It’s 7:30 a.m., the sun is starting to make its appearance, and other than the occasional roar of a CityBus and a few groggy students, the Purdue campus is quiet. But Jacob Hatke, a junior in agricultural economics, is wide awake and already sitting in class learning about management or health and kinesiology — depending on the day.

While many students avoid 7:30 a.m. classes like the plague, Hatke has no other choice if, in addition to his studies and his part-time job running a lawn-care business, he wants to pursue his passion — coaching soccer.

Hatke has loved the game since he first took the field at 6 years old. He continued playing through his years at West Lafayette’s William Henry Harrison High School. After high school and a year at Wabash College, his academic goals brought him to Purdue, but his love for the game never wavered.

“I decided to get into coaching because I really missed the game. Plus, coaching is something I’ve always wanted to do,” he says.

Success with team generates an offer

After he coached an 18-and-under Lafayette club team to a championship, the athletic staff at Central Catholic High School took notice.

“The boys varsity head coach at Central Catholic, Mike Simpson, heard about the spring championship and contacted my high school coach at Harrison. My former coach gave me a good recommendation, and Mike asked me if I’d like to be his assistant,” Hatke says.

He obliged, and when Simpson stepped down at the end of the 2007 season, both players and parents made sure Hatke was a highly recommended candidate for the top job.

“Anytime you have a young coach, there are always concerns about how the players will react, but Jacob is mature beyond his years,” says Tim Bordenet, athletic director for Central Catholic. “I was confident his youth wouldn’t affect his coaching ability. I’ve been really pleased with what he’s done. He’s taken a group of kids who didn’t have a lot of soccer experience and molded them into a competitive team.”

The team’s record for Hatke’s inaugural 2008 season was 7-8-1.

His grades improve, despite time crunch

Taking the top spot meant that Hatke not only had to start taking earlier classes, but that he also had to learn to be more organized and goal-oriented than he ever thought possible. When in-season, his coaching schedule barely leaves him time to breathe, let alone finish homework and manage his part-time lawn-care business. But despite the time crunch, Hatke is excelling academically.

“Since I started coaching, my grades have actually improved. I’ve had to learn better organization, and I’ve really had to learn how to set goals for myself and achieve them,” he says.

Better grades aren’t the only thing Hatke is taking away from the experience, and he’s quick to say that any challenges that coaching brings are more than worth the extra effort.

“Working with the kids has been so rewarding. When I’m teaching them a new concept, just seeing the looks on their faces when they get it is awesome,” he says. “Just watching the kids give it their all and seeing them interact as a team makes it all worthwhile.”

In fact, it’s made such an impression that Hatke hopes to make a career out of his passion when he’s finished at Purdue.

“In addition to studying ag econ, I’ve been looking into what it would take to get into coaching at the college level. I’d love to have a future doing what I love,” he says.

Another ag student coaches girls team

Someone who shares Hatke’s passion for the game and understands what it takes to juggle a full-time coaching position with education is James Hunter.

A postdoctoral researcher in Purdue’s agricultural and biological engineering program, he is the head coach for West Lafayette High School’s girls varsity soccer program.

After coaching club soccer for six years, Hunter took an assistant coaching position at Harrison High School in 2006. A year later, the head coaching position at West Lafayette opened up and was offered to him — but Hunter had some reservations.

“When I was first approached about coaching at West Lafayette, I wasn’t sure it was a responsibility I could take since I was trying to finish school. But some of the girls I had coached in club soccer seven years prior were now juniors and seniors at West Side. The prospect of coaching them again was exciting, so I decided to take on the challenge,” Hunter says.

His team’s record is an impressive 33-7-1

Now, with two very successful seasons under his belt, Hunter hasn’t regretted his decision. Over the past two years, the team has achieved a record of 33-7-1 and has outscored its opponents 208-21.

“Soccer has been my first love since I first stepped onto the field at age 6 back in my hometown of Somerset, N.J. So just getting to watch the girls grow up playing and learning to love the sport I love is really rewarding,” Hunter says.

One of his players, Jessica Gwin, was 9 when Hunter first became her coach. Now she’s one of the top goalies in the country and has earned a scholarship to play soccer at the University of Missouri in the fall.

“I was so excited when I found out Coach Hunter would be my coach again,” Gwin says. “He was first my coach in the fourth grade and I’d worked so hard in the beginning, so to get the opportunity to play for him again as I was finishing my high school career was awesome. He’s definitely a person who has believed in me from the beginning. He always encouraged me to reach for the things I wanted, and he taught me to believe I could achieve anything.” But in addition to what he’s taught his players, Hunter says they’ve taught him some valuable lessons in return.

“I know way too many Jonas Brothers songs,” he jokes. “But in all seriousness, the girls have taught me a lot about how to successfully convey the game to others. And coaching them has been a great outlet for me when school got tough. On rough days I could always get out on that field and see the girls smile, which made me smile, too.”

Coach must spend late nights in office

With the smiles come long hours. During soccer season, he often works in his campus office after games and practices.

“Since starting graduate school I’ve always worked crazy hours, but during soccer season it’s not uncommon for me to come back to the office at 7 or 8 p.m. and work well into the morning,” he says.

Hunter spends 20-30 hours each week on soccer alone, and the rest of his waking hours are devoted to his research. When he’s finished with his postdoctoral work at Purdue, Hunter knows he wants to become an assistant professor in environmental or ecological engineering, but he’s not sure what his future in coaching looks like. One thing he is certain of is the impact coaching has had on him.

“Seeing the players develop, watching them succeed and just getting to see all the hard work they’ve put in over the years pay off has made every challenge worth it,” he says.

Contact Hatke at jhatke@purdue.edu

Contact Hunter at hunterjg@purdue.edu