Michael Haynes, of Pardeeville High School, has been named Green Bay Packers High School Coach of the Week, the organization announced Thursday.
"I'd like to just thank the Green Bay Packers, the whole organization, because I've been a Packer fan my whole life and this is really special," Haynes said.
Haynes is in the midst of his 11th season as the head coach at Pardeeville, where he has compiled a 90-30 record and led the Bulldogs to four Trailways-Large Conference championships and nine consecutive playoff appearances. Through the first six games of 2008, Pardeeville is 5-1 and sits atop the conference in first place following last Friday's 53-13 victory over rival Oshkosh Lourdes.
"Most of all I'd like to thank the players here at Pardeeville, who way back in 1998 committed to our program and committed to our values and philosophies," he said. "They helped turn this thing around to where we are well-respected around the state of Wisconsin, and I'm just very proud."
Haynes has also gained recognition for his efforts in developing support for the program. In 2003, he started the Pardeeville Bulldog Support Foundation, a development arm aimed at raising money to improve the school's athletic facilities. To date, the organization has raised more than $550,000 and played an integral role in the construction of the 1,800-seat stadium the football and track teams now compete in. Haynes has served as the president of the organization since its inception.
"We just believed it could happen five years ago," he said. "The school board and superintendent here have been extremely supportive, the community has been tremendous, and dreams have come true here with these facilities."
The assistant coaching staff at Pardeeville includes Mike Craig, Ron Hulberg, Kevin Kingsland, Chris Lindert, Al Nickel, Justin Nickel and John Springer.
A native of Portage, Wis., Haynes is a 1974 graduate of Pardeeville, where he played both running back and outside linebacker on the school's football team. From there, he attended Taylor University (Ind.) where he played defensive back under coaches Tom Carlson and Sam Sample before graduating in 1978.
*The Packers will recognize one outstanding high school coach as their 'Coach of the Week' winner during the 2008 high school football season. Winners are awarded several items and privileges, including a $1,000 donation to the school's football program from the Green Bay Packers and the NFL, as well as recognition of the award on packers.com.
Nominations for Coach of the Week should be submitted by 9 a.m. every Monday to Tim Schroeder, community outreach coordinator, at coachoftheweek@packers.com (e-mail) or by fax at (920) 569-7302. Please include the nominee's name, address, school, phone number, and reason he/she is deserving of the award.*
