Coach Haycock and Connections

Reghan and Luke

We never know how interconnected our lives will be with others. Here's a little story about some family members of the above two 8th grade student candidates.

Students running for Student Council at St. Mark's had the opportunity to give their campaign speeches this week.  Luke is running for president and so is his classmate Reghan O'Neill. Either would do an excellent job (I wish they could be co-presidents!) The faculty advisor, Mrs. Susan Schafer, commented on how outstanding the entire slate of candidates is.

Mrs. Schafer explains the process as the student candidates wait to give their speeches.

Luke and Reghan's families have a connection that occurred decades before they were born. Reghan's grandpa was legendary coach and teacher Merv Haycock. Coach Haycock taught and coached hundreds of Spalding and Bergan high school students. One of them was Luke's dad, John Carroll, Spalding Institute Class of 1971. Through the years, John has brought up the influence that Coach Haycock had on his life.

While Coach Haycock is more known as a football coach, he was John's freshman basketball coach. "He was a great basketball coach, too," said John. "He emphasized the fundamentals."

John recalls piling into Coach Haycock's beat up car and he would take them down to St. Pat's gym on the south side of Peoria. They had to practice in this gym as the sophomores and varsity practiced in the Spalding gym. As a freshman, John was on the B team and didn't play much. But he listened to his coach, practiced those fundamentals, and by his junior year was starting games on a team that placed 4th in the state tournament.

However, the most cherished memory John has of his coach happened many years after John graduated from Spalding. He was a resident physician at St. Francis. Coach Haycock was in the hospital as he was to have surgery for a brain tumor. John stopped by his room to visit his coach the night before his surgery.

"I remember sitting at the foot of his bed. Coach Haycock was writing letters to his family. He was calm and optimistic and said he thought he was going to come through fine. But if he didn't, that was okay and he was at peace with it. He told me that he'd had a great life."

"I'm so fortunate," he told John. He had loved coaching, had great success (120-63-6 overall in football), and had a wonderful family.

"I was in awe of his courage and faith," said John.

Coach Haycock did come through his surgery well and went on to have more productive years before passing on in 1986 at age 52. One of his children, Elise, grew up and had four children. Her only daughter, Reghan is now running against Luke, the son of her grandfather's student and player. I like to think that some of Coach Haycock's wisdom has reached Luke through his father.

We never know how interconnected our lives will be with others.

Two fiercely competitive candidates for historian.