SHAWNEE – Former Oklahoma Baptist standout quarterback Preston Haire has signed a professional contract with the Hamburg Sea Devils of the European League of Football (ELF), the team announced on Tuesday afternoon.
Haire becomes the second Bison in program history to sign a professional contract, joining former teammate Jake Foshee who inked a deal with the Toronto Argonauts (CFL) in April.
Haire makes the trip overseas one season removed from bearing the green and gold colors. Following his final season on Bison Hill in 2021, Haire became an NFL free agent and received a mini-camp invite with the New Orleans Saints. He also was invited to work out with the Dallas Cowboys.
Since, the Trophy Club, Texas, native has been training for his next opportunity, which came on Dec. 20, 2022.
The ELF consists of 17 teams located in Germany, Poland, Spain, Austria, Italy, Hungary, Czech Republic, and France. New to the gridiron scene, the league was created in November 2020. It is divided into three conferences (Western, Central, and Eastern) as season play goes from June-September.
The Sea Devils, coached by former NFL linebacker Charles "Yogi" Jones, compete in the Western Conference. Last season, the Sea Devils appeared in the ELF Championship game for a second consecutive season, posting an 11-1 overall record and a 6-0 conference mark.
"Preston Haire has been an outstanding quarterback and leader at every level he's been", said Hamburg offensive coordinator Brett Morgan. "He checked every box with exceptional production, athletic testing, background reports and psychological profile. The film backs it up with a player who can beat you with his arm, legs, and head. He was in an NFL camp for a reason and has the skill level to be an elite QB in our league."
With OBU, Haire rewrote the record book. He left Shawnee in possession of every offensive record in program history.
Haire was named Great American Conference Offensive Player of the Year twice (2021, 2022), a Don Hansen DII All-American in 2021, and earned spots of the D2CCA All-Super Region 3 second teams in back-to-back seasons (2021, 2022).
He was a three-time All-GAC selection and garnered Conference Player of the Week honors six times. Haire ranks second in all-time passing completions in league record books and is third for total offensive yards and passing yards.
Haire totaled 13,335 offensive yards, 11,811 passing yards, 114 touchdowns, 1,059 completions, and was responsible for 132 (114-18) scores. As mentioned, all are school records. Furthermore, he concluded his tenure with a 62.0 passing completion percentage.
Schedules for the 2023 European League of Football have not been announced yet.
For more information on OBU Football, follow the team on Twitter (@OBU_Football) and Instagram (@OBU_Football).
