Hale was born in Jackson, Mississippi and played high school football at its Central High School. Known as Edwin "Goat" Hale, he played quarterback at Mississippi College in from 1915 to 1916 and again from 1920 to 1921, after serving in World War I. He was elected to the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame in 1961, and the College Football Hall of Fame in 1963. Hale died in 1983; he was 87 years old.