Mike Haynes

“It is so important to me to continue to support the sport I love, by making sure we are doing all that we can to ensure the health and safety of its players - former, current and future - at all levels. And through research like HITSS, we will understand the long-term brain health risks and move the science forward to get the information we need to find answers.”

Mike Hayes is a legendary cornerback known for his athleticism and speed both of which was shown throughout his career beginning in high school. He was a two-sport athlete participating in track and field as well as football. Though he performed well in track, he shined in the long jump, an event in which he still holds the school record. In football, Mike was a star cornerback all four years. In his senior year, his skill set was on full display as he started on both ends of the ball – Quarter Back on offence and Corner Back on defense. For college, he took his talents to Arizona State where he was a two-time All-American. In 1976, he was selected by the New England Patriots in the first round of the NFL draft where he played six years and recorded the first ever touchdown on a punt return for the Patriots. In 1983, he began playing for the Los Angeles Raiders where he was instrumental in winning the Super Bowl. Mike Haynes was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in 1997 as well as the College Football Hall of Fame in 2000. Currently, he is ranked 49 on the NFL Network’s Top 100 greatest players.