Denison University

Denison University football is enjoying a renaissance period and the artist behind this renaissance is Jack Hatem, who just completed his 15th season as Head Coach in 2024. He was also promoted to Associate Professor of Physical Education in the summer of 2023. Coach Hatem is ranked second all-time in wins at Denison and boasts a career record of 92-50 (.648 pct.).

The Big Red finished the 2024 season with a 6-2 record in North Coast Athletic Conference play for a third place finish in conference action. Denison went 6-4 overall during the campaign. Three of the four losses came to ranked opponents including a narrow 38-30 defeat to Alma College in the home opener on Sept. 14. Denison's season was highlighted by road victories over Wittenberg, Wooster and Ohio Wesleyan in conference play. Denison had a pair of players earn major recognition from the NCAC in its postseason awards, as first-year QB Tyler Green was named Newcomer of the Year and senior kicker/punter Daniel Cunningham garnered Special Teams Player of the Year recognition. Senior running back Trey Fabrocini became a four-time All-NCAC honoree. Fabrocini finished his career with 4,475 rushing yards and 59 rushing touchdowns, both Denison program records. During a senior day win over Oberlin, Fabrocini surpassed Chris Spriggs as Denison's all-time leading rusher. Spriggs previous total of 4,248 yards had stood since 1986. Four team members picked up First Team honors while a total of 13 honors were collected overall. 

In 2023, the Big Red won their final four games to finish the season 7-3 overall and tie for second place in the North Coast Athletic Conference standings (6-2) for the second year in a row. The Denison program has remained a model of consistency under Coach Hatem, winning at least six conference games for the eighth consecutive year. In addition, the Big Red also reached the seven-win mark overall for the seventh time in the last eight full seasons. Denison had 15 players named all-conference in 2023 and had four named all-region. Trey Fabrocini (senior running back), Josh Aiello (fifth-year wide receiver), Kevin Stone (fifth-year offensive lineman), Jeff Moore (senior linebacker), Clay Denstorff (fifth-year defensive lineman) and Jaylin Epps (junior corner back) were each named First-Team All-NCAC while Fabrocini, Stone and Moore were each named Second-Team All-Region 4 by D3football.com and Aiello was named third-team all-region. It was the fourth season in a row that Denison football put at least four players on the all-region teams. The Big Red were driven by a prolific offense that tallied 35-plus points five times and saw Fabrocini led the conference in rushing (1,402 yards) and scoring (120 points). After watching Fabrocini break the program's single-season record for touchdown runs last season, the Denison offense saw another record-breaking performance in 2023 as Aiello scored at least one receiving touchdown in each of the first nine games of the season and broke the Denison record with 15 receiving touchdowns in one season, which was also tied for the fourth most receiving touchdowns in one season in NCAC history. By the end of the season, the Denison offense ranked within the top-50 nationally, was the No. 1-rated redzone offensive in the NCAC (18th nationally), boasted the top rusher in the NCAC (Fabrocini; 1,402 yards; 5th nationally), and had the top player in receiving touchdowns in the conference (Aiello; 15 touchdowns; 7th nationally). On the defensive side of the ball, Denison had the No. 2-rated overall defense in the NCAC (44th nationally), the top passing defense in the NCAC (181.8 yards per game), the second-best rushing defense in the NCAC, and the No. 2-ranked third-down conversion percentage defense in the NCAC (20th nationally).

Denison finished its 2022 season 8-2 overall and 6-2 in the NCAC, which was good for a tie for second place and marked the third time in the last four full seasons under the direction of Coach Hatem and the fourth time since 2016 that the Big Red have reached the eight-win plateau in a season. It was also the ninth straight winning season and ninth season in a row finishing in the top-four of the conference standings for the Big Red. In the end, Denison had 13 players named to the 2022 All-NCAC postseason teams, including five Big Red players on the first-team: Trey Fabrocini (junior running back), Kevin Stone (senior offensive lineman), Clay Denstorff (senior defensive end), Roshaune Downie (junior cornerback) and Jaylin Epps (sophomore return specialist). Denison then set a program-record with five players named to the 2022 D3football.com All-Region 4 Team: Fabrocini (Second-Team), Stone (Second-Team), Epps (Second-Team), Denstoff (Second-Team) and Downie (Third-Team). In addition, Fabrocini set a new Denison single-season record with 20 rushing touchdowns and finished with the fifth most rushing yards in a season in program history with 1,303 yards. Fabrocini finished the year ranked second in all of NCAA Division III in rushing touchdowns and total touchdowns (22), and was sixth in total rushing yards. Fabrocini passed Alex Minton's previous record of 18 rushing touchdowns set in 2019.

Following the 2022 season, Coach Hatem moved into second place all-time in wins at Denison with 79 wins, surpassing the mark of 76 wins by Walter Livingston (1911-1926). Only Keith Piper (200 wins; 1954-1992) has more wins at Denison than Hatem, and no other coach at Denison reached the 50-win milestone faster.

In 2021, Denison finished 6-4 overall and 6-3 in the NCAC, which was tied for fourth place. The Big Red had 14 all-conference players, led by first-teamers Trey Fabrocini (sophomore running back), Trey Dawkins (senior offensive lineman), Kevin Stone (junior offensive line), Jeff Moore (sophomore linebacker), Ryan Hallinan (senior safety), and Cory Swartzmiller (fifth-year cornerback). Additionally, Dawkins, Stone and Moore were each named second-team all-region while Swartzmiller was a third-team all-region selection.

The 2020 Fall season was canceled due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. The Big Red were able to play two football games in the Spring. They defeated rivals Ohio Wesleyan 38-37, Senior Pat Kramer kicked a game-winning field goal with seconds left on the clock to leave Delaware with a victory. They closed out their spring season with an exhibition game against Case Western Reserve University. 

The promotion of Coach Hatem to head coach prior to the 2010 season ushered in a new era of success for Denison football. From 2015 to 2019, Denison had five straight seasons with at least seven victories, and went 38-13 overall with two NCAC Championships and one NCAA Division III playoff appearance in 2018.

In 2019, The Big Red finished with an overall record of 8-2, marking the program's third, eight-win season since 2016. The Big Red also captured a share of the conference championship for the second year in a row. Denison added 16 All-NCAC selections in 2019, including 2019 NCAC Offensive Player of the Year, All-American, and Gagliardi Trophy Semifinalist, Alex Minton. In 2019, Miinton broke the single-season rushing record with 1,550 yards. The previous record of 1,517 yards was set by Clay Sampson in 1979. He also ended the regular season ranked fourth in the nation in rushing yards, seventh in rushing touchdowns (18) and third in total touchdowns (21). Minton rushed for over 100 yards, seven times in 2019 and ended the season with a career-high 255 yards rushing against Kenyon marking the third-best single-game effort in school history.

In 2018 the Big Red enjoyed a breakthrough campaign that saw them go 8-2 in the regular season and win the program's first NCAC championship since 1986. The Big Red received the NCAC's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III championship, marking Denison's first football playoff berth in 33 years. The 2018 season was highlighted by a 34-10 victory over No. 22 Wabash and six-straight wins to close out the season. Senior quarterback Canaan Gebele was named the NCAC's Offensive Player of the Year and was a semifinalist for the Gagliardi Trophy which is presented annually to the top player in Division III football. The Denison offense set new program marks for points (437), points per game (39.7), touchdowns (60), first downs (262), total offense (5,000), all-purpose yards (5,974) and total plays (805). The defense posted a 49-0 shutout win over Allegheny and held Wabash scoreless until the final four minutes of the contest.

In 2016, the Big Red raised plenty of eyebrows, going 8-2, highlighted by the program's first win over Wittenberg since 1989. Hatem was named the NCAC Coach of the Year for the first time in his career after the 2016 season.

Hatem became Denison's 20th head coach in the 120+ year history of Big Red football in March of 2010. He had spent the previous five seasons at Denison as an assistant coach, serving as defensive coordinator for the final three seasons of that stint. In 2012, Hatem and his staff were asked to coach the South team at the third annual Ohio Army National Guard Senior Bowl in Columbus, Ohio. The South squad defeated the North, 21-7.

Prior to coming to Denison, Hatem spent 13 years as a high school football head coach. He also served three seasons as the head baseball coach at his alma mater, The University of Rio Grande. Hatem graduated from Rio Grande in 1982, earning his bachelor’s degree in health and physical education. He also holds a master’s degree in physical education from Ohio University (1992).

A two-time Ohio High School Football Coach of the Year, Hatem brought 25 years of coaching experience and 13 years as a head coach at the high school level to the Denison program. He joined the Denison staff in 2005 and spent two years coaching defensive backs. In 2007 he was promoted to defensive coordinator and from 2007 through 2009 his defense forced 64 turnovers, which was the third most in the NCAC during that span. In 2008 the Big Red posted a 6-4 record, winning five of their final six games of the season. Over the course of that streak, the Denison defense held its opponents to an average of just 12.8 points per game, and for the year, DU’s opponents gained just 333.0 yards of total offense per game, which was the lowest average allowed by a Denison defense since 1995.

A native of Lancaster, Ohio, and a graduate of Fisher Catholic High School, Hatem was named head football coach at Fisher in 1992. Over the course of three seasons, he led the Fighting Irish to a 22-9 record, including the program’s third undefeated season in school history in 1993. That year, Hatem earned his first Ohio High School Coach of the Year recognition and guided his Fisher squad to its first-ever state playoff appearance.

From 1995 to 1997, Hatem served as head football coach at Highland High School in Sparta, Ohio, and in 1998, he took over a struggling New Albany High School football program, quickly turning it into one of the top programs in central Ohio. Hatem was named Ohio High School Football Coach of the Year again in 1999 after guiding New Albany to a 9-1 record, the program’s best season dating to 1966.

In addition to his accomplishments on the football field, Hatem also has had considerable success on the baseball diamond. A former baseball standout at Fisher Catholic, Hatem served as head baseball coach at Rio Grande for three seasons, shortly after his graduation from the college. While he was an assistant football coach at Bishop Watterson High School in Columbus, Hatem also served as head baseball coach there. In 1991, he led Watterson to its second state baseball championship.

Hatem currently resides in the nearby Buckeye Lake region. He has two grown sons, A.J. and Ryan.