Oklahoma High School State Champion Coach to Lead New Program

A longtime Oklahoma high school football coach that has captured multiple state titles will lead a new program.

Yale Public Schools announced that Cory Bales has been hired as the Bulldogs’ new head football coach. Bales join Yale after decades of teaching and coaching at Morrison Public Schools.

“Yale Public Schools is excited to welcome Cory Bales as our new head football coach and social studies teacher,” noted in a social media post by Yale Public Schools. “We are thrilled to have Coach Bales, and his family join the Yale community.”

Bales will lead a Yale team that went 7-5 last year and secured its second straight District B-I-3 crown.

According to Touchdown Friday Night, Bales was at the helm of Morrison football for 19 seasons. Bales, who last coached football at Morrison in 2023, compiled a record of 174-63 and led the Wildcats to four straight state championship victories from 2005 to 2008.

Before taking over at Morrison in 2005, Bales was the Wildcats’ assistant coach and defensive coordinator. He was part of a Wildcats’ team that won a state title in 2003.

The Wildcats have 14 state titles in their program’s history, with the first one in 1984. Morrison captured seven consecutive titles between 1988 and 1994.

A 1990 Morrison graduate, Bales was a star football, basketball and baseball player for the Wildcats. Bales was a member of Morrison’s state championship teams in 1988-89 and received All-State football honors in 1989. He was also honored with All-State baseball recognition in 1990.

Bales went on to play baseball at Northwestern Oklahoma State and earned NAIA All-District 9 recognition in 1994.

Aside from football, Bales also coached basketball and slow-pitch softball at Morrison. He led the Wildcats’ slow-pitch softball team to a state title in 2021.

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