UHS losing more than just a teacher and AD

Former Union (Dugger) athletic director Tom Hiatt has decided it's time to pursue other interests and has retired from teaching at the Dugger school. Above, Hiatt looks over one of the school's trophy cases filled with mementos of an athletic program that he's been a part of for over 50 years. (By Rick Curl/Greene County Daily World). [Order this photo]

That phrase best sums up what happened when Tom Hiatt mulled over two offers after graduation from Indiana State University.

Hiatt had a choice between taking a job as a chemist with the Eli Lilly Co. at Avon or becoming a teacher at his alma mater.

Thankfully for all who have benefited from his choice, Hiatt chose to teach.

"It seemed like a good idea at the time," Hiatt said when asked why he became an educator. "The next question I get is, 'Why are you retiring?' and basically it's the same thing -- it seemed liked a good idea at the time."

Hiatt chose to follow a path that would lead him through the lives of countless students, coaches, teachers and fans of Union High School.

"It's been a good thing," he says with a broad smile. "I've enjoyed the 41 years here or -- when you get right down to it -- the 53 years I've spent here."

Hiatt taught chemistry for many of those years in the same classroom where he spent fifth grade.

The room proved to be more than just a place where he passed along knowledge to willing young minds, instead it proved to be a portal into what was a career filled with coaching duties, officiating duties, teaching, bus driving and just about anything else that's related to being a teacher/coach/athletic director at one of the smallest public schools in the state of Indiana.

"This was my classroom when I was in fifth grade," he admits with the same sly smile. "And I've been here ever since."

The motivation for Hiatt to become an educator in lieu of a scientist came from the lessons he learned in that same room as well as the educators he met along the same path.

"I had some teachers that I really liked and I had an aunt and uncle that taught," he said referring to his vocational role models. "I had a good time in high school and thought, hey, I'd enjoy teaching."

So with a degree from ISU in hand, Hiatt interviewed for an open math position and the rest is history.

"It all started in 1969 when Jack Flag let me coach the fifth and sixth grade (basketball teams)," Hiatt said when asked about becoming athletic director. "The next year I picked up football. That's what I stayed with until about 1985 when I was asked if I wanted to be assistant girls coach with Jill Butcher."

For the next five years Hiatt filled the role of assistant coach under Butcher before then-AD Scott Biddle took over the job of principal at neighboring Shelburn.

That's when school officials tried to convince Fred Boyd to take back the job. But he wasn't willing to do both girls and boys sports.

So Hiatt gave up his position on the girls basketball staff to become an assistant football coach again, this time under George Sly, with the added duties of girls athletic director.

"After about five years of meeting myself coming and going along came Doug Boyd," Hiatt said. "Doug took the girls and I took the boys and we had it that way a couple of years."

The two eventually swapped roles when Boyd's son Dreyson started participating in athletics.

That eventually led to where things stand right now at the school with Shane Reese taking over both programs and Hiatt doing what he can in support.

"Shane does an excellent job and I've enjoyed working with him," Hiatt said. "I told him when he took the job if he needed a game covered or whatever I'd be there for him."

That allowed Hiatt to not only begin his transition to not being AD but also not being a coach.

While he said he enjoyed the moments, players and games he experienced while coaching, he also admitted it was nice to be on the sidelines.

"I pretty well got out of all the coaching," he said. "Which was nice."

Another part of Hiatt's journey along the way was becoming an official. He said he did it as a way to support the program, as officials for girls sports were hard to find.

"It was fun, I didn't do it for the money," he said. "I tell kids now that are going off to college, a part time job is to get your license and just do junior high games.

"It'll pay you $40 or $50 a game, get you good exercise and if you do it right, you might get to move up the ladder."

In retrospect, Hiatt admits that to become an athletic director it takes someone who has a love of sports.

He says, if someone is just on the periphery when it comes to being a sports fan, it might not be the job to choose.

"It's for someone who really has a love of sports," he said. "When I went to the state (AD) conference in March I would here them sitting around talking about games played this year, last year, 20 years ago, 30 years ago and who made what shots."

Hiatt insists that the best AD's are those who spend a great deal of their time following and enjoying sports.

He cites Shakamak's current athletic director and boys basketball coach Steve Brett as a prime example.

"They make great AD's," Hiatt said. "Because they're really involved."

Hiatt admits that the main reason he wound up becoming an AD wasn't for anything more than a chance to help the kids, or as he puts it so simply "Because they needed somebody."

Hiatt's worth to the program is best summed up by Union (Dugger) principal Charles Roach who cites the loss of Hiatt as a void that will be tough to fill.

"Mr. Hiatt is just one of those guys you can't replace," Roach said. "He's meant so much in so many different areas at this school that you can never find someone to do everything that he's done."