ST. DAVIDS, Pa.– Head Coach Billy Crocker today announced that Omar Hales will join the Eastern University football staff as special teams coordinator. Hales is from Philadelphia and played college football  at Temple University. 

He comes to Eastern from the Carolina Panthers organization where he served with the team as a Bill Walsh Coaching Fellow under former Temple Head Coach Matt Rhule. He was with Rhule at Baylor University as well. While with the Bears, he served as the director of scouting and defensive quality control assistant. Baylor finished the 2019 regular season with an 11-1 record before falling to Jalen Hurts led Oklahoma Sooners in overtime at the Big 12 Championship game.

After finishing his playing career at Temple, Hales started his coaching career at Imhotep Charter in Northwest Philadelphia. In his time as defensive coordinator at the powerhouse high school, the Panthers were 38-5 and allowed fewer than 10 points per game. In addition to working with Hales worked as a classroom substitute and teacher and coordinated academic support for student athletes. The football program produced multiple Division I athletes.

He first joined with Rhule as a graduate assistant and recruiting assistant at Temple. He served in North Philly for two years before taking a job as a recruiting assistant at Rutgers. He served o n the Scarlet Knights staff for two years before moving to Baylor.

"I am very excited to join the very first Eastern coaching staff with Coach Crocker," Hales said. "This once-in-a-career opportunity ~ to build a first-class football program. Faith and commitment is what I will lean on to bring the best I can to the program" 

"Omar is a huge hire for our first coaching staff at Eastern," Head Coach Billy Crocker says. "He has great experience as both a coach and recruiter at the highest levels of college football.  Being a native of Philadelphia and former player at Temple, he is very well respected and connected locally.  He values relationships and has developed great connections with his players in helping to build great programs nationally.  Omar is exactly what we need to build our program at Eastern. I am excited to work with him."

Hales will join the the Eastern staff immediately and will be actively involved in building Eastern's roster and recruiting network.