John Spatz begins his 17th season with the Nighthawks in the 2018-19 academic year.
Having led the NNU cross country and track and field programs since the fall of 2002, Spatz now looks forward to developing programs that are competitive at both the conference (GNAC) and national level (NCAA II).
"I enjoy being able to apply my experience and love for the sport into a program that also reflects my personal faith."
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Entering his 31st year as a collegiate cross country/track and field coach, Spatz has developed 87 performance All-Americans and seven individual national champions. At NNU, Spatz has coached 520 GNAC All-Academic team members, 53 USTFCCCA Academic All-Americans, had 206 athletes set school records, and has coached 63 GNAC event champions. His teams have produced a total of 148 GNAC All-Conference performances on the men’s side, and 161 GNAC All-Conference performances on the women’s side since 2002. Also, 57 NNU student athletes have competed at the NCAA II national championships. In 2009, the men’s team had its best NCAA II national meet finish, placing 16th. The women’s teams best NCAA II national meet placing came in 2008 when they finished 22nd. Â
Spatz came to NNU from Eastern Oregon University, where he coached for 14 years 1988-2002, including 12 years as head track and field coach for men and women.
Spatz began coaching in 1985 at Spokane Community College as an assistant. From 1985-88 he coached several conference champions in the NWAACC. During the 1987-88 season he also coached at University High School in Spokane, his alma mater. In 2014, Spatz was inducted into the Spokane Community College Athletic Hall of Fame as an athlete and as part of the coaching staff for both the 1986 and 1987 men’s track team.
The 1988 graduate of Eastern Washington University (Cheney) is certified by USA Track & Field as both an official and Level II coach. From 1993-96 Spatz served as the chair of the NAIA Cultural Exchange Committee. In the summer of 1994 he led a group of NAIA athletes on a trip to Barcelona, Spain, where they participated in the Catalonian Senior Championships. In 1995, Spatz was added to the World Sports Exchange (WSE) coaching staff. That August he traveled to Australia with WSE and 100 high school cross country athletes for 10 days of training and racing. In July of 2001, Spatz traveled to Laos and Thailand with 12 athletes and one other coach with Athletes in Action. The team led clinics in both countries covering all areas of track and field.
Beginning in 2005, Spatz has served as the Lead Track and Field Clinician for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes summer camps in Idaho, Wyoming, South Dakota and Oregon. In the summer of 2008, Spatz helped develop one of the first FCA pole vault camps in the country. As a past faculty advisor for the NNU FCA Huddle, Spatz is involved with FCA activities both on and off campus.
Spatz and wife Cindy have two children, a daughter Rachael, 26, and son Micah, 24.
