Charles Haley, a Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinee and former standout at James Madison University, recently discussed his college career, his growth as a football player, and his ongoing work off the field in an interview with JMU Sports News.
Haley started at James Madison University weighing 160 pounds. He recounted his early days with coach Challace McMillin and how he earned his spot on the team. “I was 160 pounds walking into JMU, so I don’t know what they were thinking. I think Coach [Challace McMillin] was thinking, a year, build him up with strength, and then play. But I asked him, I said, ‘Coach McMillin, am I going to get a chance to fight for the starting job?’ And he kept giving me these excuses about me needing to put on weight, me needing to lift. I asked him again and he said, ‘Yes, you’ll get a chance.’ And that’s all wanted was the opportunity. I told him, ‘I don’t sit on people’s benches.’” Haley explained further changes in his physique during college and after: “I think I got to 180 my freshman year. By the time I graduated I was about 200 pounds. I went into the NFL at 200 pounds.” When asked if this weight stayed consistent in the NFL, Haley added: “No, they made me put on 25 pounds at the 49ers … it ain’t about the size of the dog. It’s the fight in the dog.”
Reflecting on coach McMillin’s influence beyond football success at James Madison University, Haley stated: “He was one of the greatest coaches I’ve ever had, and he was a phenomenal man. He was a man of honor and a man of his word. He told my mom I was going to graduate, and that was the hardest thing I ever did in my life. Even though he got fired, he kept his foot on top of my neck to make sure I graduated. That’s the character of who Challace McMillin is.”
Looking back on campus traditions and growth over time at James Madison University for football games compared to today’s facilities and stature among programs nationally: “The other thing that I loved about JMU was back then all the students used to be up on the hill watching the game. It used to remind me back in [my hometown of] Gladys where there were only five or six rows of bleachers but everybody else was on the bank watching the game, cheering. It just made me feel like I was still back at home.” On current progress for campus expansion: “I came down, I’m going like wait a minute. They had money back then when I was playing why haven’t you built? I’m like if you build, they’ll come. JMU, the campus is phenomenal … I tell everybody, nobody can beat our campus. Our school is rated top of the line. I’m so proud to say I’m a JMU graduate. I played for the greatest team, the JMU Dukes. We’re putting a lot of players into the NFL, and we’ve got a players who won Super Bowls and some that lost a few of them. We’re a family and that family is strong.”
Outside professional football achievements—highlighted by five Super Bowl wins—Haley continues involvement through Tackle Tomorrow Foundation which aims “to improve early childhood literacy rates for students in underserved communities throughout Dallas,” according to its official mission statement: “… To improve early childhood literacy rates for students in underserved communities throughout Dallas TX… Our vision is to improve long-term quality… by replacing cycles of poverty with hope…”
Haley has also openly discussed mental health challenges faced during his career including bipolar disorder diagnosis; sharing publicly “hoping to break stigma surrounding mental illness.”
The full interview includes more discussion from Haley about draft day stories along with reflections on making an impact both within professional football organizations—the San Francisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys—and through continued support for education initiatives.
