Dean Hays was presented with the Mal Mayse Distinguished Service Award during the MSHSAA Cross Country Championships, recognizing a remarkable career of service to MSHSAA and a lasting impact on high school athletics throughout Missouri.
Hays has spent 52 years in education, including two years in Kansas, and 50 years at Hardin-Central. At Hardin-Central, he served as a principal for five years and athletic director for one year. He coached track & field for 36 years and cross country for 26 years, and spent three years as an assistant football coach, including a trip to the Football Show-Me Bowl. He has also served multiple times as meet manager for district and sectional track & field and cross country meets.
His MSHSAA service includes more than 25 years as a track & field official, including serving as a state track & field meet umpire since 1989. He has also spent approximately 10 years officiating at the MSHSAA Cross Country Championships. In addition to his work at championship events, Hays has served as a MSHSAA rules interpreter for track & field and cross country, helping coaches and officials better understand and consistently apply the rules of competition.
Hays also played an important role in developing officials across Missouri. During his involvement with the Missouri Track and Cross Country Coaches Association (MTCCCA), he helped establish one of the state's first track & field officials clinics, providing valuable education and training opportunities for officials.
He served on the MSHSAA Track & Field Advisory Committee in the 1990s and attended MSHSAA Track & Field and Cross Country Advisory Committee meetings for approximately 20 years. His dedication to officiating earned him recognition as the 2018-19 MSHSAA Boys Cross Country Official of the Year and the 2021-22 MSHSAA Boys Track and Field Official of the Year.
Beyond his work as an educator, coach and official, Hays has played an invaluable role in preserving the history of Missouri high school cross country and track & field. Considered by the MSHSAA staff to be the Association's unofficial cross country and track & field historian, Hays has spent countless hours researching, verifying and updating historical championship records. His extensive knowledge and dedication have helped MSHSAA document accomplishments spanning the Association's entire 101-year history, ensuring that the achievements of generations of Missouri student-athletes are accurately preserved and recognized.
Hays served 30 years as an officer of the MTCCCA. He is a six-time MTCCCA Coach of the Year, a two-time finalist for National Coach of the Year and a member of the MTCCCA Hall of Fame. He also received the Missouri Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (MIAAA) Distinguished Service Award in 2019.
A graduate of Monroe City High School, Hays earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Missouri and a master's degree from the University of Central Missouri. He and his wife, Rita, have been married 53 years. They have two children and three grandchildren.
The Mal Mayse Distinguished Service Award is named in honor of longtime MSHSAA leader Mal Mayse and honors individuals whose dedication and service have made a lasting impact on interscholastic activities across the state.