[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 85 (Tuesday, June 8, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1034-E1035]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  HONORING THE LIFE OF HAYWOOD HARRIS

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. JOHN J. DUNCAN, JR.

                              of tennessee

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 8, 2010

  Mr. DUNCAN. Madam Speaker, the University of Tennessee sports family 
and the city of Knoxville, Tennessee have lost a legend and dear 
friend.
  Haywood Harris recently passed away at the age of 80. I have always 
said that the colors orange and white are almost as patriotic in my 
District as red, white, and blue. Anyone who bleeds big orange knows 
the name and work of Haywood Harris.
  Haywood served as Sports Information Director, Assistant Athletic 
Director, and Associate Athletic Director for the University of 
Tennessee from 1961-2000. Following retirement, he took on the role as 
the athletic department's historian.
  I have known Haywood since I sold programs, popcorn and Cokes at UT 
athletic events as a small boy. He is a very close and longtime 
personal friend.
  Haywood's life and legacy is shaped not just by his knowledge and 
love of UT athletics and extraordinary professional success but also by 
the way he treated others every step of the way.
  Upon word of his death, tributes from every corner of the sports 
world poured in. The Knoxville News Sentinel published many of these 
reflections, and I was taken aback by the tales of his humility, 
generosity and kindness. He held the esteem of everyone who ever knew 
him.
  ``The word legend gets thrown around way too much, but Haywood is a 
legend,'' said Tony Barnhart of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. ``He 
is one those special people who made the SEC what it is today.''
  ``I am convinced Haywood was one of the best sports information 
directors in America--ever,'' said Marvin West, former Knoxville News 
Sentinel sports editor. ``He was gracious, patient and efficient,'' and 
``as good as he was as a professional, he was a better man.''
  John Pruett of The Huntsville Times wrote about an occasion where, as 
a young reporter who had lost his press pass on a UT opening day, 
Haywood came down from the press box to let him into the stadium. ``Not 
a blockbuster anecdote, maybe. But I never forgot Haywood's courtesy 
and professionalism that day to an out-of-state sportswriter who was 
little more than a casual acquaintance at that time,'' he concluded.
  Brent Hubbs of volquest.com was a UT student when Haywood went out of 
his way to help him with a project for a television class. ``Haywood's 
nature was to treat everyone like they were the most important person 
in the world,'' he said. ``And he did it for a 19-year-old student for 
a project that was never going to air anywhere but in the classroom for 
teachers to grade.''
  ``He always had a keen interest in what you were doing and what might 
have been going on in your life. Kind, thoughtful and sharp as a tack 
when it came to UT sports history,'' writes Rick Russo of WVLT-TV in 
Knoxville.
  Even simple encounters with Haywood Harris turned into lasting 
memories for those who had the pleasure of meeting him. Mark Bradley of 
the Atlanta Journal Constitution recalls, ``The highlight of my life--
then, and maybe still--was being a guest on Haywood's pregame radio 
show back in 1981.''
  Chris Dortch of the Blue Ribbon Yearbook writes, ``I can say with 
absolute certainty that Haywood Harris is the kindest, most gracious 
sports information director I've met, worked with or heard tell of.''
  WATE-TV's Jim Wogan said, ``My first year in Knoxville wasn't without 
a few bumps, and Haywood was always polite, patient and a go-to source 
for background on Tennessee sports.''
  ``Haywood Harris is a person you never forget once you meet him. He 
was salt of the earth and loved Tennessee down to the bone. 
Institutions like Haywood are far too few today,'' said Joe Biddle of 
The Tennessean.
  Chris Low of ESPN.com, a UT alumnus himself, writes, ``. . . to 
Haywood, it was never a job. The University of Tennessee was his life, 
which is why he was so good at what he did.''
  And The Knoxville News Sentinel's Mike Strange puts it simply, ``Not 
just a nice guy. The nicest guy.''
  Haywood will not only be missed by his many friends, family, and 
colleagues but also by his many fans. He co-hosted a radio show, ``The 
Locker Room,'' with Gus Manning for decades. Gus told The Knoxville 
News Sentinel, ``I have lost an incredible friend.''
  Haywood holds many awards for his work, too many to fully recount 
here. He was an Inductee in the College Sports Information Directors 
Hall of Fame, the Knoxville Sports Hall of Fame, Tennessee Sports Hall 
of Fame, and he received the very prestigious Arch Award in 1991 and UT 
Chancellor's Citation in 1992.
  As much as Haywood loved sports, he had other interests as well. One 
was his great attention to politics and national issues of importance. 
He was a patriotic American with a great love for his country and 
native east Tennessee.
  Even many of Haywood's Democratic friends commented after his death 
that they respected his deep love and strong loyalty to the Republican 
Party.
  Haywood's grandson, Matthew Lehigh, is a former member of my staff. I 
find that Matt holds many of his grandfather's qualities, and I can 
think of no better legacy for Haywood

[[Page E1035]]

than his values and character living on through his three children, 
four grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. I extend my deepest 
sympathies to them and his wife Carolyn Jo.
  Madam Speaker, I call the life of Haywood Harris and the remarkable 
impact he made on my district to the attention of my colleagues and 
other readers of the Record. Haywood's close friend and longtime Voice 
of the Vols announcer John Ward sums up his life best: ``Haywood didn't 
ask for credit; didn't want it. He simply did what a really smart 
person does--help other people.''

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