Mickey Hatcher

  The name of Mickey Hatcher is familiar to both baseball and football fans.
  He has the distinction of being the only Mesa athlete to be named All-American in two sports, play on a national championship team and reach the highest level of professional sports.

  In football, Hatcher was a member of the MCC national championship team in 1975 and was a first team All-American. He moved on to the University of Oklahoma where he was a wide receiver and played in the 1976 Fiesta Bowl. His uniform number (81) was retired by MCC.

  But it is baseball where he made his biggest mark.

  After two years as an All-American for the T-Birds, he played baseball at Oklahoma, as well.

  He was drafted twice by major league teams, in 1974 by the Houston Astros in the 12^th round and in 1976 by the New York Mets in the second round. He eventually signed, however, with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1977, beginning a pro career that would last through 12 seasons in the major leagues.

  He was one of the Dodgers’ heroes in the 1988 World Series, replacing the injured Kirk Gibson and batting .368 with two home runs and five RBIs.

  He also coached in both the major and minor leagues after retiring as a player.