Stacey Hairston to join coaching staff of CFL's Edmonton Eskimos

Stacey Hairston

By Tim Glon

| Edmonton Eskimos Official Site |

ADA — A Polar Bear is rejoining the professional football ranks.

Current Ohio Northern assistant football coach and head women's golf coach Stacey Hairston has accepted a job as defensive backs coach for the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League.

Hairston is returning to the CFL, where he played for the Saskatchewan Roughriders from 1990-92 prior to his 3-year stint with the Cleveland Browns from 1993-95.

"This is a great opportunity to go back to the CFL - a place I really enjoyed as a player," Hairston said. "I had the opportunity to be a guest coach with Saskatchewan this summer and is made me realize how much I missed the league. 

"But this move is bittersweet. Leaving Ohio Northern will be difficult. I've been a part of the University for a long time and have had great experiences both as a student/athlete and as a coach. None of this would be possible without the education I received at Ohio Northern. I have been very blessed. No matter what happens down the road, I'll always be a Polar Bear." 

Hairston has spent the past 12 seasons as an assistant football coach for ONU as the defensive backs coach, co-defensive co-ordinator and lecturer in the human performance and sports science department.

Stacey spent the 2003 season as interim head coach and defensive coordinator for the Polar Bears.

He also served as the head women's golf coach at ONU for the past seven seasons. He was named the Ohio Athletic Conference Women's Golf Coach of the Year in 2007 after leading the Polar Bears to their first-ever OAC title and NCAA Tournament bid.

In 2000, Stacey was inducted into the Ohio Northern Athletic Hall of Fame.

Stacey has represented Ohio Northern University in one form or another for 19 years.

First, as a four-year starter at cornerback and wide receiver where he earned 1st Team All-Conference honors his senior at wide receiver.

He next represented his alma mater as a starting defensive back for the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League, where he started every game for the Roughriders for three years.

After his third season, Stacey left for the NFL and found a home with the Cleveland Browns.

He received special teams honors on four separate occasions, while once earning defensive player of the game honors.

In 1994, Stacey was an integral part of the NFL’s top-ranked defense before his professional career was cut short by injury.

Stacey has not severed his ties with the NFL after his retirement.

He is still active with the Central Ohio NFL Alumni Association and is the former Vice President of the NFL Players Association.

Some of the other activities that Stacey donated his time to are the Homeless foundation of Columbus, the Children’s Hospital, the Stephanie Speilman Fund for Breast Cancer Research and the United Negro Foundation.

Since Stacey made the jump to the pro ranks, other Northern players have followed his lead and went on to excel at the professional level, including Jason Truisnik, currently with the New York Jets, and Jamal Robertson, who is currently with the Toronto Argonauts of the CFL and has played with the San Francisco 49ers, the Carolina Panthers and the Atlanta Falcons.

Nate Riles also spent two seasons with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the CFL.

Stacey and his wife, Johanne, are the proud parents of their 4-year old son, Jonathan, and 18-month old twins Jordyn and Jayden.