Chad Hayden

Chad Hayden - Valley High School – Class of 2003
Athletic Hall of Fame Induction 2022


 

Chad Hayden was an outstanding athlete at Valley High School in the early 2000s. He earned four letters in football, three in basketball, and one in track. Former Valley Head Basketball Coach, Rick Ahrens stated, “ It was an honor to coach Chad Hayden in basketball. He was a player whose intensity always stood out. Chad was a tough, hard-nosed defender who often guarded the other team’s best player, no matter the size difference. He loved those challenges! Chad was also a great teammate who always put the team’s success before his accolades.”

Under the Friday-night-lights is where Chad’s star shined the brightest. As the starting quarterback in his junior year, he earned NCC All-Conference accolades as well as All-State honors from the Omaha World Herald and Lincoln Journal Star. He threw for 850 yards and 7 touchdowns and rushed for 870 yards and 15 touchdowns and led the Terriers to a playoff berth. As a senior, because of an injury, Chad moved from quarterback to running back at the request of Head Coach Scott Guzinski. Coach Guzinski said, “About halfway through Chad’s senior season, I asked him to move to running back to help the team. He did it without hesitation. He was so tough and darn near indestructible. Against Elkhorn Mount Michael his senior year, he carried the ball 30 times, in the FIRST HALF! In our playoff win during his junior year, we were trying to run out the clock at the end of the game. Chad very politely asked me during a timeout if we could run the ball to the right so he didn’t have to use his left hand since he was sure it was broken. That’s just the kind of player he was. He would do anything to win!”

After high school, Chad went on to the University of Nebraska at Omaha to earn a business degree and play football for the Mavericks. Today, Chad is the owner of Hayden Lawn Care and has two daughters, Addison and McKenna.

Tonight Chad joins his late father Rick Hayden and his sister Jill Hayden Lamprecht in the DC West Hall of Fame! Congratulations Hayden family!