In Depth | Brick Haley is Driven By More Than Football
9/28/2017 1:14:00 PM | Football
Would it surprise you to learn that a football coach named Brick has a soft side?
"We started to raise money for autism because our middle son, A.J., is autistic," Haley said. "We want to do things for a lot of other people and we want to show and give back. But, we felt like this was a special situation for us because it was close to home."
As hard as Mizzou Defensive Line Coach Brick Haley works on the field, it's his commitment to his foundation off the field that is truly all consuming. Brick Road to Success raises money for autism research, but more than that, Haley is always educating.
"Yeah, I think the biggest part of it has just been the awareness of it. Being able to bring awareness to the world of what it really is and the things that they do," Haley said. "Basically, they need understanding. They need patience."
Haley's Twitter feed is a never-ending scroll of facts, advice and empathy. If he's not promoting his annual golf tournament to raise money, he's sharing another compassionate plea to understand the world in which people like his son A.J. live.
"You know, a lot of places we've been, they've had really loud noises and a stadium cannon and things like that. That is deafening for them. Days like the Fourth of July when people are popping firecrackers - Loud noises are just horrendous," Haley said. "They're not very social. It takes a long time for them to trust you. He can go all day, he can come in and meet you and visit and have a great time, and then tomorrow he's going to ask your name again. It's been a long road but it's been a great one because he's a great kid."
But Haley is a fan of turning challenges into opportunities. He wants to teach others about autism because he has learned so much. And he carries those life experiences into his coaching.
"I think I've grown tremendously just because of the patience you have to take. The time you have to take," Haley said. "I love for the players to know who I am as a father, who I am as a husband. All those things. I don't want them to just know me as a guy out there yelling and screaming at them everyday. You know, I want to show them there's more to me than just football."
Senior DE Marcell Frazier has seen those traits in his coach.
"He wants you to love your teammates, grow closer together," Frazier commented. "He believes that if we have the closest room possible, it's going to show up on the field."
Haley has learned so much about being a father and being a man over the years. In the end, his perspective has been his greatest asset.
"Life is what you make of it. You know, there are no utopias. There's none of that. So what you got to do, you got to work everyday just like you do on the practice field. You got to work everyday in your marriage. You got to work everyday in your relationship with your kids. I know as soon as I get home and he hears me come in the door, you know, even though he's 17 years old, he's going to come to the door and give me a big hug. Those things right there are priceless – You're never going to be able to replace things like that."
