Bio

Joe Early, an All-Mission Conference selection as a Palomar player and an assistant coach for three mythical national championship team, was named the Comets' 10th head football coach on Dec. 18, 2001.

He has compiled a  95-75 record in 17 seasons from 2002 to the beginning of the 2019 season as the Comets' head coach, including a 10-3 record in 2009 when the Comets reached the Southern California Community College Championship Game and were ranked No. 8 nationally in the final J.C. Grid-Wire rankings.

Early's Palomar teams have won two conference championships and have six final J.C. Grid-Wire National Top Twenty rankings (No. 4 in Early's first season of 2002, No.22 in 2003, No. 25 in 2007, No. 17 in 2008, No. 8 in 2009 and No. 18 in 2011.).

As a player, Early still has the third longest kickoff return in Palomar history, 98 yards in a 36-21 victory over Orange Coast in the opening game of the 1979 season. As a Palomar assistant, Early served stints as defensive coordinator, receivers coach and defensive backfield coach.

During the period Early was an assistant coach under head coach Tom Craft at Palomar, the Comets went 31-1 from the second game of the 1991 season through the conclusion of the 1993 season. Palomar won 73 of its last 89 games during Early's tenure as an assistant coach / coordinator. Along with Palomar's three mythical national championship teams (1991, 1993, 1998), Early also was an assistant for the 1992 squad that was ranked No. 6 in the nation and the 2001 team that won the Southern California title and was ranked No. 2 in California and No. 10 nationally.

At Orange Glen High School (where he concluded an outstanding career as a senior in 1978), Early made enough of an impact to be selected as the 61st best prep football player in the first 109 years of North County football in a 2007 poll of North County Times readers.

Early, who was awarded a football scholarship to Long Beach State out of Palomar, received his Bachelors degree from San Diego State and his Masters from Azusa Pacific University. He is a fulltime health and kinesiology instructor at Palomar. He and his wife Julie live in Escondido.

Joe and Julie Early have three children -- daughter Ashley and sons Andy and Austin. Andy Early is a graduate of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and played rugby for the Mustangs. Austin played quarterback for the Comets, was voted as Palomar's 2015 MVP by his teammates, and currently is plays quarterback on the NAIA level at Southwestern College in Winfield, Kansas.