| No. 38 | |||||||
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| Position | Defensive back | ||||||
| Personal information | |||||||
| Born | (1950-12-01)December 1, 1950 (age 75) Amarillo, Texas, U.S. | ||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||||||
| Listed weight | 200 lb (91 kg) | ||||||
| Career information | |||||||
| High school | Amarillo | ||||||
| College | Cisco JC (1969–1970) North Texas State (1971–1972) | ||||||
| NFL draft | 1973: 14th round, 355th overall pick | ||||||
| Career history | |||||||
Playing | |||||||
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* Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||
Coaching | |||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||
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Hurles Eulis Scales Jr. (born December 1, 1950) is an American former professional footballdefensive back in theNational Football League (NFL). He playedcollege football for theCisco Wranglers andNorth Texas State Mean Green and was selected by theCincinnati Bengals in the 14th round of the1973 NFL draft. After not making the Bengals' roster, Scales played for theSt. Louis Cardinals andChicago Bears in 1974 and for theGreen Bay Packers in 1975. He was also a member of thePhiladelphia Eagles and played in a total of 15 NFL games in his career.
Scales was born on December 1, 1950, inAmarillo, Texas.[1] At age eight, he made it his goal to become anNFL player.[2] He attendedAmarillo High School where he was a standout athlete, competing infootball,basketball andtrack and field.[2] In hissenior year, he was his basketball team's leading rebounder and in football caught a 66-yardtouchdown pass in a win against the number one-ranked team in the state.[3] He was the recipient of theAmarillo Globe-News Most Valuable Sandie Player Award and received the T. G. Hull Award as the "athlete who delivers the most".[2]
After high school, Scales enrolled atCisco Junior College in 1969.[1] There, he was a two-way player and saw action as awingback andcornerback.[4] As asophomore in 1970, he was named all-conference atdefensive back.[2] He then transferred toNorth Texas State University in 1971 and joined theschool's football team.[1] Scales playedsafety for North Texas from 1971 to 1972, being a top player despite the team's poor performance.[5] He led the team ininterceptions, with five, as asenior in 1972 and was named All-Missouri Valley Conference.[6][7] Among his interceptions that year was one he returned 88 yards for atouchdown againstWest Texas State.[7] He received the nickname "Misguided Missile" during hisjunior year at North Texas State, explaining that "I had a broken bone in my foot and if I tried to stop quickly or turn, the pain was really severe. So I kept on running and didn't stop until I ran into somebody".[8]
Scales was selected in the 14th round (355th overall) of the1973 NFL draft by theCincinnati Bengals, although he waswaived by the team in July 1973.[1][9] After being released, Scales worked in 1973 as agraduate assistant at North Texas State.[10] In 1974, he signed with theSt. Louis Cardinals and impressed intraining camp.[11] He missed the start of the season due to a knee injury and was placed oninjured reserve.[12][13] He was waived by the Cardinals on October 15, then assigned on waivers to theChicago Bears the following day.[1] He made his NFL debut for the Bears in Week 6, recording no statistics in their 10–9 win over theGreen Bay Packers.[14]
Scales was waived by the Bears on October 29, then claimed off waivers by the Cardinals the following day.[1] He appeared in the subsequent seven games for the Cardinals, finishing the 1974 season with eight total games played.[14] He was released by the Cardinals on August 29, 1975, before signing with the Green Bay Packers on October 29.[1][15] Scales played in seven games for the Packers, recovering onefumble.[1][14] He was released by the Packers before the 1976 season, on July 26, 1976.[1] He then had a brief stint with thePhiladelphia Eagles in 1977, but was released prior to the regular season.[1] He concluded his NFL career with 15 games played.[1]
After his NFL career, Scales worked as a consultant in the import and export business and as a college instructor.[16] He served as vice president of theDallas chapter of theNFL Players Association for four years and also served aschief executive officer of the International Commercial & Industrial Business Group, a consulting business.[16]
