Golden era: Unintown’s Haines was winner in football, basketball before playing for Penn
Submitted photo
Chuck Haines is shown during his football playing days at Uniontown.
Submitted photo
Chuck Haines is shown during his basketball playing days at Uniontown.
Submitted photo
Uniontown graduate Chuck Haines drives at The Goodwood Festival of Speed in England.
The 1950s through the early 1970s were the Golden Age of Uniontown High School athletics. Chuck Haines was part of that era, playing football, basketball and participating in track and field for the Red Raiders.
Haines got an early start in athletics.
鈥淲e played on the playgrounds,鈥� Haines said. 鈥淚 played Little League and Pony League baseball. We also played up on Pea Ridge at the Jewish Center.鈥�
Haines was a part of some talented Uniontown football teams. Playing JV and some varsity ball his sophomore season, the Red Raiders went 4-5-1 in 1955. In 1956 they posted a record of 8-2, the losses coming at the hands of Monessen, 7-0, and Mt. Lebanon, 28-13.
In Haines鈥� senior campaign in 1957 the Red Raiders posted the second undefeated season in school history with a record of 8-0, but the team was racked with Asiatic Flu at one point and two games were canceled against Redstone and Baldwin. The Redstone game was eventually played with the Red Raiders winning, but they didn鈥檛 have enough Gardner points to qualify for the WPIAL playoffs.
Charleroi whitewashed Brownsville 28-0, which deprived Uniontown of picking up two Gardner points. Wilkinsburg nipped Uniontown in Gardner points by three points. Wilkinsburg beat Clairton 13-0 to win the WPIAL title.
鈥淚t was very frustrating,鈥� Haines recalled. 鈥淚t was the system that they had set up. We were proud of the season. We didn鈥檛 get overly hung up on not going to the playoffs, but we were disappointed.鈥�
The 1957 Red Raiders scored 210 points that season and only surrendered 32. They were powered by the dynamic duo of quarterback Sandy Stephens and running back Bill Munsey.
鈥淪tephens and Munsey were tremendous,鈥� Haines offered. 鈥淲e had some other guys that were quite good. Ron Firmani was a tough guy.鈥�
Firmani, a guard, was one of six Red Raiders named the the 1957 All Fayette County football squad along with end Harrison Vail, tackle Joe Lucosky, quarterback Stephens, and backs Munsey and Larry Franty.
The 6-foot, 180-pound Haines was a starting corner back on defense and played some at halfback on offense.
鈥淚 did not play a lot in the backfield,鈥� Haines stated. 鈥淲e had an offensive team and a defensive team and I played every down on defense. I didn鈥檛 play much on offense. A couple of times we got way ahead and the put some second string offensive guys in.鈥�
Haines did score one touchdown on offense as a senior against Monessen in 27-0 victory.
The Red Raiders were blessed with a great coaching staff.
鈥淚t was a positive experience under Bill Power,鈥� Haines said. 鈥淥n TV you see some of these college coaches yelling. We liked the coaches, it was a positive thing. Not that they wouldn鈥檛 say something to you if you messed up, but it was not punitive. We had a good esprit de corps on the team. Bill Power was a stickler, you watched the game, no screwing around on the bench. You watched the game and were in the game. Power was tough and he was fair.鈥�
Haines played in the Fayette-Washington County All-Star football game after his senior season. Washington County downed the Fayette All-Stars 18-0.
On the hardwood Haines played JV as a sophomore and was on the varsity as a junior and a senior.
Uniontown went 20-4 and 7-3 in Section 2 when Haines was a junior. They beat Latrobe in a playoff for the Section title, 58-41. In the WPIAL playoffs they notched a win over Tarentum 59-52 before losing losing to McKeesport 61-54. Haines scored 22 points as a junior.
The Red Raiders were 21-4 in 1957-58 and 13-1 in section play. In the WPIAL playoffs they downed Rostraver 82-55 and Ford City 54-53. They were ousted from the playoffs by Charleroi 70-45.
鈥淲e had good teams and it was fun playing with guys like Stephens and the great Mel Freeman. My senior year we played Charleroi in the playoffs,鈥� Haines said. 鈥淚 have a memory of a fast break and Jim Chacko was a outstanding player and my assignment was to guard the other team蘑菇视频 best player. He was going for a layup and we collided under the basket and unfortunately he landed on his head and got knocked out.鈥�
Haines tallied 103 points for Uniontown as a senior.
鈥淐oach Abe Everhart was a fair coach and he was pleasant to work for,鈥� Haines said. 鈥淓verybody got a fair chance. I had to run track if you played basketball and I did. As a sophomore I ran the dashes and the threw the discus and ran the 440 relay.鈥�
Haines has fond memories of his high school days.
鈥淚t was very good experience,鈥� Haines offered. 鈥淭he athletics were very good and we had nice crowds for football and basketball.鈥�
When Haines graduated in 1958 he wound up playing football at the University of Pennsylvania.
鈥淚 was a good student and that helped with Penn,鈥� Haines explained. 鈥淧enn had no athletic scholarships and I got some aid. I played freshman football and was at Penn from 1958 to 1962. We were competitive in the Ivy League, but mostly in the middle of the pack. I was a defensive specialist, but had to play running back on offense.鈥�
鈥淲e played at Franklin Field and former Penn star Chuck Bednarik who was with the Philadelphia Eagles would stop by and help coach us. You could be standing there and he蘑菇视频 showing you something and he could hurt three people with his elbows.鈥�
Penn posted records of 7-1-1 in 1959, 3-6 in 1960 and 2-7 in 1961.
鈥淚 got a good education at Penn,鈥� Haines said. 鈥淚 got my degree as a safety engineer.鈥�
Haines spent two years in the Army from 1962 to 1964 and left the service as a captain. He went to work for Corhart Refractories Co. in Louisville, Kentucky, two years. He joined PPG in Pittsburgh in safety for 11 years. In 1977 he became corporate director of health and safety for Anheuser-Busch in St. Louis for seven years.
Haines鈥� long-standing interest in race cars led to a career change.
鈥淚 was always interested in race cars,鈥� Haines explained. 鈥淚 built my first race car as a teenager. Then when I got out of college and the Army I decided a race car designed by a teenager isn鈥檛 that great so I bought a Maserati and I started racing National Amateur around the country.
鈥淚 raced for 15 years in national competition. I had a number of victories. But what happened was this turned into a racing car business. I left Anheuser-Busch and set up a consulting company for safety engineering, CR Haines and Associates. The racing company flourished. Can-Am Cars LTD is now one of the largest vintage race car dealers in the world.鈥�
Haines, 82, resides in St. Louis with his wife of 61 years, Nancy. They have one daughter, Jennifer.
鈥淟ife has worked out pretty well,鈥� Haines stated. 鈥淚 was in Uniontown when our 1957 team was inducted into The Uniontown Area High School Academics, Arts and Athletics Hall of Fame . It was great to come back.鈥�
George Von Benko蘑菇视频 鈥淢emory Lane鈥� column appears in the Sunday editions of the 蘑菇视频. He also hosts a sports talk show on WMBS-AM radio from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturdays.