Wake Forest Athletics
Jesse Haddock (1927-2018)
3/14/2018 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- Jesse Haddock, a member of the Wake Forest Hall of Fame and who led the Deacons to three national titles and 15 ACC titles in men's golf, died on Wednesday, March 14 at 7:30 a.m. He was 91 years old.
During his 32-year career as the head coach of Wake Forest men's golf, Coach Haddock put the Demon Deacon golf team on the national map. A 1952 graduate of Wake Forest University, Haddock served as assistant athletic director following graduation and helped head basketball coach Bones McKinney with coaching the golf team in the spring.
McKinney resigned as golf coach in 1960 to focus on basketball, Haddock was named as his successor. Coach Haddock would elevate the Demon Deacon golf program into one of the best in the nation. His teams turned out a virtual "who's-who" of the PGA and Champions Tours. He coached 63 All-Americans, won 10 straight ACC Championships from 1967 to 1976 and 15 ACC titles overall, captured three national titles in 1974, 1975, and 1986, and finished second in the NCAA Tournament three times.
A number of his stars went on to outstanding careers on the PGA tour, including Curtis Strange ('77), Lanny Wadkins ('72), Jay Haas ('76), Jerry Haas ('85), Scott Hoch ('78), Gary Hallberg ('80), Jay Sigel ('67), Billy Andrade ('87), Jim Simons ('72) and Len Mattiace ('90).
For his many notable accomplishments, Haddock was named to the College Golf Coaches Hall of Fame, the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame, the Wake Forest Sports Hall of Fame and the Carolinas Golf Hall of Fame. He was National Coach of the Year three times, and twice was selected to coach the Japan/USA NCAA All-Stars. In addition, the $4.5 million Haddock House serves as the home for the men's and women's golf programs while also showcasing the history and tradition of Wake Forest golf.
"Jesse Haddock is a legend at Wake Forest," said Athletics Director Ron Wellman. "He was an incredibly successful coach, winning 15 ACC Championships and 3 NCAA Championships. Perhaps more importantly, Jesse was admired by his players. He will always be remembered for the relationships he built not only with his players but with all that knew him."
Jesse Haddock was born in Pitt County, North Carolina on Jan. 21, 1927. He came to Wake Forest in 1945 but was soon drafted and spent the closing days of World War II in Germany with the Third Army. Upon his return to Wake Forest, he became an equipment manager until graduating in 1952.
"Jesse Haddock was a coach who cared in equal measure about academics and the game of golf," said Wake Forest President Dr. Nathan Hatch. "But, ultimately, he was devoted to shaping the lives of the young men entrusted to his care. It was not enough for Coach Haddock's players to have skill on the course; they were to be gentlemen, who competed with courage and lived with honor. His greatest legacy is not the trophies that fill the building bearing the honor of his name or titles that were collected over the decades; his life's work was inspiring the men who called him "Coach."
"This is a sad day for all coaches in every sport," said current Demon Deacon golf coach Jerry Haas, one of Haddock's former players. "Coach Haddock was obviously a golf coach but an incredible man and a true innovator in sports psychology. He was a master at handling players and knowing all the right buttons to push. He was strong and tenacious and he expected that from his players. Coach Haddock embodied what coaching is; he was there for the players but he let you become your own man."
A memorial service for Coach Haddock is planned for Monday, March 19 at 2 pm in Wait Chapel on the Wake Forest campus.
