NEW BLOOMFIELD, Mo. - In a unanimous vote Thursday night, the New Bloomfield R-III Board of Education voted to name the high school's baseball field after Rod Haley, the former New Bloomfield High School principal, teacher and baseball coach who passed away in March of this year.
Haley coached the Wildcat baseball team to six state championships in 15 years at the helm, with his teams winning a whopping 14 district titles in that time. Haley was elected to the Missouri High School Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 1998.
"The naming of the baseball field after coach Haley is something that is probably long overdue," said Shawn Cockrum, New Bloomfield Board of Education vice president while making the motion to name the field. "His record is tremendous, no other coach in the history of Missouri baseball comes close."
A crowded room of New Bloomfield alumni broke out into applause after the vote.
The New Bloomfield athletic booster club is planning a dedication ceremony for the fall that will include the unveiling of a plaque.