New BeginningsAs the Elite Football League Kicks off, Josh Chandyo has purchased the Knoxville Franchise. Knoxville will the NFL Affiliate to the Tennessee Titans.
Chandyo is currently the owner of 5 other football franchises. He currently has never won't a championship but is a very active owner making sure he does everything he can for his franchises.
"I'm exited. This new league is showing that it should be an excellent league to be a part of. I will do whatever it takes to make this franchise something that the Fans of the Titans as well as the Knoxville fateful are proud to cheer for." - Owner Josh Chandyo
With the owner introduced, let's meet the coaching staff:
The Coaching StaffHead Coach: David HicksHicks was an All-American stand out Quarterback at Texas when he was younger. He suffered a career ending shoulder injury that left him devastated. Football was all he knew, and that was taken away from him. His Quarterback coach at Texas took him under his wing and showed Hicks what the possibilities could be as a coach. Something clicked and here we are. Hicks was named as the 1st ever Head Coach here in Knoxville. He’s a Pass Focused coach, and runs a 3-4 defense.
Offensive Coordinator: Israel PerryYou know there’s always that one coach that you just see and think man that guys like the dad I never had. That is exactly what you get with Coach Perry. He is the definition of a player’s coach. Perry was strongly considered to be the Head Coach here at Knoxville but Hicks just edged him out. Perry has been seen on the sidelines of the Texas Tech campus for most of his coaching career. He served as their TE coach most recently.
Defensive Coordinator: Roy ZamarripaCoach Zapa, as the players have adapted, comes to Knoxville from the University of Tennessee Tech. He served as the TTU’s Linebackers coach for the last 5 years. Coach Zapa was in a deadly car accident his senior year of college. His best friend was killed and Coach Zapa was in a coma for about a year. The car they were in was hit by a drunk driver as they came back from a concert. He had a promising career playing defensive tackle but the accident kept him out of the game for too long. He’s a great motivator, as the accident taught him a lot about himself. Players have been warned that if he sees you drinking and you get anyway here the driver seat you are going to get a chewing that you will never forget.
Quarterbacks: David EldredCoach Eldred comes to Knoxville after serving the last 14 years as the Head Football Coach of the nationally ranked High School Oscar Smith Tigers from Chesapeake, Virginia. During those 14 years, Oscar Smith was the winningest 6-A program in the state of Virginia with a record of 164 wins and only 20 losses. Coach Elred led his team to 12 consecutive District Championships, 6 Region Championships, 2 State Championships and 2 State Runners Up. Coach Morgan has 23 years of experience.
Backfield: Wendell CorbittNamed the Backfield Coach, Wendell Corbitt comes to Knoxville from Lexington, Kentucky. Coach Corbitt was the offensive coordinator at Lexington Christian Academy for the last 15 years. A recent coaching change at LCA had Corbitt looking elsewhere for a new job. He did apply to become the Head Coach there at LCA however the school decided to go younger.
Offensive Line: Guadalupe SheppardCoach Sheppard gets his 1st shot to coach in the USA. Guadalupe a Mexico native made the move to the States about 6 months ago after serving as Head Coach to several youth football camps around Mexico. He's been searching to get his foot in the US for several years however, no organization would give him the opportunity. That changes now that Knoxville has hired him as their O-Line Coach. At 52, he may not get another chance anywhere else.
Recievers: Raymond WootenCoach Wooten comes to Knoxville after serving the last 3 years with the Los Angeles Rams. He was also a coach in Detroit. Wooten severed as the team's assistant WR coach. When Jeff Fisher was let go, Wooten was not able to stay on staff. Wooten has always flown under the radar but has coached the likes of Tavon Austin and Calvin Johnson.
Tight Ends: Steven EdwardsCoach Edwards comes to the Knoxville Misfits as a 1st time coach. 5 years ago he was used car salesmen. He decided that he wanted to do something different with is life. He went back to school and got a degree in Sport Management. He put in his resume to coach Hicks when when he found out that he could. The interview just blew Coach Hicks away and Edwards was hired.
Defensive Line: Ruben PinionCoach Pinion is getting his 1st chance at a coaching opportunity as well. He served as a defensive consultant at South Carolina State a season ago. He will man the defensive line a position that he played at the college level almost 20 years ago.
Linebackers: Corey JohnsonCoach Johnson comes to Knoxville in way of Bearden High School here in Knoxville. The young coach spent time serving as a Linebackers coach and also was the Head Coach coach of the Rugby Team.
Secondary: Javier MatthewsCoach Javi was named the Secondary Coach. Javi is just starting his coaching career at the the pro level. He does have the experience as coaching though. He's only 38 but has already been coaching for 12 years. He started at the High School level and then got a coaching job at the Junior College level. Most recently serving as the DC at Chattanooga State Tech.
Kickers: John LugoThe youngest coach on the roster at 34. Coach Lugo was an All State Kicker at Halls High School here in Knoxville 16 years ago. He accepted a scholarship to play at Tennessee but got into some legal troubles his sophomore year and was kicked off the team. He would get his life back on track and finish his degree a few years later however would never play football again. As Mentioned above with DC Coach Zapa, Coach Lugo will feed with the lectures of keep things on track when your off the field. Coach Lugos troubles were drug and alcohol induced.
Last edited at 8/07/2017 8:21 am
