Ex-Defensive Captain Bala Will Coach 'Backers

SAN MARCOS (7-27-11) -- Robert Bala, a starting linebacker for Palomar's 2004 and 2005 teams, is the newest addition to the Comets' football coaching staff this Fall, returning to the program as linebackers coach.

Bala returns to Palomar, where he was an All-Mission Conference selection and defensive captain, from Snow  Community College in Ephriaim, Utah, At Snow, he served in the same role, linebackers coach, during the 2009 and 2010 seasons.

The Badgers won back-to-back Top of the Mountain Bowl games, over Grand Rapids (Michigan) in 2009 and Iowa Western in 2010, and earned two final Top Ten rankings in the NJCAA (non-California community colleges) poll, No. 5 in 2009 and No. 7 last season. Nine of Bala's linebackers transferred to four-year colleges, six to Division I and three to Division II.

He began his coaching career in 2008 as linebackers coach at Oceanside High School, which won the CIF San Diego Section Division II championship and was ranked No. 19 in the final USA Today Super High School Football Poll.

Bala played high school football at Oceanside, starting at linebacker for the Pirates' CIF-San Diego Section Division II championship team that was ranked No. 1 in San Diego County.

After his two seasons at Palomar. Bala landed a scholarship to Southern Utah University, a Division I Football Championship Subdivision (Division I-AA) school in Cedar City, Utah, where he started at linebacker and received Academic All-Great West Football Conference honors.

Bala has a Bachelor of Science degree in Physical Education from Southern Utah University and is currently working on his Master's degree at Concordia University of Irvine. He's single and resides in Oceanside.