By Brian Pitts

For the Salisbury Post

ADVANCE — Sam Moir had a legendary career as the Catawba men’s basketball coach, and Bill Haggerty was Moir’s right-hand man for several years. That doesn’t come close to telling you everything about Haggerty, but it certainly says a lot.
Haggerty, the new Athletic Director for Davie County Schools,  has impeccable credentials. He was involved in high school and college athletics for 36 years, including 30 at Catawba College.

He served as head women’s basketball coach for three years. He was assistant coach for the men’s program for 26 years. He was the facility director for 13 years. He was head coach for men’s and women’s cross country for 14 years. He was the director of summer camps for 28 years.

Yes, Haggerty was a Catawba man through and through from 1984 until his retirement in 2013.

Haggerty’s new position as Davie County AD is a part-time job. Bill and wife Carolyn reside in Davie County, in the Advance community. They have three children and four grandchildren.
Moir, who is still going strong at age 91, was the Catawba men’s basketball coach for 34 years (1960-94), guiding the Indians to 546 wins, 23 winning seasons and making eight halls of fame. And he respects Haggerty enormously.
“He’s as fine a person as I’ve ever met,” Moir said Sunday. “He’s very loyal. He’s hard working, he’s very intelligent and he gets things done. He’s one of my best friends. He’ll do an outstanding job. He always does. You’ll never regret it and you’ll be amazed at what he can do.”
Haggerty hails from New Jersey, where he graduated from Jefferson Township High School in Jefferson, N.J.
After graduating from Catawba, Haggerty moved back home to Jefferson. He became a recreation director and coached five sports at the high school He was recreation director for six years.
“I was passing back through (the area) and coach Moir said: ‘Bill, the (Catawba) women’s basketball job is open.’ The women’s team had lost 40 of 48 and 24 straight.”
Haggerty has enough stories for two books. One remarkable story: He left a well-paying job in Jefferson, as well as turning down a lucrative offer at another job, to accept the women’s job at Catawba, where he started out making $3,000 a year.
“The same week the phone rang and it was Mark from Masko Sporting Goods, a mid-atlantic sports company,” he said. “He offered me $100,000 a year, a house and a car. I told my parents about it. My father says: ‘Let me get this straight. You’ve got three options. You could stay where you are now where you’re making pretty good money. You could go to Union County (in New Jersey) and make $100,000 plus commission. Or you can go down to Catawba for $3,000 a year. Who was your math teacher at Catawba?’”

Haggerty took the Catawba job.
“(Catawba) gave me a place to stay. I had room and board and $3,000 for the whole year. But we turned the program around.”
Haggerty coached Catawba women’s basketball for three years (1984-85 through 1986-87). It didn’t take him long to make a name for himself.
“The first year was the longest year of my life,” he said. “I got the job in July and we won four games. I spent $7,000 out of my own money that first year. They had terrible uniforms. And then we won 17 games (in 1985-86) because I was able to recruit.”
After the 1986-87 season, Haggerty slid over and became an assistant on the men’s staff. He spent seven years on the sidelines with Moir and many more after that with Jim Baker.
Haggerty fell in love with Catawba. Along with being the men’s basketball assistant, he also became the head coach of the men’s and women’s cross country teams. Haggerty was also director of facilities (athletic) for 13 years.
What a ride it was. A Catawba coach from 1984 through 2013, he recruited and coached 260 athletes, with 96 percent of them graduating. In 2010, his men’s cross country team was honored for having the highest team grade-point average in the nation in Division II.
Dennis Davidson, who also spent 30 years at Catawba, including sports information director from 1984-96 and athletic director from 1996-2013, holds Haggerty in high regard.
“Having known Bill for over 30 years, I can say that he will do an outstanding job for Davie County athletics,” Davidson, currently the sports editor of the Salisbury Post, said. “In my observations over the years, no one pays more attention to detail and stays at a task until it is completed like Bill Haggerty.”
Jeff Wallace, the Assistant Superintendent of Davie County Schools, is really, really excited about Haggerty coming on board to use his experiences and expertise to support and promote Davie County athletics. Haggerty will win you over real quick, according to Wallace.
“He has a plethora of experience and he clearly understands the next level. He’s coached at all levels,” Wallace said. “I’ve been friends with Bill since the mid-1990s. When he retired, he said: ‘If there’s ever anything you need, I’ll be glad to try to help.
“He’s right here and he has the time, continued Wallace. “One of the issues was how do you manage and communicate when you’re a full-time teacher and coach? That’s very difficult. But Bill has the time, the expertise and he’s gung-ho and ready to go. And he knows how to treat people.”