Haller was born in Lockport, Illinois and attended the University of Illinois, where he played as a quarterback for the Illinois Fighting Illini football team. During his time at the university, Haller was also a member of Theta Chi fraternity. Haller was signed by the San Francisco Giants, as an amateur free agent, in 1958. After playing in the minor leagues for three seasons, he made his major league debut with the Giants on April 11, 1961, at the age of 24.\n', '

Haller hit .261, with 18 home runs, and 55 Run batted in (RBI), for the Giants in 1962, in a platoon system, alongside Ed Bailey. Haller and Bailey combined to give the Giants 35 home runs and 100 runs batted in from the catcher\'s position as they battled the Los Angeles Dodgers in a tight pennant race. The two teams ended the season tied for first place and met in the 1962 National League tie-breaker series. The Giants won the three-game series to clinch the National League championship. The Giants then lost to the New York Yankees in the 1962 World Series in seven games. Haller collected four hits in 14 at-bats, with a home run, and three RBI, during the Series.\n', '

Haller continued to platoon with Bailey through the 1963 season, finishing the year second to Johnny Edwards among National League catchers in fielding percentage. In December 1963, the Giants traded Bailey to the Milwaukee Braves for veteran catcher Del Crandall, and Haller became their undisputed starting catcher. He was a solid defensive catcher for the Giants from 1964 to 1967. In his book, The Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract, baseball historian Bill James said the decision to give Joe Torre a 1965 National League Gold Glove Award was absurd, stating that Torre was given the award because of his offensive statistics and that either Haller or John Roseboro was more deserving of the award. Haller also helped offensively in 1965, hitting two home runs and driving in five runs during a game on September 27 to put the Giants in first place with one week left in the season. However, the Giants faltered and ended the season two games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers.\n', '

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