Mike Haynes’ professional football career began when he was the fifth player selected in the 1976 draft. A first-round draft choice of the New England Patriots, Haynes was voted the NFL defensive rookie of the year. He was selected by his peers to represent the AFC in nine Pro Bowls during his 14-year NFL career with the Patriots (1976-1982) and Los Angeles Raiders (1983-1989) and earned a Super Bowl ring as a member of the 1983 Raiders.

Haynes is widely recognized as one of the NFL’s greatest defensive backs. He was inducted into the Patriots Hall of Fame in 1994, named to the NFL’s 75th Anniversary All-Time Team in 1995, inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1997, and inducted into the College Football hall of Fame in 2000.

During his playing career, Haynes recognized the need to prepare for life after football and began to establish the groundwork for his career off the field. He spent a distinguished seven years at Callaway Golf, a global leader in the development and manufacture of golf equipment, with six years as their Global Licensing Manager prior to being promoted to Vice President of Recreational Golf Development. He returned to the NFL in 2002 where he led the Player Development Department, which created and managed programs to help players transition into and out of the NFL. Haynes also held the position of Special Advisor to the Commissioner of the NFL, responsible for providing counsel on player issues. He is now the President and founder of Mike Haynes & Associates (MH&A), a consulting company with more than 35 years of experience that takes a holistic approach to problem solving. MH&A works with clients that demonstrate a commitment to a winning culture, seek a competitive edge and value making a difference in our shared community.

Giving back to the community plays a large role in Haynes’ philosophy. He is a passionate advocate for issues that often break barriers and bring about meaningful improvements and change. Recently, Haynes received the Gilda Radner Courage Award from the Roswell Park Alliance Foundation for his willingness to use his personal experience with prostate cancer to encourage men to learn about prostate health. More recently, he was inducted into the John McLendon Minority Athletics Administrators Hall of Fame, which was founded by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics to recognize outstanding accomplishments in sports administration. Haynes was honored for his personal decorum while becoming a role model to others and rising to the highest level of excellence in his chosen career.

A prostate cancer survivor, Haynes speaks on behalf of the Urology Care Foundation, encouraging men to talk with their doctors about getting tested for this deadly disease. In 2010, Haynes pledged to donate his brain to the Concussion Legacy Foundation for research and has been an outspoken advocate for concussion and CTE awareness.