Earle C. "Billy" Hayes grew up near Madison, Indiana. With a reputation as a builder of champions and Olympians, Hayes returned to his Hoosier homeland in 1916 as IU’s Head Track Coach and Assistant Football Coach. Hayes quickly built Indiana into a national track and cross country power, even during the three years (1931-33) when he added duties as head football coach and brought in his 1928 Olympic 1,500-meter runner from Mississippi State, Sid Robinson, to help with the distance runners. Hayes' runners, jumpers and throwers won an Olympic gold medal and 11 NCAA titles, and he coached 23 different athletes who won Big Ten championships. He was a charter member of the IU Athletics Hall of Fame and an assistant coach on the 1936 Olympic team.