Paul Joseph Haggerty

West Point, 1991

Be Thou At Peace

Posted by Paul Gonzalez on March 16, 1998:

I don't know who I am writing this to, maybe to myself, or maybe to everyone who knew Paul Haggerty in any way. To actually meet him would be a pleasure for anyone. The first time I met Coach Haggs was well after my decision to come to West Point. Brian Riley had recruited me and I had spoken with Coach Huyber and Riley several times, but not as frequent as with Brian. This is in turn made me feel a little uncomfortable coming into the Army hockey program. Luckily I had great friends surrounding me during Beast. But it wasn't until the early fall when I met Coach Haggs. He was a newcomer on the coaching staff, but anyone who knew Army hockey, had heard of him. He was the guy that Coach Riley would describe as the epitomy of Army Hockey. He once told me that his playing weight was around 150-160 lbs. This was a total surprise because from what I had heard, he was at least 6'1 220. To that he just laughed and said, "well I hit like a mack truck." I actually spoke with him in length during the Buckner run when I was helping at the water stations. I had barely met him, but I immediately knew that he was a special person. His soft spoken personality tipified his obvious modesty and kind approach to interaction with other people. Through my plebe year, I endured many growing pains. . . getting used to this military thing was at the top of my list. Through it all though, Haggs helped me keep a positive mindset and helped me understand that balance was the key to success here. He also spoke of never holding back, whether in class or on the ice. He worked extensively at both the jv and varsity level, which I had the fortune of experiencing through both my freshmen and sophomore seasons. Haggs was the guy you went to with questions. . . about anything, not just hockey. I remember numerous occassions where I would seek out Haggs just to talk to him about life in general at the academy. His relationship with each of us was unique and special, just like him. Every one of us has a special memory of him. He knew how to handle pretty much every situation presented to him, and did so with compassion and sincerity. To call him just a coach would to do him a great injustice, because he was so much more. His ability to intertwine friend and coach was and is what separates him from most other people I have come into contact with in the sports arena. I do not feel like I have lost a coach, I feel like I have lost a great friend who will always have a place in my heart as one of the most caring persons I have ever come into contact with. I thank God that I was able to know Paul Haggerty at the level I did. It's hard to believe that Paul Haggerty is not physically with us, but for the fortuante ones who were able to share much of the past two years with him, we know his spirit will always loom and smile over us at Tate Rink. And for those who didn't know Paul Haggerty other than professional or aquaintance, you will feel his presence as well as he remains in our minds and in our hearts forever.

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