Dale Hales

School: Red Bud High

Occupation: Teacher/Coach

Dale Hales attended Red Bud High in the early 1980s for this freshman and sophomore years before moving to Rockmart to finish his high school career in 1985. Hales is one of a few student-athletes to win four straight Georgia High School state titles. Two of his titles were as a wrestler for Red Bud High and two at Rockmart, in three different weight classes. He was the 1981 90-pound USA Wrestling Southeastern Freestyle National Champion and was part of “Who’s Who” in Sports Illustrated in 1985. Hales was named the Georgia Class AA Wrestler of the Year and a High School All-American his senior year.

He went on to earn a full wrestling scholarship to Pembroke State. Later, he started a youth wrestling program locally called the “Gordon County Grapplers”, and led them to the USA Wrestling Georgia State Championship in 2000. Coach Hales was the Calhoun High head wrestling coach for 11 years and was named Area 3-AA Coach of the Year in 2005 and 2012.

Coach Hales led the Calhoun High wrestling team to several Elite 8 and final 4 placements in the state tournament in both Dual and Traditional competitions; and his teams won more than 200 Team Duals during his coaching tenure. Individuals coached by Hales achieved nine state championships, seven state runner-ups, five third-place finishes, and many fourth and fifth places finishes.

Hales has operated a remodeling business in Adairsville and was this year named the new head coach of Roswell High’s wrestling program. Dale and his wife, Paige Hales, have five children and are proud grandparents to five grandchildren; Jackson, Hunter and Kimber Clark, and Hazel Steele and Kasen Cruce.