Art Haege, 69, Former St. Ignace Saints Football Coach, Dies in Iowa
By David Latva

Art Haege as linebacker for the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League in the early 1960s.

Art Haege, 69, a former football coach at LaSalle High School died Monday, March 5, 2007, at Mercy Medical Center in Des Moines, Iowa, after being stricken with a brain aneurysm.

Coach Haege was the junior varsity and varsity assistant coach under John Soderman in 1963 and took over the varsity head job for the 1964 season. He guided the Saints to a 6-2 overall record and the championship in the Straits Huron League with a 4-0 mark that started the St. Ignace program on the winning trail. During his first high school head coaching job, he met and married Carol Ahlich of St. Ignace.

Haege's resume as a player and coach is outstanding. He lettered three years at Peoria Spaulding High School in Illinois, starting every game at tight-end and defensive end during his junior and senior years before earning All- American honors at Division I-AA Saint Ambrose College in Davenport, Iowa. He was named Athlete of the Year in 1959 and was the first person to be inducted into the Saint Ambrose College Hall of Fame in 1993.

Professional Career

Haege spent two pre-seasons (1960-61) with the Boston Patriots of the old American Football League and, after being cut by Boston, played linebacker for the Chicago Bulls in the semi-professional United Football League in 1961. In 1962, he started at outside linebacker in the all 12 regular season games for the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League, but a shoulder injury ended his football playing days.

High School Coaching Career

Coach Haege had the reputation of turning losing teams into winners, and after leaving St. Ignace took over programs at Manistee High School and Two Rivers, Wisconsin, where his two sons, Dan and Frank, were born.

The coach returned to Michigan and started the winning tradition at Traverse City St. Francis with a 6-2- 1 record in 1970. He moved on to Minnesota and coached at Virginia High School from 1971 to 1976 and Biwabik, Minnesota, from 1980 to 1982. He closed out his high school career at Assumption High School in Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin, for the 1983 and 1984 seasons.

College Coaching Experience

Haege's college coaching career started at Northern Michigan University in 1966 as the secondary coach while working with quarterback coach Lloyd Carr, who is presently the head coach at the University of Michigan.

In 1969, Haege was the offensive line coach at the University of Wisconsin. During that season, the Bagers and the U-M Wolverines played. Former St. Ignace Saints standout Barry Pierson, who Haege called his favorite player he has ever coached, was playing for the Wolverines, and returned a punt for a 60-yard touchdown.

"Before the punt, Art said to me that they were going to get me, but I returned the punt for the touchdown. Art didn't speak to me after the game," said Pierson.

Haege's college coaching career continued at Hibbing Community College in 1979, he was offensive coach at Vermilion Community College in Ely, Minnesota, for the 1986 and 1987 seasons, and spent 1988 as linebacker coach at Drake University in Des Moines. From 1989 to 1991 he was the assistant head coach at Westmar College in LeMars, Iowa.

Pro Coaching Experience Haege joined the Arena Football League ranks as defensive coordinator and offensive and defensive line coach for the Milwaukee Mustangs under head coach Lou Saban of the old Boston Patriots.

He became the player personnel director and defensive coordinator of the Iowa Barnstormers for six years from 1995 to 2000. Kurt Warner, National Football League quarterback for the St. Louis Rams and presently the Arizona Cardinals, led the Barnstormers in 1996 and 1997.

Haege coached with his son, Frank, in Milwaukee and for the New Jersey Gladiators as defensive line coach in 2002.

"Art was a story teller who entertained people with his stories about football," said Frank Haege. "He was a colorful character who loved the game of football and kept the game simple, but was fundamentally sound."

Coach Haege was the defensive coordinator for the Arkansas Twisters of the Arena Football 2 at the time of his death.

"Art converted the Twisters into one of the most feared defensive teams in the league. The Twisters will honor Art this season both on and off the field," said Twisters President Jack Lankford.

Coach Haege's knowledge about the game of football led him to work with coaches such as Jerry Glanville, Lloyd Carr, Rollie Dotch, Lou Saban, Carl Reese, and Roger French. Haege will be remembered for his love of the game and as one of the best evaluators of football talent.

(Career information and dates courtesy of Art Haege Web site)