Charles “Chick” Hislop has been synonymous with the Ogden area and Weber State University throughout his lifetime. An Ogden native, Hislop ran track and graduated from Ben Lomond High School. He then spent two seasons as a runner at Weber Junior College before transferring to Utah State University where he earned two varsity letters.
Upon his graduation from USU, Hislop returned to Ogden to serve as the boys track and field coach at Ben Lomond for 10 seasons. In 1969, he was named the head track and field coach at Weber State College, and neither he nor Weber State would ever be the same. Hislop spent the next 38 years as head coach of the Wildcats, building a lifetime of achievements and memories.
Before Hislop arrived at Weber State, the Wildcats never finished better than third in any Big Sky Conference meet. Over the next 38 years, Hislop would coach the Wildcats to 21 Big Sky championships and serve as the longest-tenured coach in Big Sky history in any sport. He coached the Wildcats in 101 conference championship meets and more than 1,000 total meets.
Besides serving as the track and field coach, in 1973, Hislop became the head coach for the Weber State wrestling program, a position he held for five years.
In cross country, he led the Wildcats to seven Big Sky titles. His teams also won the District VII Championships in 1990 and 1991. The 1991 team went on to place fourth at the NCAA Cross Country Championships. Under Hislop, the Wildcats placed in the top 20 at the NCAA Championships nine times. In 1979, the Big Sky Conference added indoor track and field, and the Wildcats went on to win five Big Sky titles and 49 individual titles under Hislop’s watchful eye. His outdoor track and field teams won the Big Sky Championship nine times. He closed out his career by winning seven of the last nine Big Sky outdoor crowns, including five straight championships from 1998 to 2002.
Hislop became known as one of the foremost authorities in the United States on steeplechase training and technique. In the summer of 1996, he served as an assistant coach for the United States Men’s Track and Field Team at the Atlanta Olympic Summer Games, here he was the primary coach of the long distance runners.
Chick Hislop’s success at Weber State cannot be measured by championships and records alone. His influence on the lives of student-athletes has been felt by thousands. He was the driving force behind several key facility upgrades for the Weber State track and field programs. In 1996, the track at Stewart Stadium was rebuilt and now bears the name of Charles “Chick” Hislop Track.
In 2005, Weber State dedicated the new Tom and Nancy Davidson Track Locker Room at the Donnell B. Stewart Track Complex at Stewart Stadium. Hislop played a major role in getting the building built, including getting former athletes to donate to the lockers, and starting the Chick and Diane Hislop Hall of Honor listing all NCAA Champions, All-Americans, and Big Sky Conference Champions. The locker room is one of the finest track and field only facilities in the nation.
Chick and his wife, Diane, are the parents of daughters Elynn, Jill and Kim, and sons Lance and Chris.
