Neil Hayes, while reporting for the Contra Costa Times, poses from the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio on July 30, 2000, as San Francisco 49er quarterback Joe Montana prepares to be inducted. (Contra Costa Times/Karl Mondon)
Neil Hayes, while reporting for the Contra Costa Times, poses from the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio on July 30, 2000, as San Francisco 49er quarterback Joe Montana prepares to be inducted. (Contra Costa Times/Karl Mondon)
Neil Hayes, a former Bay Area sportswriter whose best-selling book about De La Salle High School’s football program was adapted into a blockbuster movie, passed away Wednesday night at his Illinois home after a decades-long battle with cancer. He was 58.
Hayes excelled as a Contra Costa Times columnist and sports reporter from 1991 to 2006 before moving to his native Illinois and working for the Chicago Sun-Times.
“I don’t think I’ve ever worked with anyone who cared more about this profession than Neil Hayes,” said Mike Wolcott, a former CCT colleague and current Chico Enterprise-Record editor. “He was a fantastic idea person who loved collaborating on projects, and always saw possibilities in stories that most of us would have missed.”
Hayes’ 2003 book, “When The Game Stands Tall,” followed De La Salle’s 2002 season with unrestricted access to share insights into one of the nation’s most historically successful eras under then-coach Bob Ladouceur.
“I was always impressed by his passion and I admired his ability to break down games, athletes and coaches,” Ladouceur said. “He had an eye for the game and an intuition to tell a story in a way that was authentic and meaningful.”
Jerry Micco was the CCT’s sports editor when Hayes approached him with the idea of shadowing De La Salle’s entire season.
Former Contra Costa Times sports columnist, Neil Hayes, wrote the book "When the Game Stands Tall" about De La Salle High School football program. Courtesy of Neil Hayes
Former Contra Costa Times sports columnist, Neil Hayes, wrote the book "When the Game Stands Tall" about De La Salle High School football program. Courtesy of Neil Hayes
“He always pushed for doing more than doing less,” Micco said. “He was a wonderful writer and, sometimes, a pain in the ass. In a good way. Neil always went big.”
Hayes’ motivation for writing the book? It wasn’t to someday, or actually 10 years later, work on a Louisiana set for the movie, which debuted in 2014 and reportedly grossed over $30 million.
“Even though I’d gone on to cover other sports and NFL and stuff, I kept going back to De La Salle. My instincts were screaming, ‘This is a great story,’” Hayes said in 2014. “I finally pestered (Ladouceur) enough where he told me the only way I could find out what goes on is if I showed up every day for a year. I took that as an opening, and I did it. I had unbelievable access.”
Ladouceur and his longtime coaching assistant Terry Eidson became close with Hayes and continued that friendship over the decades.
“We always enjoyed having him on our practice field, in our locker room and on the sidelines of our games,” Ladouceur added. “There is no one else I trusted more to tell our story and I am honored to have been able to call him a friend. He will be greatly missed.”
De La Salle Spartans head coach Bob Ladouceur claps as players celebrate after defeating the Centennial Huskies in the Open Division during the 2012 CIF State Football Championship at Home Depot Center in Carson , Calif. on Saturday, Dec. 15, 2012. De La Salle defeated Centennial 48-28. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Staff)
De La Salle Spartans head coach Bob Ladouceur claps as players celebrate after defeating the Centennial Huskies in the Open Division during the 2012 CIF State Football Championship at Home Depot Center in Carson , Calif. on Saturday, Dec. 15, 2012. De La Salle defeated Centennial 48-28. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Staff)
The “When The Game Stands Tall” title also reflected Hayes’ stature among his peers, and that book/movie encapsulated his drive.
“That was all the product of one of the greatest writer/reporter combos I’ve ever met in the business,” Brian Murphy said on his KNBR 680-AM morning show. “We love him. We have a rich history with him. And our hearts are with his family.”
Hayes and Murphy co-authored a 2010 book, “The Last Putt: Two Teams, One Dream and a Freshman Named Tiger,” about Tiger Woods’ 1995 initial year at Stanford.
Hayes’ tenure at the Contra Costa Times saw him ascend to several roles, and he also spearheaded an annual banquet for high school athletes.
“We once went to Buffalo to cover the Raiders game, and that became a sidelight,” said Steve Corkran, who succeeded Hayes as the CCT’s prep editor and Raiders’ beat reporter. “Before the week was over, we went to Niagara Falls, saw the Sabers play, ate wings at the Anchor Bar, and then saw Springsteen’s final show of his North American tour. And, oh by the way, we covered the Raiders game. To be around Neil meant you were in for an adventure. That was typical. That summed up his zest for life.”
“Neil was the consummate newspaperman. I still think of him walking around with a rolled-up newspaper in his back pocket,” said Matt Maiocco, a former CCT colleague and a current 49ers reporter for NBC Sports Bay Area. “He loved to talk about the art of reporting and writing. I learned so much from those many conversations — usually over a cold drink — through the years.”
That included Maiocco backpacking into the Grand Canyon and Havasupai Falls two summers ago with Hayes, an avid hiker.
“He was a dogged reporter and an entertaining writer, unafraid to ask tough questions or deal with sensitive topics,” former CCT colleague Mike Lefkow said. “More importantly, he was a person everyone enjoyed being around. The sports department would light up when he was in the office.”
Added Wolcott: “Neil also had that rare gift of lifting everyone around him — not just in the quality of their work, but also in their attitude and spirit.”
Micco, upon becoming the CCT’s sports editor in March 1997, quickly learned that Hayes did not take shortcuts and would volunteer to do the extra column or go the extra mile.
“Neil never stopped wanting to do more and do it with excellence,” Micco said. “We both had that so-called Type-A personality. He’d push me and I’d push him. He was always trying to make himself a better columnist. He was a hard worker and he expected the best from himself. Always.”
Ted Johnson, another former CCT reporter, said: “I had the De La Salle beat, which Neil later took over, then wrote the famous book. Neil was like that. Smart.”
Neil Hayes (brown jacket) poses with then-Contra Costa Times colleagues (left to right) Eric Gilmore, Steve Corkran and Cam Inman before the Raiders' AFC divisional-playoff loss to the New England Patriots in Foxborough, Mass. in "The Tuck Rule Game" on Jan. 19, 2002. (Courtesy of Steve Corkran)
Neil Hayes (brown jacket) poses with then-Contra Costa Times colleagues (left to right) Eric Gilmore, Steve Corkran and Cam Inman before the Raiders’ AFC divisional-playoff loss to the New England Patriots in Foxborough, Mass. in “The Tuck Rule Game” on Jan. 19, 2002. (Courtesy of Steve Corkran)
One humorous work-related anecdote involved Hayes taking charge and driving colleagues to the Raiders’ infamous Tuck Rule playoff game at New England in January 2002. After stories were filed well past 2 a.m., Hayes warmed up the van and helped others clear snow from it, only to discover he had locked the keys in the running car – but they still made their early-morning flight home.
“He was so good about keeping in touch even after he moved to the Chicago area 20 years ago,” Maiocco said. “He was always as interested in hearing the latest about my two daughters as he was excited to update me on the lives of Nick and Riley. I wish everybody could have a friend like Neil Hayes.”
Former colleague Mitch Stephens maintains a vivid recollection of Hayes’ personality and spirit.
“The man’s giggle should be preserved on a loop or app for all to access to lift one’s day or mood or soul,” Stephens said. “ I haven’t conversed with the man in decades but I can so clearly hear that laugh and see the mirth and twinkle in his eyes. Every exchange with Neil, in my experience, is upbeat and real.”
Stephens recalled covering NCS wrestling with Hayes in Sonoma one year, stating: “My eyes got so fatigued from typing in all that stupid tiny fifth-place agate I couldn’t see any more. Enter Neil’s giddy giggle. Got me through. What a jewel! Who couldn’t/doesn’t love Neil Hayes?”
Hayes hailed from Rochelle, Illinois, where he attended Rochelle Township High before going on to Northern Arizona University. He more recently lived in the Chicago suburb of Naperville and spent the past 13 years working as an author, freelance writer and motivational speaker.
He is survived by his wife of 33 years, Charlee; their two children, Nick (wife Naomi Burton) and Riley; grandsons Henry (2) and Elliott (4 months); his mother, Marilyn; and, his older brothers, Matt and Dan.
A burial is planned June 20 in Rochelle, Illinois, and a celebration of life will take place nearby the following day.
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