Mike Haynes (cornerback)

Michael James Haynes (born July 1, 1953) is an American former National Football League cornerback who played for the New England Patriots and the Los Angeles Raiders. He used his speed, quickness and range to become both a premier defensive back and an outstanding punt return specialist.

Early years

Mike Haynes played cornerback at John Marshall High School in Los Angeles. He received numerous all-league and all-city honors while there. In addition to football Haynes also participated in track and field and currently holds the long jump record at John Marshall High School. During his Senior Year (1971) M. Haynes started both ways on offense (QB) and defense (Cornerback). However, Marshall went 0-7-1 (W-L-T) in the Northern League in 1971 and tied Belmont 20-20 in Mike's last HS game! In a show of his athletic accomplishments, John Marshall High School named the (Brand new artificial) School Football Field in Honor of Mike Haynes.

College career

At Arizona State, Mike Haynes was a three-time All-Western Athletic Conference selection, and a two-time All-America selection. In 2001 he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.

Pro football career

New England Patriots

Mike Haynes was selected in the first round in the 1976 NFL Draft by the New England Patriots. He enjoyed a sensational rookie year with the Patriots with eight interceptions and an AFC-leading 608 yards on 45 punt returns. That year, Haynes gave the Patriots their first-ever touchdowns on punt returns with 89-yard and 62-yard returns. He earned a Pro Bowl invitation as a rookie, the first of nine Pro Bowl bids. He also won NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year honors. The 1976 Patriots had a 11-3 record and clinched a playoff berth for the first time in 13 years. In the first round the Patriots lost to Oakland Raiders 24-21. In 1978 Haynes had 6 interceptions and returned one of them for a touchdown against the Baltimore Colts. The Patriots won their divsion but lost to the Houston Oilers in the playoffs. Mike Haynes played 4 more seasons with New England with 9 picks and a single touchdown in 1980 against the rival New York Jets.

Haynes recorded 28 interceptions and 1,159 yards on 111 returns, a 10.4-yard average during his seven years with the Patriots. He started his career with 58 consecutive starts before being sidelined with a rib injury late in 1979. Mike Haynes was inducted into the Patriots Hall of Fame in 1994 and number was retired as well.

Los Angeles Raiders

Haynes played out his option with the Patriots in 1982, and in November, 1983, his contract was awarded to the Los Angeles Raiders in a settlement that gave the Patriots a No. 1 draft choice in 1984 and a No. 2 pick in 1985. He played the last five games in 1983 and then started and had one interception in the Raiders’ Super Bowl XVIII victory.

In seven seasons with the Raiders, Haynes returned only one punt but he added 18 interceptions to give him a career total of 46 which were returned for 688 yards and two touchdowns, including a team-record 97-yard return against Miami in 1984. Haynes was an All-Pro choice in 1977, 1978, 1982, 1984 and 1985 and an All-AFC pick eight times.

In 1997, he was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. In 1999, he was ranked number 93 on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Football Players.

All-Pro Football 2K8

In the video game All Pro Football 2K8, Mike Haynes originally appeared as a Gold Cornerback with the abilities "Coverage Bonus - Player has excellent pass coverage skills" and "Return Specialist - Player is skilled at returning punts or kicks". After the first patch for the XBox 360 version of the game however, Mike Haynes' name was changed to "Mark Smith". No explanation for the change was ever presented. All of Mark Smith's abilities, player model, and even facial features, remained unchanged from those of Mike Haynes.

External links

• Pro Football Hall of Fame: Member profile