SPOKANE, Wash. – Northwest Nazarene University head cross country and track & field coach John Spatz was recently inducted into the Community Colleges of Spokane (CCS) Hall of Fame.

Spatz received the honor as both an individual athlete and a member of  the 1983 CCS men's track and field team.  John joined the CCS track team from University High School in Spokane. He was recruited by Coach John Buck who coached him in 1982. Spatz was then coached by Coach Duane Hartman, who took over for Coach Buck in 1983. He was coached in high school by Bill Ames, and placed second in the WIAA state championship 110 high hurdles and sixth in the decathlon in his senior year. His junior year he was a member of the WIAA 5th place 4 x 100m relay.  He won the NWAACC Decathlon both years at CCS (setting new conference records each year) and was selected as Team Captain in 1983. 

Spatz went on to compete in the decathlon for the University of Nebraska-Omaha before returning to EWU to finish his education and earn his coaching and teaching degree. Spatz served as an assistant track coach for Coach Hartman from 1986 through 1988. In the fall of 1988 Spatz became an assistant track and field coach for Julie Fitzgerald at Eastern Oregon State College for two years and then took over the EOSC Track and Field team as head coach from 1990 to 2002. He then went to Northwest Nazarene University as the Head Cross Country/Track and Field Coach in 2002 where he still continues his successful college-coaching career today.