A 1964 graduate of Granite City High School, Haig Nighohosian attended MacMurray College where he wrestled for one year. He is a 1968 graduate of MacMurray. Haig has been a teacher in the East St. Louis School district for 34 years. Haig coached the Junior Varsity team at East St. Louis Lincoln for three years and then was the varsity coach for five years at East St. Louis Senior High School. He coached three state qualifiers and one state place winner. He also coached girl's junior varsity soccer for eight years at Granite City Senior High School. Haig started the girl's soccer program at Belleville Althoff High School, where he coached for eight years. Haig began officiating wrestling at the high school and college level in 1968. He has been appointed to regional and sectional high school tournaments since 1978 and the IHSA Individual and Dual Team State Championships 18 times, as well as 10 dual team championships and eight individual championships. In 1998 Haig was appointed as an IHSA Rules Interpreter, a position he held for 16 years. He also has served as an IHSA wrestling clinician for eight years. At the college level, he was selected to officiate the NCAA Division II National Regional 12 times and the NCAA Division II National Championships twice. Three times he served as an official at the NAIA National Championships. Haig has also officiated IWCOA Boys Frosh/Soph State Tournament eight times, the IWCOA Girls State Tournament twice, the East/West All-Star meet and as side official in a USA/USSR dual meet. Haig also served the IHSA on numerous committees for wrestling and for officiating. Haig also is a soccer official, beginning at the high school level in 1968. He has worked several IHSA State Championships and was named as the center official for six of the Championship games. He is the head official for soccer in Illinois and represented Illinois at National Federation Rules Meetings. Three times Haig has received the National Federation of State High School Associations Service Awards. He was inducted into the IWCOA Hall of Fame in 2004, received the IWCOA Distinguished Service Award, was inducted into the NFHS Hall of Fame in 2013 and received the IWCOA Lifetime Achievement Award in 2018.