Mike Hinz of Pullman: Member of the State Track Coaches Hall of Fame

Mike Hinz -- head coach of Pullman, Wash., High School girls and boys track and the Comets Track Club of Pullman -- is a member of the Washington State Track & Field Coaches Hall of Fame. He was inducted as a member of the hall’s “Class of 2010, on Saturday, Jan, 16, 2010, during the Washington State Track & Field Coaches Association annual convention held at the Everett, Wash., Holiday Inn. Below is his biography as it appeared in the printed material in a binder of all convention attendees. Washington State Track & Field Coaches HALL OF FAME Mike Hinz Hall of Fame Inductee 2010 Pullman High School Mike Hinz first experienced the sport of track and field in high school as an athlete. In his first year at WSU, he was inspired by the legendary coach Jack Mooberry. Life intervened and it would not be until the late 1980’s when coaching would present him an opportunity. It was working with his son John in the throws that first opened the door. He hasn’t looked back since.

Getting what he would describe as a “late start,” Mike felt the need to catch up through the study of technique, training theory and psychology via reading, studying video, attending clinics and through college coursework. He discovered a passion for the sport that continues to this day.

In over twenty years as a high school and club track and field coach, Mike has experienced great success. He has greatly contributed to the sport of track and field. His own words say it best, “Winning awards is OK. Winning meets is fun. Seeing athletic success at high levels is great. The true joy in coaching is in assisting athletes in setting goals, making a commitment to achieve those goals and attainment of whatever goals may be appropriate for them in a healthy and supportive environment.”

Mike first experienced track and field at East Valley High School in Yakima. He competed in the 880 and mile relay. He says the highlights of his first experience were getting his name in the paper for the first time after placing 3rd in the 880, earning a letter in the sport, running on the mile relay team with his brother Marv and placing at the district meet.

Mike graduated from EVHS in 1963 and enrolled at Washington State University. He was inspired by legendary coach Jack Mooberry in a track and field PE class. However, his college experience was interrupted by service in the U.S. Marine corps from 1964 to 1968. He explains his military service this way, “Unfortunately, track and field was one of the few courses I excelled in that year and owing to inadvertently forgetting to attend class regularly and playing pinochle at times when studying might have been more prudent, my next four years were spent in the Marine Corps.”

During his four years in the Marines, Mike served a two-year deployment to Vietnam and he trained as a distance runner who was self-coached. As Mike explained in his own words, “I became reasonably proficient despite training in US Keds sneakers and having an idiot for a coach.” Mike went on to earn two degrees from Washington State University.

He retired as a Scientific Instructional Technician Supervisor in the Chemistry Department at WSU in 2003.

Mike’s work with his son John in preparation for the 1987 season led to an opportunity to coach for the Pullman Comets Track and Field Club in 1988. In 1989, Mike became a volunteer assistant coach at Pullman High School. In 1993, he became the head coach for the boys and girls teams at Pullman High School. He also became the head coach for the Pullman Comet Track and Field Club that same year.

Mike’s Pullman teams have won six state championships - three boys team titles and three girls team titles. Pullman has had many other team trophies. There was a six year stretch where Pullman won all their conference dual meets and there was an eight year span where Pullman only had one loss each by both the boys and girls teams. There have been numerous individual athletes to have won state titles and district titles both on the track and in the field.

There have also been numerous individual athletes who have placed at meets on the district and state levels. Mike has been recognized by being named the Great Northern League coach of the year five times. He has been recognized as the Washington State coach of the year twice. Mike was a finalist for the Inland Northwest coach of the year and was the NFHS Northwest Sectional Coach of the Year and a finalist for the NFHS National Coach of the Year.

Mike’s commitment to the sport in admirable. He has worked with the administration of the Inland Empire/Inland Northwest Association of TAC/USATF since 1990. He has served as the president of the Inland Northwest Association of the USATF. He has attended the TAC/USATF Annual Meeting every year since 1990.

He has served as the District 7 Representative to the WSTFCA Board of Directors. He assisted in the early organization and administration of the Washington vs Oregon Meet of Champions. He has been a long-time member of the WSCA and WSTFCA. His enthusiasm for the sport of track and field and his love for coaching has made Pullman Greyhound track and field a special experience for generations of Pullman High School student-athletes.

His induction into the Track and Field Coaches Hall of Fame is a testament to his numerous contributions to the sport in Washington State.

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--Hall of Fame Sunday Jan. 24, 2010, Spokane Spokesman-Review sports

Mike Hinz of Pullman and the late Pat Pfeifer of Spokane were among five men inducted into the Washington State Track & Field Coaches Hall of Fame on Jan. 16 in Everett.

Also inducted were Ken Foreman, Seattle Pacific University; Howard Price, Mariner (Everett); and Joe Stewart, Kelso.

Hinz, who has more than 20 years coaching at the school and club levels, has been head coach at Pullman High School since 1993. He has won six state championships – three each in boys and girls – and has been named the Great Northern League coach of the year five times and state coach of the year twice.

Pfeifer, who died in December after a lengthy battle with cancer, had successful stints at Lewis and Clark and Ferris. He coached track and field as either a volunteer, an assistant or head coach for 37 years. (In his career, he coached 96 sports seasons.) He had seven top-10 state teams, won two Greater Spokane League championships and was the GSL coach of the year in 2005.

The Washington State Track & Field Coaches Association also recognized Curt and Joan Hisaw of Cheney and Jen and Howie Stalwick of Post Falls with contributor awards; named Mike Van Matre of Spokane official of the year; and presented its media award to Dave Trimmer of The Spokesman-Review.

--Hinz inducted into state hall January 23, 2010, Page 1, Lewiston Tribune, front of sports section PULLMAN - Mike Hinz, who has coached Pullman High to six Washington state team titles, has been inducted into the Washington State Track and Field Coaches Hall of Fame, the school announced Friday. Since taking the Greyhound helm in 1993, Hinz has claimed three state boys' team titles and three girls' crowns, pulling off a rare boys' and girls' sweep of the Class 2A team championships in 2006. A Washington State University graduate and retired technician supervisor in the WSU chemistry department, Hinz was inducted into the state hall Saturday during a state track coaches' association convention at Everett, Wash. Also inducted were Ken Foreman of Seattle Pacific, Pat Pfeifer of Lewis and Clark and Ferris high schools, Howard Price of Mariner High and Joe Stewart of Kelso High. --Pullman, Gar-Pal run away; Hound boys, Viking girls capture state track crowns By Dale Grummert, Sunday, May 31, 1998 – Lewiston Tribune sports “The state team title was the first for Mike Hinz, the highly unemotional and technique-minded coach who over the past decade has been coaxed into a larger and larger role with the prep team and the Pullman Comets track club.”