He attended William Campbell High School in Naruna, Virginia, where he was a three-year starter for the football team, playing linebacker and tight end.
As a senior, he received defensive player of the year honors, All-Region III and All-Group AA accolades, while helping the team win the Seminole District championship.
Haley was not highly recruited at the start of his senior season, so he accepted a scholarship from James Madison University, which at the time was the only Division I-A or I-AA school to make an offer.
[3] In his final year he was switched to outside linebacker for the last four games, registering 131 tackles (second on the team), 5 quarterback sacks, 3 blocked kicks, and one interception.
He played outside linebacker in a 3–4 defense, finished second behind Leslie O'Neal for rookies with 12 sacks and was voted to the NFL All-Rookie team by Pro Football Weekly and the United Press International.
In 1991, Haley's relationship with the organization began to deteriorate after safety Ronnie Lott was left unprotected—eligible to sign with any team under Plan B free agency.
[11] In 1993, Haley made headlines after smashing his helmet through a concrete wall in the locker room following a home loss to the Buffalo Bills, showing his displeasure with the team's inability to sign holdout running back Emmitt Smith, which contributed to an 0–2 start and put the season in jeopardy.
[12] The Cowboys relented and reached an agreement with Smith the following week, getting them back on track and making them the first team to win a Super Bowl after starting a season 0–2.
Haley registered 41 tackles, 4 sacks, 2 passes defensed, and 3 forced fumbles, but his recurring back problems began to require a series of surgeries.
[15] In 1995, Haley posted 10.5 sacks, 33 quarterback pressures, and 35 tackles in the first 10 games, until suffering a ruptured disk against the Washington Redskins, which derailed his season.
Tackle Tomorrow is an active foundation with support from the Dallas community and other Cowboys such as Dak Prescott, DeMarcus Lawrence, Tony Tolbert, Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith, Michael Irvin, and many others.