Southside High School celebrated 40 years of greatness with coach Steve Haaser on Friday night.

Former players piled into Southside Gym and, admiring history that adorns the walls, reached out to his past as former players celebrated Haaser’s 1,000 victories.

Players marveled over stats and photos compiled by Haaser.

Eight state championships, 1,011 victories.

And a lot of inspired former players.

“All these people coming shows how much we respect him and really love this guy,” said Tory Hunton, a 2007 SHS grad who played an instrumental part in the team’s stunning 2006 state title run.

“He has an incredible legacy, and we wouldn’t be here if it didn’t mean so much to us.”

“He knows how to handle kids, but he’s so much more intelligent than people give him credit for,” said Travis Biggs, Haaser’s former baseball assistant and longtime volleyball supporter.

“He’s patient, he’s calm and he’s collective, and because of that, girls have loved and respected him and wanted to play for him — more than a coach that yells and screams.”


Haaser took over the school’s volleyball program in 1979. His daughter, Jennifer, who would put her stamp on the school’s 1999 state championship run, wasn’t even born yet.

Haaser coached Southside to three consecutive basketball championships in the 1980s.

“That game has changed a lot,” Haaser said. “We had some pretty good volleyball teams in the ’80s. We were very competitive, (but) this part of the state was way behind. The eastern part of the state, Jonesoboro, Valley View and Crowley’s Ridge Academy ... there were so many strong programs over there because of the JO (Junior Olympic volleyball) and the college program at Arkansas State.

“Then Arkansas finally started volleyball, the JO caught on here, and we finally caught up. In the mid to late ’90s, we were able to start winning some.”

“He’s been such a staple here, I don’t think I’ve ever thought about him not being here,” daughter Jennifer (Haaser) Power said. “I’m proud of him the way he’s kept up with how volleyball has changed. I feel like when I watch him coach now it’s the same way he coached when I was playing.”

Southside won all eight of its titles between 1997-2013, including five between ’99 and ’06.

This season’s squad, 27-3 heading into Tuesday’s conference finale at Northside, may be on the cusp of something special, too.
