Keith Hansen: Allatoona High School
Hansen was inducted into the Georgia Dugout Club Hall of Fame in 2021.
Bio updated 8/30/2024
When longtime Georgia Dugout Club Executive Director Harvey Cochran needed some Atlanta Braves tickets to help fulfill a dying wish for a teacher at North Cobb High School in the late 1990s, he reached out to one of his former players named Keith Hansen.
Hansen worked in the Braves’ ticketing department and also in public relations.
“My mom taught at North Cobb and my brother George also taught at North Cobb,” Hansen said. “This teacher was dying of cancer and she loved the Braves. I had access to tickets that nobody could get, so Harvey called me and said Polly (Williams) wants to go to this game and wanted to see if I could get her some tickets. So, I was able to get her some tickets in (former owner) Ted Turner’s box, and (former President) Jimmy Carter was sitting in the box that night. Nobody knew.
“Later on, Harvey came up and thanked me. He asked me if I had thought about teaching and coaching, and that North Cobb had a position. He said he thought he could get me in.”
Hansen took the opportunity. After serving as Cochran’s assistant for four years, he landed as a head coach at Alexander High School, then at Allatoona in 2008. More than 20 years later after securing those tickets to help a friend, Hansen was inducted into the Georgia Dugout Club Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2021.
Hansen worked for the Braves from 1992-98 after playing under Cochran in high school. He then graduated from LaGrange College. He spent six years at Alexander before heading to Allatoona. Between the two schools, he has won nine region titles, made the state playoffs in 18 of his 22 seasons as head coach, been to the semifinals five times and finished as Class 6A state runner-up in 2018 and 2022. His overall coaching record is 491-186 heading into the 2025 season.
“I was taken aback when I was told,” Hansen said. “When I think about the GDC Hall of Fame, I think about guys like Hugh Buchanan, Bobby Howard, Harvey (Cochran), Donnie English and Hank Aldridge. I look at those guys in some rarified air. I’m now in the same club. It means two things. One, it’s surreal. Two, it means I’m getting old. It’s a tremendous honor.”
Hansen said he’s had a strong supporting cast to help guide him. His father played baseball in the military and was offered a professional contract with the Brooklyn Dodgers, while his mother was an educator.
"My parents have always been there for me and my brother ... they attend every game they can. I will always be grateful to them for their support."
His older brother George Hansen is the head baseball coach at Kennesaw Mountain High and helped mentor him as a young coach. Keith Hansen also said his wife has always been there for support, as well as other coaches and friends along the way. He added that to be successful as a coach, it is essential to have quality assistant coaches. He thanked Ed Wood, Brad Strickland, David Eeles, Mike Linch, Mike Dennison, Russ Russell, Bob Toolin, Brandon Lunsford, Pecos Galamore, Scott Edwards, Tim Jones and Rusty Bennett for their help.
“He’s done a great job at Allatoona and when he was at Alexander,” former GDC Executive Director Harvey Cochran said of Hansen.
“He’s surrounded himself with good people and he’s very knowledgeable of the game. He’s like a son to me and he’s been special.”
A student of the game, Hansen said he’s taken ideas from some of the state’s best coaches, molded them together and tried to build on the things he learned. But he hopes his players leave his program with a few basic concepts.
“Hopefully, people remember us for how we played the game and that we have respect for the game and for the other teams,” he said.