FOXBORO, Mass. – The New England Patriots announced the hiring of Jake Hallum as an area scout today. In another move, the team announced the signing of wide receiver/kick returner Tony Gaiter.

Hallum, 61, had been a college scout for the Philadelphia Eagles since June of 1995. Prior to joining the Eagles, he was a regional scout for National Football Scouting from 1992-94. He served as a coach on the collegiate level for 24 years, prior to becoming a scout.

He began his college coaching career as the head coach of Morehead State (KY) from 1968-71. He then moved onto Maryland and was employed as the Terrapins' offensive line coach from 1972-81. From 1982-89, he served as an assistant at Kentucky. Then in 1990 he began a two-year stint at Arizona State as their offensive line/tight ends coach.

Gaiter, 25, re-joins the Patriots after two seasons with the San Diego Chargers. He was signed by the Chargers on Nov. 24, 1998 and played in the final five games of the regular season. He returned 13 punt for 155 yards (11.9 avg.), including a long of 49 yards. He also returned 16 kickoffs for 295 yards (18.4 avg.) with a long of 33. He spent the 1999 preseason with the Chargers, but was released following training camp on Sept. 6, 1999.

The 5-foot-8-inch, 170-pound wide receiver/kick returner was originally drafted by the Patriots in the sixth round of the 1997 NFL Draft (192nd overall). He spent the first 13 weeks of the season on the practice squad before being activated for the final four games of the season. Gaiter made his NFL debut vs. Indianapolis (11/30/97), but did not record any statistics. He was listed among the Patriots inactives for the final three weeks of the season and both playoff games. He was released following training camp on Aug. 25, 1998. He was resigned on Oct. 22, 1998 and was active but did not play at Miami (10/24). he was released the following week on Oct. 28, 1998.