Hall of Fame
Richard "Dick" Haines was a standout performer on Coach Joe Bartell's "Golden Era" of West Liberty football during the late 1940s. Haines was a starting blocking back on the Hilltoppers' 1948, 1949 and 1950 gridiron powerhouses that compiled a dazzling 26-1-1 record while posting back-to-back bowl wins in the 1949 Smokey Mountain Bowl and the 1950 Pythian Bowl.
Haines was honored in 1974 with a berth on the WVIAC's 50th Anniversary All-Time All-Conference football team, by which time he had established himself as one of the top high school football coaches in the nation. The former Hilltopper began his teaching and coaching career at Cadiz (Ohio) High School, winning a pair of EOAL titles before moving on to Dover (Ohio) High School.
Haines won four Ohio Cardinal Conference crowns with the Tornadoes before taking his talents to California, where he became a legend. In 43 years as a high school coach – the last 25 at San Diego (Calif.) Vista High School – Haines' teams won a staggering 320 games. At Vista alone, the "Big Red" claimed 18 league titles, three San Diego CIF championships and were California state champions in 1974 and 1985. Haines retired in 1995.
