Walt Hameline
Head Football Coach
Phone: (718) 390-3488
Email:
whamelin@wagner.edu
Alma Mater: Brockport State, 1975
Experience: 29th Year
Now in his 29th year as Director of Athletics and Head Football Coach at Wagner College, the relentlessly energetic and optimistic Walt Hameline continues to amass an astounding record of achievement and consistency.
Under Hameline’s leadership, the Seahawk athletic department has undergone an ambitious expansion in both sport offerings and facility improvements.
In the spring of 2002, Wagner introduced women’s water polo to its slate and the Seahawks now feature 20 sport offerings.
Known for his keen vision and boundless enthusiam, Hameline was influential in establishing the Seahawk Golf Classic, now in its 19th year, and the Seahawk Club, a pair of intitiaves aimed at increasing funds for the scholarship endowment and complete financial support for the athletic department.
Most recently under Hameline’s direction, the Wagner College Stadium field has been resurfaced with a state-of-the-art Field Turf playing surface. This multi-purpose surface was constructed in the summer of 2006 and is used for football, soccer and lacrosse.
In 1997 Hameline governed the opening of Wagner’s football stadium and outdoor track & field facility and was instrumental in erecting the Spiro Sports Center in the spring of 1999 - a 93,000 square-foot building which houses a 2,100-seat, multi-purpose arena, a six-lane swimming pool, team locker rooms and all athletic department offices.
In 1995, Hameline oversaw the opening of new athletic fields at the base of Grymes Hill to house additional teams. This multi-sport facility is presently home to the Seahawk softball team which, in 2007, underwent a vast reconstruction.
An institution of high academic standards, Wagner was cited in the March 18, 2002 edition of US News & World Report for have the 15th best graduation rate amongst more than 300 Division I college and/or universities.
Hameline's coaching record speaks for itself. Heading into the 2009 season, he owns an all-time record of 189-105-2 (.642). Those 189 victories are tied for sixth on the all-time career list among all active Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) coaches, leaving him 11 wins shy of becoming just the fourth coach in FBS history to accumulate 200 career wins. The 189 wins also rank him within the top 25 of active head coaches among all collegiate levels.
In 2007, he guided the Seahawks to their 22nd winning season, a fine 7-4 mark. In addition, the Seahawks boasted the NEC’s Offensive Player of the Year in RB Jason Butler as well as four other first-team All-NEC choices. Kicker/Punter Piotr Czech, the greatest specialist in NEC and Wagner history, was an AFCA All-American who went on to sign a free agent contact with the NFL’s Baltimore Ravens. DB Al Phillips inked a free agent contract with the New York Jets while DE Robert Brown was named an Associated Press Third-Team All-American.
Hameline’s overall coaching ledger includes five ECAC Championships, three NCAA Tournament appearances and the 1987 NCAA Division III National Championship — all told, 10 post-season appearances in 26 seasons. Hameline won his 175th career game - all at Wagner with a come-from-behind victory over St. Francis (PA) in the 2005 season finale. He became the winningest coach in Wagner College history in 1990, and boasts a .642 winning percentage at 189-105-2, which ranks in the top 10 among active FCS coaches in the United States.
The highlight, of course, is the 19-3 win over heavily-favored Dayton in the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl for the 1987 NCAA Division III National Championship. Against one of the toughest schedules in the nation, Hameline’s Seahawks rolled to a 13-1 record, winning more games than any college football team in America. The team earned the school’s second Lambert Trophy, symbolic of football superiority in the East among Division III schools, and ECAC Team of the Year recognition. Hameline was honored by many organizations including the Chevrolet National Coach of the Year.
Hameline was one of 23 members of the Metropolitan Intercollegiate Basketball Committee (MIBA), which previously stood as the governing body of the National Invitation Tournament. He is an active member of the American Football Coaches Association as well as the Division I-AA Eastern Regional Football Advisory Committee.
The 57 year-old administrator, has been a key developer of the Northeast Conference, serving on numerous committees and served as president of the league. Eight years ago, Hameline was honored for his playing, coaching and administrative achievements when he was inducted into the Utica Sports Hall of Fame. In addition, Hameline was given the All-America Football Foundation Johnny Vaught Lifetime Achievement Award in 1998.
An outstanding defensive back at Brockport State, Hameline received his Bachelor of Science degree in physical education in 1975, and went on to earn his Master’s Degree in education from the University of Albany in 1977.
Hameline resides in Colts Neck, NJ, with his wife, Debbie, and their daughters Kristen and Kelly.
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