Exclusive: Verron and Justice Haynes Talk Baseball, Football, and Georgia
The spring and summer of 2020 have been void of major sports that we as a state, a nation, and a global society have come to love. Many of us love sports for the moments that they create. We vicariously, and dang near literally, live and die through the competitors we see on the various fields and courts of play. The shocking and heart-swelling feeling of an upset victory, the tension, anxiety, and adrenaline that come with a close game, the exhilaration of victory, and the sting of defeat are brought to us by sports.
These feelings encapsulate the moments that stand the test of time. One of those moments for Georgia Bulldog faithful is the late-game touchdown catch of Verron Haynes in the checkerboard endzone of Neyland Stadium in 2001. When number 35 found his way through the trenches and into an expansive opening in the soft spot of the UT's Quarters Coverage and secured a patented David Greene spiral that floated into his hands for the would-be game-winning score.
It inspired some of the most iconic words ever uttered by one of the most iconic voices to ever grace a microphone. "We threw it Haynes!" Larry Munson would exclaim. Then finishing off the legendary moment with, "We just stepped on their face with a hobnail boot and broke their nose! We just crushed their face!"
Fast forward 19 years and Verron Haynes has gone from a famed Georgia Bulldog and Pittsburgh Steeler to a Dad standing away from others and the action watching his son Justice play baseball and football with nervous excitement. Trust me on this, while all parents are nervous, Verron Haynes has more to be excited about than most.
Justice Haynes is a bona fide star in baseball and football at Blessed Trinity Catholic School in Roswell, Georgia. Between traveling around with the highly competitive Georgia Jackets and working out in preparation for a run at another state title at Blessed Trinity, Justice Haynes is a busy young man. Throw on top of that the beginnings of what will assuredly be one of the more high profile and contentious recruitments in the 2023 class, and Justice is setting the stage to create his own legendary moments.
Today, Dawgs Daily on SI.com brings you an exclusive interview with the recipient of the now famed "P 44 Haynes" Mark Richt play call and his highly coveted multi-sport prospect son. Please watch the video below and catch our wide-ranging conversation with the Haynes Father and Son in which we discuss his love of baseball and football, the legacy of both his Dad and his high school program, and his recruitment.
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