Bailey Hale - I Like Scoring Points

by Cody Zeeb

Bailey Hale kicks an extra point in the Liberty's Week 11 win

Bailey Hale is the kicker for the Salina Liberty of Arena Football One. The Louisiana Tech product has impressed in three games. Hale has accounted for four made field goals, 21 extra points, and added an additional four points to his team’s total with two Deuces. The Liberty’s next game is Saturday, May 31st, with kickoff set for 7:30 p.m. ET streaming on EvergreenNOW.

Bailey Hale was born and raised in the small town of Iowa Park, Texas. He started football as a kid in a little town in Texas because, “That’s pretty much all you do when you are a little kid in Texas.” Hale said. He convinced his mom to let him start playing in the fourth grade. 


A Basketball Star


Hale played many sports as a kid, and basketball was his greatest passion as a youngster. Hale thought basketball was what he’d play at a higher level, but felt his height (5’11”) held him back. In high school, he was a four-year starter and led the team in scoring three of those years, averaging 20 points per game in his senior season. He earned Red River 22 honors in both football and basketball as a senior. 


He also played baseball, soccer, and ran track. Just about any sport he could do, he was in. Bailey wasn’t always set on being a kicker and told me that “I didn’t really take kicking seriously until college.” He was a running back in his younger years, but was always also the kicker. “I just kicked the ball because I was a little kid in a little town, and I could kick the ball farther than anyone else.” Eventually, he’d transition into the role of wide receiver, his main position in high school. 


From Receiver to Kicker


After high school, Hale would land at Abilene Christian, where he planned to play both wide receiver and kicker. His main focus after joining the team was running routes until the kicker got hurt. Hale stepped into that role, and “I figured out I was pretty good at it.” 


After Abilene Christian Hale transferred to Eastern New Mexico University with plans to play both basketball and football. Once again, football, and kicking in particular, would be the thing that stood out and he stuck with. As a Sophomore at Eastern New Mexico, Hale was ENMU's second-leading scorer with 70 points, including a 10-point game against UT-Permian Basin with two field goals, which included a 47-yard kick. He also had three punts of 50 yards or more, with nine downed inside the opponent's 20-yard line. In total over his two seasons at ENMU, Hale went 23-of-34 field goals and amassed 142 total points. He booted 57 total touchbacks on kickoffs.

From there, Hale got the opportunity to play at Division I Louisiana Tech. An offer he couldn’t pass up on. He made an immediate impact there. In only his fourth game with the Bulldogs, he set a school record going five-for-five from field goal range in a win over North Texas. He’d and his career at La Tech 30-42 from field goal range and 91-92 (a perfect 53-53 his final year) on extra point tries. 

A Professional Kicker

It was bad timing for Hale as the COVID pandemic shut down pro days and made it tough for rookies to break into the league. He’d eventually sign with the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League. After his time in the CFL, he got a call out of the blue one day from the Salina Liberty. They saw his film from a kicking showcase he participated in and knew he was the man who could solve their kicking woes. “I said sure,” and here we are! 


What was the transition like for Hale adjusting to kicking in the arena with the smaller goal posts and smaller ball?  “You have a roof to worry about, we’re still working that one out.” Hale chuckled. He’s hit the scoreboard a few times on kickoffs in his first few games with the Liberty. “There’s less room for error, but you know that’s the fun part.” “The target practice is the fun part; the smaller you make it, the more fun it is.” “Give me aim small miss, small, and you see just how accurate you are. “It’s been really fun, actually.” He loves the deuce in Arena football, “Anytime I get to score, I get excited. I like scoring points.” “It honestly irritates me if I don’t hit it.” 

Law Student by Day, Kicker by Night 

He’s pretty relaxed when it comes to routines on gameday. Leading up to the games, he likes to keep it chill. Listen to some slower music and relax. Keep calm and have fun.  “Football is supposed to be fun, we started playing this game because it was fun.” Before each kick, he likes to take two swings on his way out. A deep breath in and out, then just pick something to aim at and hit it. 


Hale is currently attending Law School in Oklahoma City. He’s studying general law and hopes to get into sports entertainment and intellectual property law down the road. He likes to stay low-key off the field and is a chill guy. If he’s got free time, it’s spent hanging out with his family and friends in his circle. He loves to go to the bar and chill, and have a beer with friends.