PHSHOF - Edward J. "Red" Haeck - Baseball, Football, Basketball, Softball, Bowling

Edward J. "Red" Haeck
(1911–____)

Baseball, football, basketball, softball, bowling and golf have all been covered by "Red" Haeck’s lifetime dedication to competitive sports.

Red was reared on a farm near Capac, Michigan. In 1925 when he was 14 years old, his family moved to Port Huron. His involvement in athletic reads like the History of Sports Activity in Port Huron for the past 50 years.

He played basketball for the Washington Junior High School, Port Huron Junior College, Detroit Edison, Port Huron Sulphite Paper Company, and the Knights of Columbus. He played 12 years in Industrial League competition, 5 of those years on championship teams.

He played football at the Port Huron High School and Port Huron Junior College, baseball at Port Huron High School and for the Port Huron Independents, Port Huron Merchants, Cloverleaf Dairy, Goodells, Gardendale and Avoca.

He played softball in the City Church League, Strand Recreation, Seller’s News Agency, Port Huron Paint, and for Port Huron Sulphite in 1933-34-35-36-37. This team won the Industrial League championship 4 years. They also won the city and district play-offs and represented the Prot Huron District at Lansing in each of the 4 years. Red also played for the Sheriff Lucas team which played in the Southeastern Michigan League. They won several league championships. Red played softball for 18 years and on 13 championship teams. He was selected for the Times Herald City Softball All-Star Team 9 consecutive years and was also included in Fred Vincent’s and Harold Ashley’s All-Star Teams.

For 44 years Red has been an enthusiastic bowler and has been bowling in the Business and Professional League, the Twilite League; the Fraternal League, the City League and the Times Herald Classic. He was the City All-Events Champ in 1948, the first Times Herald Captain’s Sponsor Winner in 1954. He was on winning league and tournament bowling teams 34 times; his highest game was 277, his highest series 672. He bowled in 7 ABC Tournaments.

Red is the president of adult activities for 5 bowling leagues, president of the Thumb District Edison Club, and honorary member of the Knights of Columbus for 45 years, having served 13 years as their financial secretary. He was an organizer of the Port Huron Sports Hall of Fame, and was chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Hall of Fame in 1980.

Together with Fred Vincent and Al Dimon he formed the Slo-Ball League in 1943, and was the league’s first secretary. This league is still in existence. He organized and managed teams of the Knights of Columbus, Detroit Edison, Fosters, and Mortimer Lumber. He played and managed in the league for 15 years. He was vice president of the Little League and coached and managed in the league for 18 years. He also coached Babe Ruth baseball teams for 6 years.