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David Kris Haines (born July 23, 1957 in Akron, Ohio) is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League for the Washington Redskins, the Chicago Bears, and the Buffalo Bills. He played college football at the University of Notre Dame and was drafted in the ninth round of the 1979 NFL Draft. He also played for the Chicago Blitz of the USFL in 1984. Haines caught 130 passes for 2,003 yards and 12 receiving touchdowns in his entire career.

Haines is a Physical Education teacher, Athletic coach, and Karate instructor at The Catherine Cook School in Chicago, Illinois.

Early Life
Kris Haines, coming from a small town in Ohio, came from a local legend. His father, David Haines, was a high school football coach for the same school Haines would eventually play for. Haines’s father went 30-0 in 1968-1970. Kris Haines would play for his father, and be no stranger to an excellent program.

College Career
Haines started playing for Notre Dame in 1975, where Dan Devine was the coach. He had a couple of rather unproductive years, before hitting his stride in his junior and senior years. His freshman year he only had one play from scrimmage, which was a twenty-eight yard run. His sophomore year he caught three passes for a total of sixty-four yards. In his junior year, Haines put up outstanding numbers that included twenty-eight catches for 587 yards and two touchdowns. His final year at Notre Dame was his best year. Haines caught thirty-two passes for 699 yards and five touchdowns. Haines also caught the game winning pass, from Joe Montana, to end the twenty-three point rally in the final eight minutes, in the 1979 Cotton Bowl win.

NFL
Haines was drafted by the Washington Redskins in the ninth round in 1979. He only remained in Washington for a short amount of time, before heading to the Chicago Bears in the middle of the 1979 season. Haines spent almost three seasons (1979-1981) with the Bears. Although he only played in nineteen games, Haines was coached my famous names like Neill Armstrong and Mike Ditka. During his time with the Bears, Kris Haines caught four passes for a total of eighty-three yards. Haines played his final season in the National Football League with the Buffalo Bills in 1987, under the great Marv Levy.

USFL
After playing in the National Football League, Kris Haines decided to play in the United States Football League. The first team he played for in that league was the Los Angeles Express. He played for the Express in 1983, where he caught four passes for a total of 650 yards and five touchdowns. Then in 1984, Haines returned to Chicago, but with a new team: the Chicago Blitz. During his time in Chicago, he caught forty-three passes for 688 yards and three touchdowns. After taking a brief trip up to Canada to play, Haines returned to the Los Angeles Express in 1985. In Los Angeles, Haines caught nineteen passes for 359 yards and two touchdowns. He also was useful in other roles, like kick returning. Haines returned five kickoffs for a total of one hundred yards. He also caught an interception and returned that for twenty-two yards. Also in 1985, he went to Denver, to play for a team called the Gold.

CFL
During 1985, Kris Haines joined the Canadian Football League with the Montreal Concordes. Haines was, again, utilized in ways other than just receiving. Although he caught sixteen passes for a total of 223 yards and two touchdowns, Haines also ran the ball four times for twenty-nine yards. Haines went back to Montreal to play for the same team with a new name, Alouettes. He played the 1986 and part of the 1987 seasons with the Alouettes.

Japan Bowl
After many years of retirement, Kris Haines joined other Notre Dame alumni to play in an alumni bowl in Japan. Haines, celebrating his 52nd birthday, was one of the older members of the team. This was truly a Notre Dame legendary group, as they were coached by Lou Holtz. This game was played to celebrate the 75th anniversary of Japan playing American football. The Notre Dame Legends team won 19 to 3, in front of over 20,000 fans in the Tokyo Dome.

Cotton Bowl Hall of Fame
In 2010, Kris Haines was inducted into the Cotton Bowl Hall of Fame for his performance in the 1979 Cotton Bowl. Haines played in two Cotton Bowls. In the 1978 Cotton Bowl, Haines made two catches for twenty-nine yards. Then in the 1979 game, he made four catches for thirty-one yards and a touchdown and a two point conversion. Haines was not alone for this induction. He was also joined by four other players, including the man who threw Haines the game winning pass in 1979, Joe Montana. This induction took place in the, newly built, Cowboys Stadium.

Coaching
In 2001, Kris Haines spent some time coaching in the Extreme Football League, or XFL. Haines was the receivers coach for the Chicago Enforcers. This was the only season he was involved in coaching in the XFL. Kris Haines went on to do some coaching in Trieste, Italy. This excursion was meant to teach many different European football players. Haines was joined by a few people, most notable being Joe Montana and Shaun Gayle. Kris Haines coaches at Niles West High School, as an assistant coach. Haines also is very involved in a Chicago Bears Youth Football camp. At this camp, he works with young kids, who are interested in football, and teaches them skills involved with being a receiver. Haines said in an interview that he regrets not going into coaching right after his career ended. He recalls that he never really considered it, until he was much older.

Teaching
Kris Haines works at the Catherine Cook School, a private elementary school in Chicago. He is the athletic director and coaches flag football. He is also the physical education teacher. Haines also teaches karate, as he owns Gold Coast Martial Arts in Chicago. He is a third degree black belt in ShorinRyu Karate, and he also holds blackbelts in Taekwon-Do and Chinese Goju Karate.

Schooling
After Kris Haines’s playing career ended, he went back to school for a law degree. Haines would do many different jobs in a few years, including working on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. Haines would go on to earn a real estate license. While teaching, Haines would go for more higher education, as well.

Category:Sportspeople from Akron, Ohio Category:Players of American football from Ohio Category:American football wide receivers Category:Notre Dame Fighting Irish football players Category:Washington Redskins players Category:Chicago Bears players Category:Buffalo Bills players Category:1957 births Category:Living people