor and Martin Newton for having faith in me to continue to lead this program for at least another four years. I am thankful to all our staff and especially the players who have bought into our culture to allow this to happen," Hatcher said. "My family has come to love Birmingham and the Samford Community. I will continue to work hard to develop our student-athletes to be champions on and off the field."
 
The extension comes on the heels of the 2022 season, in which the Bulldogs went 11-2 and won the program's first outright conference title since 1936. Samford garnered a national seed and downed the Lions of Southeastern Louisiana in the program's first home playoff game to advance to the quarterfinals of the FCS Playoffs before ultimately falling to the defending national champions of North Dakota State. 
 
Known for his high-powered "Hatch Attack" offense, Hatcher's offenses at Samford have ranked in the top 10 nationally a total of seven times including leading the country in 2018. 
 
After taking over for legendary coach Pat Sullivan prior to the 2015 season, Hatcher led the Bulldogs to winning seasons in each of his first four seasons that included back-to-back FCS playoff appearances in 2016 and 2017. 
 
Hatcher's 2018 team posted the program's eighth-straight winning season, the longest streak in program history. Also during the season, quarterback Devlin Hodges became the FCS' all-time leader in career passing yards. Hodges also earned the highest individual honor at the FCS level, winning the Walter Payton Award. Additionally, he was named the Southern Conference's Offensive Player of the Year for a third-straight season.
 
In 2019, the Bulldogs led all of FCS football in punt return average (19.41), and the team ranked second nationally in fewest penalties per game (3.58). Samford also led the SoCon in first downs (22.6), and the team ranked second in the league in scoring offense (32.2) and passing offense (239.2).
 
Hatcher led his team in the first-ever spring season in the spring of 2021, after the 2020 fall season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. During the spring season, the Samford offense led the Southern Conference in scoring offense (40.3), total offense (513.9), passing offense (353.1) and pass efficiency (148.1). On the other side of the ball, the Bulldog defense led the league in opponent third-down conversions (31.0%) and turnovers caused (18).
 
In the fall of 2021, Hatcher's offense produced the FCS' all-purpose yards leader in Montrell Washington (176.18). Quarterback Liam Welch also put up impressive numbers, ranking seventh in the nation in passing yards per game (306.0). 
 
Following the record-breaking 2022 season, Hatcher was named the SoCon Coach of the Year for the first time and the AFCA Region 2 Coach of the Year. 
 
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