A New View in Vista : Big Red Struggling After Losing Status as Town’s Only Team

Mention Vista High School in this town, and people automatically think of Big Red Football. It has been that way for almost 20 years.

If ever San Diego County had a traditional football powerhouse, Vista would be it.

A 155-44 record since 1970. Twelve Palomar League championships. Three San Diego Section titles. And in 1985, a 13-0 record and No. 1 state ranking.

But a visitor to the school this year finds little clues that something is amiss. On the lawn outside the administration building, somebody has thrown a chewing gum wrapper. The brand is--what else?--Big Red. The wrapper is crumpled.

It’s as good a visual aid as any, pretty much describing the state of Vista football at the moment.

Through three games, Vista is 0-3. Surprising. Hard to imagine.

What’s more, the Big Red hasn’t scored a point yet. Three shutouts. 0-for-’88.

Inside the football office, the phone rings. In past years, a coach would always proudly answer, “Big Red Football.”

Dick Haines, Vista’s coach for 18 seasons, answers, “Joe’s Bar And Grill.”

He laughs. “Sometimes, you just don’t want anybody to know who you are,” he says. “All of us are embarrassed right now. It has never been this way before.”

Haines, the 62-year-old engineer of the powerhouse, has been called a lot of things during his years here. Arrogant. Egotistical. Emotional. But he has never before been called a loser.

Vista has always been a winner.

“Dick Haines has done more for football in this county than anyone,” said Coach Tom Pack of rival Fallbrook. “And I’m not just saying that. He really has. We should all be happy with what he’s done. He’s put high school football on the map.”

Especially in this town. In 1970, when Haines arrived here from West Virginia, he took over a program that had gone 0-9 the year before and immediately turned it into a winner.

He did it by getting an entire community involved. Businesses would donate their time and supplies. Parents would bring young children to games.

“Kids who were 11 years old would start dreaming of the day they would play here,” Haines said. “Everybody in this town took pride in this.”

But now the town has split. And Vista’s lock on success has been split wide open.

Two years ago, another high school opened in Vista. Across the 78 freeway, which divides the town north and south, they built Rancho Buena Vista High. And the school took more than half of Vista’s students.

In the southern part of town, they’re doing great these days. Rancho Buena Vista is 3-0 and ranked No. 3 in the county. But the Big Red is suffering.

Many have wondered how this could happen. Surely, everyone figured when the town was split, the powers that be would uphold the Vista tradition.

“But the powers that be all went to Rancho Buena Vista,” San Dieguito Coach Ed Burke said.

Vista’s principal, Alan Johnson, went to Rancho Buena Vista. With him went former Vista assistant coach Craig Bell to run the football program. With him went some exceptional talent.

The only one who stayed behind, it seems, was Haines. Johnson had asked him to go, but Haines loved his Big Red Football.

“In a way, Dick set himself up for part of this,” Johnson said. “He kept running his program as if he was still going to have all of his kids. But with the enrollment cut in half, it just wasn’t possible.”

Haines now knows this. In the past, Vista could run up the score on almost anyone. Its second-string players were stronger than most schools’ first-stringers. He had great running backs in Roger Price, Tommy Booker and Marc Jones. He had quarterbacks such as Sal Aunese who were stronger and faster than other high school kids.

“When we started this year, I was coaching like I still had players like that,” Haines said. “Now I realize that we don’t have that kind of talent. We overloaded our kids this year. Now, we have to go back to square one.”

Through all of this, Haines has remained intense but realistic. He has had fun coaching in the past, and he’s still having fun.

The other night, Vista played Morse, one of the top teams in the county. Morse quarterback Mike Liera, with his team already ahead, 10-0, threw a pass just out of the reach of one of his receivers.

Haines ran down the sideline screaming at an official. “That’s intentional grounding,” he yelled. “That’s got to be grounding.”

Then he caught the eye of somebody who was standing on the sidelines laughing. Haines winked at him.

“Hey, right now we’ve got to try for anything we can get,” Haines said as he put his arm around the man. “It has been a tough year.”

After the game--Vista lost, 13-0--Haines returned to his office and in good spirits.

“We improved a lot this week,” he said. “The kids are starting to play better. If we keep doing this, we could be all right.”

Around the county, it would seem that other coaches would be smiling. This could be the year they all get Vista back. Return the favor. Run the score up on Vista for once.

But the coaches remain wary.

Burke, whose San Dieguito team opens Palomar League play against Vista Friday night, is one who knows better.

“Anybody who thinks this Vista team is down and out is kidding themselves,” he said. “We know Dick Haines too well. He’s a great football coach, and his team will be one to be reckoned with before the year is out.”

Certainly, that is a possibility. In 1984, Vista started 0-2, getting blown out, 34-10, by El Camino in its second game. But Haines turned it around, and Vista won 10 in a row before finally losing the 3-A championship game to Sweetwater.

“If we’re worth our salt, we’ll get this thing turned around,” Haines said. “After over 30 years of coaching, maybe I needed a new challenge.”

But this will be a tough one. As Haines noted, the talent isn’t what it once was. It could be again in a couple of years; but right now, it’s not.

And Haines, always the winner, knows it won’t be. Sometimes, he still feels as if the road will be too bumpy to overcome.

In his office after the Morse game, he wondered if there were still time to get away, and maybe start over next year.

“Can a 62-year-old man still run away from home?” he asked.

Of course. But Haines will do no such thing.

This is the home of Big Red Football, and a tradition needs mending.