The Philadelphia Eagles were saddened to learn of the passing of former scout Jake Hallum, who died Thursday at the age of 76. Hallum is survived by his wife, Mable, and their two sons, Todd and Bart.

A true gentleman, Hallum shared his love of the game over the course of a career in coaching and scouting that spanned six decades. He was originally hired by the Eagles in 1992 as a college scout from 1995-99. He returned to the team as a senior scout in 2012 before retiring from full-time scouting work.

A native of Liberty, South Carolina, he played linebacker and guard at Newberry College (1957-60) and later earned his master's degree from Murray State in 1965.

He coached high school football at his alma mater, Pickens (South Carolina) High School (1960-62) and made stops as an assistant at Hopkinsville (Kentucky) High School (1962-66) and as head coach at Paul Blazer (Kentucky) High School (1966-67). Hallum won the state AAA championship at both Hopkinsville and Paul Blazer High Schools.

Hallum was named the head coach of Morehead State in 1968 and guided the Eagles to three winning seasons in four years. He also coached collegiately at Maryland (offensive line, 1972-81), Kentucky (assistant coach, 1982-89) and Arizona State (offensive line and tight ends, 1990-91).

He made the transition to the scouting ranks as a regional scout for National Football Scouting in 1992. Following his first tenure with the Eagles, Hallum was an area scout with the New England Patriots where he was a part of three Super Bowl-winning teams. In 2005, Hallum was hired by the Browns as a senior college scout.