John Haar headed to BC Sports Hall of Fame
(Scotiabank Field at Nat Bailey Stadium - Vancouver, B.C.) - He'd much rather be out on a field getting it ready for the next set of players to come by and use it. However, for John Haar, the newest member of The BC Sports Hall of Fame, he'll likely have to trade in the baseball uniform for a suit for at least one night as he becomes immortalized in the summer of 2015.
Known around British Columbia as the 'father of baseball', Haar's journey on the diamond began as a youngster playing around the Lower Mainland while his dad Rudd spent a majority of his summers here at Nat Bailey Stadium as the Vancouver Mounties and Canadians Head Groundskeeper.
"My dad got me into this game whether it was playing catch with him in the back lane or out at the ballpark and he truly had a love for the game, and I too truly have a love for the game," said Haar just minutes after he was announced as a member of The Class of 2015 at the BC Sports Hall of Fame located within BC Place.
"My wife gave me the phone the other day and it said on the call display that it was an investment company so I thought I was about to get some bad news about the stock market, but it turned out to be Allan Tynan with the BC Sports Hall of Fame.
I had no idea, and when he told me I had been selected as an inductee, I was thrilled. It was windy and sunny as I looked out my window as we talked on the phone and I said to Allan - it was a beautiful day outside and you've made it a beautiful day inside".
John's aspirations as a child on the diamond led to him spending time within the New York Yankees and San Francisco Giants organizations reaching as high as Double-A as a player. He didn't hang his cleats up for long as shortly after returning home from his time in professional baseball, Haar would soon embark on a coaching career that made him into one of the most respected baseball minds in Canadian baseball history.
In 1975, Haar would suit up as an assistant with the Men's National Team heading to Mexico City to take part in the Pan-American Games. Team Canada became so enamoured with Haar and his dedication to each and every player's development, that they named him manager in 1986 where in the same year he would guide Canada to a 5th place finish at the World Cup of Baseball.
"This game has been so nice to me and I have had so many people along the way create wonderful opportunities for me to do special things in the game. Wayne Norton and Pat Gillick both game me the chance to succeed in this game - and the National Baseball Institute made my life in baseball so enjoyable. I am having a tough time getting out of it. I know I am getting into the twilight of my time on the diamond, but every time I pass by a field or come across a player working on his game, I just want to help them become a better player."
The National Baseball Institute was a first of its kind in Canada allowing players to further their post-secondary education while playing a collegiate calibre fall and spring baseball schedule against opponents largely from the United States. The program was meant to keep our talented players north of the border where they could be developed by our own instructors along with Haar. The creation of the program was revered as a pioneering moment in amateur baseball in Canada.
Haar's accolades come largely from his efforts on the diamond as well as his passion behind the scenes. Never one to 'court' the white collared corporate sector, Haar would simply work with the players and let the results do the talking for him. In 1991, Haar led Canada into uncharted territory helping our Junior Program win its first Gold Medal on the international stage as Canada would win the World Championships in Brandon, Manitoba.
Haar would be named Canada's Coach of the Year in 1991 and the International Baseball Federation's top coach in 1992.
In 2007, while coaching amateur baseball in Vancouver at the tender age of 64, John got the call that every baseball player in our country hopes to receive as St. Mary's came calling with induction into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame.
Haar is quick to acknowledge that a lot of his success has been largely in part to the efforts of his wife Carol who helped raise his two daughters while he spent a lot of time on the road or at the ballpark.
"Carol has been super for me with my two daughters. People often say it's "too bad that I've never had any sons but it's probably better that I didn't. To be honest, I've had hundreds of sons and they've all been special to me. They've all had an impression in my life."
The induction in to The BC Sports Hall of Fame comes at a time when baseball is thriving at the amateur level and many within the professional ranks who hail from Canada look back and find a connection to John Haar in some way, shape or form. He'll likely acknowledge them all or at least try to as he stands at the podium in 2015 'dressed to the nines' on his night of induction. That is of course if we can get him away from the diamond. If he can't be found at the Vancouver Convention Centre on that pretigeous night, chances are you would likely find him out on a field getting it ready for the next set of players to come by and use it.
The Vancouver Canadians Baseball Club is thrilled to acknowledge the induction of John Haar into The BC Sports Hall of Fame. His father among others would have been proud.