Michael Haynes Jr., who played high school football at Northern Burlington, was picked in the first round of the NFL draft.
By:Kyle Moylan
Going to high school in a country more known for fútbol than football, Michael Haynes Jr. was mastering the American sport at the same time he was still learning the rules.
Haynes got so good at football that by his junior year, in fact, his high school coach in Panama let his parents know it was probably time to take him to the United States to play.
This past weekend, a little over six years after his military parents asked to be transferred to a base in New Jersey in large part so their son could play at Northern Burlington High School Haynes’ skills had developed to the point where he was selected as the 14th pick of the first round of the National Football League Draft by the Chicago Bears.
"I am besides myself," noted Michael Haynes Sr., a very jubilant father. "I never thought he’d be taken with the 14th pick. It was a shocker for us."
Then again, everything about Haynes’ football career has been a pleasant surprise.
"American football in Panama is a secondary sport," noted the elder Haynes. "Most of the kids play soccer. Michael played soccer his freshman year."
The football league Haynes played in during his sophomore and junior years of high school consisted of one local Panama-based team and four squads filled with the children of American military personnel.
"The high school coaches tried to have the football season played at the same time as it was in the States," noted Mr. Haynes. "That’s the rainy season there. Every Friday night there was a football game in the rain and mud."
Catherine Haynes, the proud mother, sat through those horrible conditions, trying to gather whatever information she could about the sport. She’s still trying to learn the ins and outs of the sport. One thing about football was abundantly clear to her from the start, though.
"Even if Michael had been the star player down there, he wouldn’t have gotten an opportunity for a scholarship," Mrs. Haynes noted. "He wouldn’t have been seen."
At the same time Michael’s coach was pushing for him to play in the States, Mrs. Haynes’ father became very ill and she put in for a military transfer. With her father living in New York at the time, Mrs. Haynes was transferred to Fort Dix and Mr. Haynes was transferred to McGuire Air Force Base. By the time the transfers were approved, however, Mrs. Haynes’ father had died.
"We decided to make the move as a family anyway," Mrs. Haynes noted. "The football coach in Panama had advised us to come back to the States."
Playing for Northern Burlington in 1997, Haynes was asked to start at both fullback and defensive end.
"That’s what he needed," Mr. Haynes noted. "(Northen Burlington) Coach (Charlie) Pirrello gave him the experience he needed."
Playing at Northern Burlington, Haynes ran for 366 yards and made 141 tackles. He was chosen as a First Team All-Burlington County All-Star for defense.
"He carried us that year," Coach Pirrello noted. "His learning curve is tremendous."
Even at a relatively small high school like Northern Burlington, Haynes drew the attention of the major colleges. He was recruited to play at Penn State for its legendary coach, Joe Paterno.
Mr. and Mrs. Haynes soon resigned from the military and relocated the family to Allentown, Pa. In order to be able to see their son play on a regular basis.
"Even at Penn State, he was still learning the game," Mrs. Haynes noted. "It took him a while to grasp the game. In high school he jumped around a lot. He played on both sides of the ball. In college, he was trying to master that one position (defensive end)."
Mission accomplished.
The 6-3, 281-pound defensive end was a name being mentioned in published reports around the country as a first-round pick for this past weekend’s draft. Mr. and Mrs. Haynes, three aunts, three uncles and one of his two brothers drove to Penn State to watch the draft at Michael’s apartment on Saturday.
"It was fun," Mrs. Haynes noted. "It was great having everyone there at the same time. It was a great opportunity for everyone to support Michael."
The only problem was Michael wasn’t there. The phone in his apartment was constantly ringing. His cell phone was ringing. His mom’s cell phone was ringing. His dad’s cell phone was ringing. Same for his other relatives. In order to get away from some of the chaos, Michael decided to watch the draft at his fiancée’s apartment.
Representatives from the Philadelphia Eagles called Haynes on his cell phone and informed them they had traded up in the draft to select him with the 15th pick. In fact, Haynes was talking to the Eagles when it was announced that the Chicago Bears had taken him with the 14th pick.
"There was dead silence on the phone," Mrs. Haynes noted. "What could he say? What could anyone say?"
Minutes later, when Michael arrived back at his own apartment, there was no need for words either. Just screams. A lot of screams of joy.
"Somewhere between this whole weekend, the yelling and the jumping up and down, some of us got a cold," Mrs. Haynes laughed, her voice notably hoarse. "It was a lot of fun.
"There are a lot of military families and kids Michael doesn’t even know that are rejoicing over this. It’s just nice to know this could happen."
Even to someone who started playing football in fútbol country.

