Tweet

Coach John Hayes led his players out onto Memorial Stadium every Friday night game for 38 seasons.

On Saturday at his memorial service, he will go on to the field that bares his name one last time.

Coach Hayes coached at Bellwood-Antis for 38 seasons from 1980 through 2017. He retired in 2018.

He passed away last Saturday, September 29.

Recently, Coach Hayes was in bad health and suffered a stroke last Wednesday

Before he is laid to rest, he will be honored by the Bellwood-Antis community in a ceremony open to the public at John R. Hayes Field at Memorial Stadium. It runs from 1-4 p.m. on Saturday.

Organizers would like to have all of Coach Hayes’ former players at Memorial Stadium for the service to form a tunnel on the track for Coach’s last trip onto the field.

Former players should meet at the concession stand at 12:15.

“We would also like all former players attending the ceremony Saturday to meet at the football concession stand by 12:15 because we want to make a tunnel on the track for Coach’s last trip onto the field, just like the band and cheerleaders do for the player entrance onto the field,” B-A coach Nick Lovrich said in an email to former Blue Devil players. “Please have your family go directly to the bleachers.  Lisa Wolfe from Russin’s Funeral Home will coordinate the former player tunnel.  After the procession, all the former players will return to the bleachers to sit with family and friends.”

Coach Hayes had a record-setting career that ended with him as career wins leader among all coaches in Blair County history. He was inducted into two coaching halls of fame and went into the Blair County Sports Hall of Fame in 2022.

In the event of rain, the service will be held indoors at the Bellwood-Antis High School auditorium.