John T. "Whack" Hyder (July 10, 1912 – February 9, 2003) was an American

college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...

coach. He is the second winningest coach in

Georgia Institute of Technology The Georgia Institute of Technology, commonly referred to as Georgia Tech or, in the state of Georgia, as Tech or The Institute, is a public research university and institute of technology in Atlanta, Georgia. Established in 1885, it is part of ...

's history with 292 wins. Hyder led the

Yellow Jackets Yellowjacket or yellowjacket is the common name in North America for predatory social wasps of the genera ''Vespula'' and ''Dolichovespula''. Members of these genera are known simply as "wasps" in other English-speaking countries. Most of these ...

to their first NCAA Tournament appearance in

1960 It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism. Events January * Ja ...

where they advanced to the Elite Eight. In 1971, Georgia Tech reached the

National Invitation Tournament The National Invitational Tournament (NIT) is a men's college basketball tournament operated by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Played at regional sites and traditionally at Madison Square Garden (Final Four) in New York City ...

championship game. As a player, Hyder lettered in baseball, basketball, track, and cross country at Georgia Tech. After graduating in 1937 he spent three years playing in the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Amer ...

' minor league baseball system. Hyder served in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

before returning to Georgia Tech as an assistant men's basketball coach in 1946. In 1951, he was promoted to head coach where he remained until 1973.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hyder, John 1912 births 2003 deaths Akron Yankees players Augusta Tigers players Baseball players from Georgia (U.S. state) Basketball coaches from Georgia (U.S. state) Basketball players from Georgia (U.S. state) Butler Yankees players Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets baseball players Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football players Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets men's basketball coaches Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets men's basketball players Players of American football from Georgia (U.S. state) Snow Hill Billies players United States Navy personnel of World War II American men's basketball players People from Hall County, Georgia People from Banks County, Georgia

Further reading

References