Posted: 8/13/03

FL grad Adam Haayer living his dream

Joe Drennan
Sports Editor

Growing up, most kids dream of playing for their home town sports team in whatever sport they play. The Minnesota Vikings Adam Haayer is one of the lucky professional athletes who has been able to do just that.

Haayer grew up in Forest Lake where he played high school football for Forest Lake head coach Jim Herman.

ìWeíre really thrilled that it has worked out for him,î Herman said. ìObviously we would be thrilled for anyone to make it, but Adam is a great guy.î

While in high school at Forest Lake, Haayer earned all-conference honors as a defensive end his senior year when he weighed in at 230 lbs. Haayer also was a star basketball player for the school.

ìCoach Herman did so much for me just in the recruiting process sending film out to colleges. He really looks out for his players, that really helped me out,î Haayer said. ìThis guy may only be 6í 5‡î 225 lbs., but heís going to grow. He really helped me out in that aspect.î

After graduation, Haayer moved on to play for his hometown University of Minnesota Golden Gophers. He redshirted his freshman year as he learned a new playbook and bulked up in size to play offensive tackle. As a Gopher, Haayer earned his degree in education and says he would like to someday go back and get his masterís degree.

Haayer was drafted by the Tennessee Titans of the NFL 199th overall in the 2001 draft.

ìIt is pretty hard to think someone is going to be an NFLíer in high school, but he already had the body frame for it,î Herman said.

After suffering an MCL tear and partial ACL tear in his knee just before the start of his rookie campaign, Haayer was forced to sit out the season in Tennessee on the disabled list.

ìI was happy to go to Tennessee, I was drafted by them and it was a great opportunity, but things just didnít work out,î Haayer said. ìI went down there, had an injury where I blew out my knee and things just didnít work out. Thatís the way it goes. I wasnít upset, it was a stepping stone in my career.î

During 2002 Titans training camp, Haayer was released. Vikings offensive line coach Steve Loney coached Haayer at the University of Minnesota and suggested the Vikings go after him.

ìThe nice thing about Coach Steve is he is the guy who basically turned me into a tackle in college,î Haayer said. ìHe was there in the beginning and is there now. Hopefully Iíll get to play for him for a long time and keep that relationship going that we have. Iím glad that when the time came to pick up a tackle he thought of me and he knew that I could get the job done, and I think that Iím proving that I can get the job done.î

Returning home to play in the Metrodome for the Vikings is something Haayer had always thought about doing as a kid. ìItís kind of a dream. You grow up bleeding the purple and gold, just being a big fan,î Haayer said. ìOnce you get to college, itís the Golden Gophers, still watching the Vikings every Sunday after our games. I just got really lucky once I was released by Tennessee to be picked up by the Vikings.î

Haayer was put to work almost immediately after being signed by the Vikings.

ìWhen I got picked up off waivers last year I was with the Vikings 10 days and I played 93 snaps against the Buffalo Bills,î Haayer said. ìJust thrown into battle. Edward Lindsey was the starting tackle and his back locked up on him so I had to go in and play and that was my most memorable moment. Just getting it out of the way and knowing that you played at this level and that you can hold your own.î

Training camp

Heat and humidity are undoubtedly an issue in every NFL training camp. Several players have already collapsed due to heat, and no football fan can forget the death of Korey Stringer two years ago. Haayer is aware of the danger and has his own thoughts on how to prepare for it.

ìI was in Tennessee last year which is a hot box, itís like playing in a sauna every day. You go out at 7:30 in the morning and it would already be 95 degrees out, humidity would be up in the 88th percent. Heat was miserable there,î Haayer said. ìIn the off season, the biggest thing is you have to work out outside,î Haayer said. ìYour body has to get accustomed to the heat, you have to spend time outside. I love to do yard work and all that stuff so I am outside all day long. Itís just something you have to get used to. Some guys live in the south so they are out working in that heat. Your body becomes accustomed to that.î

Rivalries and

road games

Every team has their rivalries that date back to great games or are in place because of geography. Arguably the biggest rival to the Vikings would have to be the Green Bay Packers.

ìI love playing the Packers. Itís the whole Minnesota-Wisconsin rivalry,î Haayer said. Even the (Wisconsin) Badgers were a big game. I never got that ax in college so that was really upsetting so now I get to take it out on the Packers.î

As the Packers get ready to open up the revamped Lambeau Field and the Chicago Bears get ready to play in the new Soldier Field, Haayer looks forward to traveling to both stadiums this year.

ìI have never been to Soldier Field so I am really excited to go there,î Haayer said. ìLambeau last year was a blast, I loved it so it will be fun to go back there and hopefully run them off the map.î

College football stadiums are sometimes more famous than some of their NFL counterparts though and offer some of the more unusual sights in football.

ìI have played in a lot of places, and I think my favorite place to play was Penn State Beaver Stadium in college,î Haayer said. ìThe atmosphere there is unreal, its phenomenal. To pull up there into the Happy Valley there and see all those RVs from all over the state of Pennsylvania to come watch Penn State play.î

NFL road trips are not like the ones in other sports where the players may be gone for two weeks at a time. The players will leave on Saturday, then travel back to Minnesota Sunday after the game.

ìBeing on the plane kind of sucks. Sometimes you have a long flight and us big guys donít fit on planes very well,î Haayer said of road trips. Other than the leg room on a plane, he does not mind them.

ìItís nice to get into a different city and get a meal, a good steak dinner somewhere, get our meetings in, go to bed and think about the game. Just get ready for the game the next morning.î

Fun and games

No matter what a pro athlete says, they are getting paid good money to play a kidís game. Haayer is fully aware of this and is enjoying his time as a pro.

ìTo play at this level is a blessing,î Haayer said. ìTo play college, then in the pros, to play anywhere is a big accomplishment.î

Haayer enjoys running around like a kid and goofing around at his job. ìItís so much fun going out there. Youíre running around and goofing around,î Haayer said. ìI have so much fun. With ìBig Mack,î Everett, Birk is a riot to be around. It is a really good group of guys to be around. We just have a lot of fun. If you donít like what youíre doing, youíre never going to make it through this game, itís hard, itís hard on your body, and itís fun just to come out here and hang out with the guys, run around and play a kids game for a living, itís a great way to do it.î

Haayerís roommate on the road, Bryant McKinnie ,joins in with his fun. ìWe have fun together. Today we were doing stuff weíre not supposed to be doing like lining up wrong and stuff like that,î McKinnie said.

With two young children at home, Haayer says his kids are just starting to understand what he does for a living. ìDuring the summer and the off-season I was leaving for a few hours to go work out, but then I would be home. He asked me one day if I worked,î Haayer said. ìI told him I play football. Itís fun to see him at the games and hopefully I can do this for a while and he can watch a lot more.î

Life after football

For every athlete, there comes a day when they can no longer play their sport either because of injury, age, or they just decide it is time to hang up the cleats. Haayer is fully aware of this and has put some thought into what he may do when his playing days are over.

With a degree in education, Haayer says he would like to go back to school and get a masterís degree; he just doesnít know in what. With his education degree, he thinks he would like to possibly teach, but definitely wants to coach.

ìI think coaching is definitely in my future, they will maybe want me to teach. To coach a high school team, maybe a division three team, just to coach offensive line, I would love to work an offensive line somewhere. I think it would be a lot of fun.î Haayer said. ìMy wife doesnít like watching college games with me because I start pointing out stuff that she doesnít even want to know about.î

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