From staff reports
Georgia Southern hired Jeff Monken to be its new football coach, it was announced Sunday.
Monken replaces Chris Hatcher, who was fired following the Eagles' 13-6 win over The Citadel on Nov. 21. Hatcher had a 18-15 record in his three years at Georgia Southern.
Monken has been a longtime assistant to Paul Johnson at Georgia Southern, Navy and most recently at Georgia Tech. He coached slotbacks and is the special teams coordinator for the 10-2 Yellow Jackets this season.
He also coached the A-backs and special teams at Navy, and was part of the Eagles' staff that won five straight Southern Conference championships and two Division I-AA titles under Johnson, an Avery County native.
Johnson posted a 62-10 record from 1997-2001.
"Georgia Southern Football has a success story like none other," Monken said on the school's web site. "I am extremely honored to represent Georgia Southern University as its head football coach and thrilled for the opportunity to serve the young men entrusted to the leadership of our staff. Having been an Eagle assistant coach for five tremendous seasons, I know that being the head coach at Georgia Southern is an incredible opportunity."
Hatcher replaced Brian VanGorder in 2007 after VanGorder went 3-8 in his lone season. He had replaced Mike Sewak, who was also an assistant under Johnson, iin 2006. Sewak went 35-14 in four seasons, including 8-4 his final year. However, the Eagles lost in the first round of the Division I-AA playoffs to Texas State 50-35 after blowing a big lead.
Hatcher brought his spread offense with him from Division II Valdosta State, where he won a national championship. The Eagles finished 5-6 this fall and were never a factor in the Southern Conference championship race. Hatcher's best season was 2007 when he finished 7-4, including a 38-35 win over Appalachian State.