charlesrixey
12-14-2007, 07:57 AM
CELINA – Life was pretty good for William "Doc" Haynes in Sanibel, Fla.
The small boating community offered sunshine, beaches and lots of great fishing for the first six years of his retirement.
But the grandkids were in Celina. And so was the football team he loves.
So in 2002, Haynes and his wife, Terry, moved back to the town they had called home since 1973. And Doc Haynes moved back to the place where he feels at home, on Celina's sidelines.
"The players look for him," Celina coach Butch Ford said. "They know he's supposed to be there. He's as much a part of this team as any player."
Haynes, 84, was part of the team long before Celina became a powerhouse. He was part of the team before the current players were born.
Haynes started helping out as team doctor in the mid-1980s when his son, Lance, was a lineman for Celina. Haynes taped up ankles before warmups and checked on injured players during the games. He also treated players and helped out at practices, although he wasn't paid for any of his medical work.
"He's just been fantastic for us," said Ford, who was an assistant to Celina coach G.A. Moore when he met Doc in 1988. "He's given so much to this program."
Now, Lance Haynes said, the roles are reversed. His father is battling colon cancer, which was in remission for several years but has spread to his lungs. As with any recurrent cancer, the prognosis is limited.
But Doc makes it out to every game, though he doesn't have the energy he used to, and he needs a wheelchair on the sidelines.
"Over the years, Celina football has been a good outlet for him," Lance Haynes said. "But I think with the cancer, it's a motivation for him. It's something to look forward to each week."
Doc didn't have his weekly Celina football fix in Sanibel, where he and Terry moved after he retired from medicine in 1996. He traveled back occasionally to see Lance, his wife, Cindy, and their three sons. He would also take in a few Celina games, but it wasn't the same.
It's not just the games. Doc gets to the stadium a couple of hours before kickoff so he can hang out with the players. While they're relaxing in the locker room, he'll have a seat and talk to them.
"I'm just sort of part of the team," he said. "They like to hear the war stories."
Those are from World War II, when Haynes was a Navy pilot chasing German submarines. He can also tell stories about playing "snapper" for the 1940 Plano team and how he knew Doak Walker and Bobby Layne when he was a student at SMU.
"He talks to us about all kinds of stuff," said junior running back Troy McCartney. "It's interesting, and he's funny. He definitely entertains us."
Inspires them a little, too. McCartney's wristband has his number on one side and "Doc" on the other.
"Out of respect," he said.
Doc is very much respected in Celina. And also loved, said Steve Carey, a Celina native whose son, Brad, donned the Bobcat orange from 2002-04.
"Doc Haynes is just so loved by everyone here," Carey said. "I've never heard anything bad about him."
RICKY MOON / Special to DMN
"Doc" Haynes, (center) was Celina's team doctor when his son Lance Haynes (right) played in the 1980s. And if you spend time in Celina, you will hear a lot about him. After all, Haynes is the guy who used to hand Moore a stick of spearmint gum before games. Haynes is the guy who, as he ran on to the field to help an injured Celina player, would comment to the officials about missing a call. He's the guy who once accused an opposing player of faking an injury – Haynes calls it "gold-brickin' " – to stop the clock.
"Who does that guy think he is, a doctor?" the opposing coach yelled to Moore.
"Should I tell him?" Moore said to Haynes.
Well, at least everyone in Celina knows Haynes really is a "Doc." And they know how much he has meant to the football program. That's why so many of them want to shake Doc's hand when he's on the sidelines.
"They come and say, 'Hey, Doc, how are you doing?' " Lance Haynes said. "I think that helps him. It helps him get his mind off it."
"It," of course, is the cancer. But Doc doesn't want to talk about that. He wants to talk about Celina football, and how he's seen Celina win four of its seven state titles.
He would love to see a fifth. Not for him, but for the players.
"He loves those kids and he loves football," said his wife. "I think his work with them really means more to him than anything he did as a doctor."
Class 3A Division II state semifinal: Celina (14-0) vs. Snyder (12-2), 4 p.m. Saturday, Shotwell Stadium, Abilene
The small boating community offered sunshine, beaches and lots of great fishing for the first six years of his retirement.
But the grandkids were in Celina. And so was the football team he loves.
So in 2002, Haynes and his wife, Terry, moved back to the town they had called home since 1973. And Doc Haynes moved back to the place where he feels at home, on Celina's sidelines.
"The players look for him," Celina coach Butch Ford said. "They know he's supposed to be there. He's as much a part of this team as any player."
Haynes, 84, was part of the team long before Celina became a powerhouse. He was part of the team before the current players were born.
Haynes started helping out as team doctor in the mid-1980s when his son, Lance, was a lineman for Celina. Haynes taped up ankles before warmups and checked on injured players during the games. He also treated players and helped out at practices, although he wasn't paid for any of his medical work.
"He's just been fantastic for us," said Ford, who was an assistant to Celina coach G.A. Moore when he met Doc in 1988. "He's given so much to this program."
Now, Lance Haynes said, the roles are reversed. His father is battling colon cancer, which was in remission for several years but has spread to his lungs. As with any recurrent cancer, the prognosis is limited.
But Doc makes it out to every game, though he doesn't have the energy he used to, and he needs a wheelchair on the sidelines.
"Over the years, Celina football has been a good outlet for him," Lance Haynes said. "But I think with the cancer, it's a motivation for him. It's something to look forward to each week."
Doc didn't have his weekly Celina football fix in Sanibel, where he and Terry moved after he retired from medicine in 1996. He traveled back occasionally to see Lance, his wife, Cindy, and their three sons. He would also take in a few Celina games, but it wasn't the same.
It's not just the games. Doc gets to the stadium a couple of hours before kickoff so he can hang out with the players. While they're relaxing in the locker room, he'll have a seat and talk to them.
"I'm just sort of part of the team," he said. "They like to hear the war stories."
Those are from World War II, when Haynes was a Navy pilot chasing German submarines. He can also tell stories about playing "snapper" for the 1940 Plano team and how he knew Doak Walker and Bobby Layne when he was a student at SMU.
"He talks to us about all kinds of stuff," said junior running back Troy McCartney. "It's interesting, and he's funny. He definitely entertains us."
Inspires them a little, too. McCartney's wristband has his number on one side and "Doc" on the other.
"Out of respect," he said.
Doc is very much respected in Celina. And also loved, said Steve Carey, a Celina native whose son, Brad, donned the Bobcat orange from 2002-04.
"Doc Haynes is just so loved by everyone here," Carey said. "I've never heard anything bad about him."
RICKY MOON / Special to DMN
"Doc" Haynes, (center) was Celina's team doctor when his son Lance Haynes (right) played in the 1980s. And if you spend time in Celina, you will hear a lot about him. After all, Haynes is the guy who used to hand Moore a stick of spearmint gum before games. Haynes is the guy who, as he ran on to the field to help an injured Celina player, would comment to the officials about missing a call. He's the guy who once accused an opposing player of faking an injury – Haynes calls it "gold-brickin' " – to stop the clock.
"Who does that guy think he is, a doctor?" the opposing coach yelled to Moore.
"Should I tell him?" Moore said to Haynes.
Well, at least everyone in Celina knows Haynes really is a "Doc." And they know how much he has meant to the football program. That's why so many of them want to shake Doc's hand when he's on the sidelines.
"They come and say, 'Hey, Doc, how are you doing?' " Lance Haynes said. "I think that helps him. It helps him get his mind off it."
"It," of course, is the cancer. But Doc doesn't want to talk about that. He wants to talk about Celina football, and how he's seen Celina win four of its seven state titles.
He would love to see a fifth. Not for him, but for the players.
"He loves those kids and he loves football," said his wife. "I think his work with them really means more to him than anything he did as a doctor."
Class 3A Division II state semifinal: Celina (14-0) vs. Snyder (12-2), 4 p.m. Saturday, Shotwell Stadium, Abilene