Wife of Rice football coach Hatfield is real McCoy

By Stephen Tsai
Advertiser Staff Writer

The Rice University football team arrived Tuesday on a direct flight from Houston to try to adjust to the five-hour time difference for tonight's game against the University of Hawai'i at Aloha Stadium.

•	• Hawai'i (1-1, 0-1) vs. Rice (1-2, 0-0) • 6:05 p.m. today, Aloha Stadium • Tickets: $19 sideline, $15 south end zone, $15 north end zone adult, $11 north end zone senior citizen (65-older), $11 north end zone students; $3 UH Super Rooter; parking $3 • Radio: 1420 AM (O'ahu), 107.9 FM (O'ahu), 1110 AM (Maui), 570 AM (Kaua'i) • TV: Delayed on KFVE (ch. 5), 10 p.m.

"Time means different things to a football coach," she said, laughing. "He's perpetually late for me, but not for a team meeting. I've learned that 6:30 can mean 7:30 or 8 or 8:15. Being on time wasn't in our marriage vows."

But that has been a minor adjustment for the Hatfields, whose love and friendship have grown since Ken proposed on their fourth date in 1969.

"Ken is very considerate," she said. "He's never missed a birthday or anniversary or any other special day."

Life as a football couple is indeed unique, and Sandy admitted, "It isn't a typical married life. The first thing you have to realize is (a coach) has a whole different schedule. He doesn't have a typical 9-to-5 job."

While job changes have forced them to "start all over, finding a new church and new doctor and making new friends," she said, "there are so many pluses. We meet so many nice people and visit so many nice places."

They have traveled to England, Spain, Germany and Japan for football clinics.

This week, they are staying at the Hilton Turtle Bay Resort.

"The Lord has really blessed us," she said. "I grew up in a farm in a small town."

She said Kennett, Mo., has "a sign saying the population is 10,000, but that's counting cats and dogs, too." Her family raised cotton, soybeans and corn.

As a flight attendant for Southern Airlines (now part of Northwest Airlines), she was in an employee lounge when another flight attendant spoke about her dates with "a nice man named Ken Hatfield."

Soon after, while helping a passenger with his luggage, Sandy noticed the name tag, "Ken Hatfield."

He asked her out and, 10 dates later, they were married. As for the other flight attendant, Sandy said, "I don't think she's real happy with me."

Sandy is a champion cowgirl who competes as a barrel-racer on the professional rodeo circuit. She plans her schedule around the Rice football team, serving as the "official hugger."

"I try to tell the players they do a good job," she said. "I do like to pray for the ones who have problems."

She even has mellowed, especially when fans heckle her husband, an occurrence whenever his teams struggle.

Once, she hit a heckler with an umbrella.

"It hurts when they boo," she said.

She said her husband "is a pretty even-keel guy. He doesn't let that bother him."

And Ken has come to acknowledge how much time means to Sandy. Last week, Sandy was going to take in her watch for repairs. While cooking dinner, Ken handed her a box, which contained an expensive new watch.

"I was shocked," she said. "It wasn't for any special occasion. I call it a 'Happy Tuesday' watch."