UNT community remembers football great Abner Haynes after his death at age of 86

Bahnsen said “three big guys came up” and asked if he was “going to play those two” players — using a racial slur to refer to them, he recalled Thursday. “I said I planned on it.”

Abner Haynes and Leon King played that night, a landmark in a season in which they became the first Black players to integrate a football program at a four-year Texas school.

The achievement is one Bahnsen and several University of North Texas officials looked back on Thursday when Haynes died at the age of 86 in Dallas.

Haynes was a two-time all-Missouri Valley Conference running back, led North Texas to an appearance in the 1959 Sun Bowl and was named an All-American by Time magazine that season.

Haynes went on to play for the Dallas Texans, who later moved and became the Kansas City Chiefs. He led the American Football League in rushing in 1960 and was its first Player of the Year.

Haynes was inducted into the Chiefs’ Hall of Fame and had his No. 28 retired.

UNT added Haynes to its Athletics Hall of Fame in 1986.

Haynes’ legacy on the field is considerable, but the role he and King played in the integration of the South might be even more impactful.

Jerry LeVias didn’t become the first Black football player to earn an athletic scholarship in the Southwest Conference until a decade later at SMU.

Word of Haynes’ death quickly spread among UNT officials.

“Sad day to hear of the passing of @MeanGreenFB legend and pioneer Abner Haynes,” UNT athletic director Jared Mosley posted to his X account. “His impact at UNT will never be forgotten. Thoughts and prayers are with the Haynes family.”

UNT coach Eric Morris also posted a message on his account remembering Haynes’ impact.

“RIP to someone that paved the way for so many!!” Morris wrote. “Unbelievable player that had the courage and determination to change the narrative in collegiate athletics!!”

UNT’s history as a pioneer of integration in the South is a source of pride for the school, which honored Haynes and King with the opening of Unity Plaza in 2022.

The venue in front of the North Texas Athletic Center features busts of both Haynes and King.

When it opened, scores of UNT supporters and former Mean Green greats turned out to honor Haynes and King and their role in societal change.

“That is the question everyone asks,” Haynes said in 2022. “How did those guys do that and get away with it? That will be asked for the next 100 years. The coaches and the community helped. I wish they were here today to see the response by the community and the school.”

Haynes was the son of a Dallas church bishop. Legendary UNT coach Odus Mitchell picked Haynes and King to break the color barrier.

Haynes capitalized on the opportunity. He led UNT in rushing in three seasons and averaged 28.6 yards per punt return for his career, an astronomical figure in any era.

“We were playing one night in Wichita when I told our players to not try to catch a punt if it got into the lights,” Bahnsen said. “He told me, ‘Coach, don’t worry about it. All they’re going to see is a white suit running down the field.’”

The UNT officials and former players who saw Haynes honored when Unity Plaza opened were thrilled that the school had found a way to recognize his considerable legacy.

“I couldn’t be happier,” C. Dan Smith, a fellow member of the UNT Athletics Hall of Fame who played with Haynes, said at the time. “I’m glad we finally got this accomplished. These guys made history for North Texas. I was so thrilled to play with them in 1958 and ’59. Abner is a terrific guy and one of the best players I have ever seen.”