That was Manteno football coach RJ Haines’ reaction when he listened to a phone message in December from Jeff Alderman of the Illinois High School Football Coaches Association.
The message was that the 48-year-old Haines will be inducted into the organization’s hall of fame.
Haines couldn’t believe it.
“I had no idea it was coming,” he said. “I got the message and I listened to it a few times. I wanted to make sure I heard it right.
“I actually sent the voicemail to my wife (Trisha) and she listened to it. I’m like, ‘Holy smokes!’ It kind of took me aback at first. It’s very humbling.”
Haines has been coaching the sport since 1999. In 2003, he led Iroquois West to an IHSA state championship. He came to Manteno in 2006.
While Haines has not won a state championship with the Panthers, he has turned the program around as they qualified for the Class 4A playoffs for the first time in school history in 2010. They’ve made it a habit, earning postseason berths 10 more times since.
He led the program-best 2014 team, which finished 10-2 and made it to the 4A quarterfinals. In 2025, he guided the Panthers to a 6-4 mark and an appearance in the 3A playoffs — their second straight postseason appearance.
“I’ve been around awhile and I’ve done OK,” he said.
Haines is not through yet.
“I’m still kicking, man,” he said. “I might be on the back end of it, sure, but I have some good years ahead of me.”
The IHSA has Haines with a 105-97 record at Manteno to go with a 23-19 mark in four years as the head coach at Iroquois West.
“We’ve had quite a few ups and we’ve had some downs and we’ve been fairly consistent here in Manteno,” he said.
Haines said he has learned a lot over the years and is humble enough to include his staff as a big part of his success.
“It obviously evolves as you get older,” he said of his coaching style. “I’ve always considered myself a student of the game. I love the game. I love the relationship aspect of it. Everything falls in place after that.
“I’ve surrounded myself with some good coaches. That’s another piece that I think is important. You can’t do it by yourself. You need a good coaching staff and I’ve had a group of guys with me for a long time just to build from that direction.”
Haines and the rest of the 2026 class will be inducted on March 29 at the I Hotel Conference Center in Champaign.
There are some veteran coaches who are leaving the sport because of the time commitment it takes.
Haines actually embraces it.
It’s what he loves about coaching.
“Football is a 365-day-a-year thing,” he said. “There is all of the planning and preparation right into the training and into the practice.
“I like the process of it. When you put in all of that time and work and have some success, it feels like you did something.”
And when it’s over?
“You get to do it again the next year,” he said.