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Mountain Lions Name Martin Bayless Defensive Coordinator

February 15, 2011 - United Football League (UFL 1)
Sacramento Mountain Lions News Release


Sacramento, CA - Tuesday, February 15, 2011 - MARTIN BAYLESS has been named as the defensive coordinator for the Sacramento Mountain Lions of the United Football League.

Bayless, who has more than 25 years of experience in professional football, was Sacramento's special teams coordinator and defensive backs coach in 2010 and he will still be in charge of those two areas. He also coached defensive backs with the California Redwoods in 2009 before the team moved to Sacramento.

"Martin Bayless has been on our staff for the two previous years and has an outstanding understanding of the UFL," said Mountain Lions head coach DENNIS GREEN. "With 13 years as an NFL player, coaching experience in the NFL and his years in NFL Europe, Martin is ideally suited to handle these added responsibilities."

After playing for 13 years in the NFL (1984-96), Bayless moved to the Buffalo Bills' front office in 1998 as the director of player development/special projects. He began his coaching career at Castle Park High School in San Diego before moving on to the University of North Carolina as a coaching intern.

Bayless coached with the Barcelona Dragons and Amsterdam Admirals of NFL Europe in 2003 before returning to the NFL as a defensive assistant for the Carolina Panthers. He coached for the Oakland Raiders, serving as a special teams assistant in 2004-05. Bayless also coached with the Minnesota Vikings in 2008 (assistant defensive coach) after two years with the Houston Texans (assistant defensive backs coach).

Bayless was a safety in the NFL, playing for St. Louis, Buffalo, San Diego, Kansas City and Washington. He played in 192 NFL games, starting 153 and making 1,186 tackles, 11.5 sacks and 12 interceptions. He was a star at Bowling Green in college and was inducted into the school's Hall of Fame in 1989. His 27 career interceptions at Bowling Green rank second in NCAA history.

"The UFL has definitely been a great developer of players and also coaches," Bayless said. "People keep using the comparison of NFL Europe. There are a lot of talented people on all levels, whether they are coaches, players, PR directors, strength and conditioning coaches, looking for opportunities to grow in the business. This league has given me an opportunity to grow as a coach."

Bayless established the Martin Bayless Free Football Camp in 1986 in his hometown of Dayton, Ohio. More than 135,000 youths have participated in the camps, which span from Ohio to California. Among the participants have been three Heisman Trophy winners (Reggie Bush, Ricky Williams and Rashaan Salaam) and two No. 1 overall picks in the NFL Draft (Alex Smith and Dan Wilkinson).

For his accomplishments both on and off the field, Bayless was voted San Diego Chargers NFL Man of the Year in 1990 and 1991 and the Kansas City Chiefs NFL Man of the Year in 1996. He was also honored in 2008 with the San Diego Hall of Champions' Ernest H. Wright Sr. Humanitarian Award.

Mountain Lions ticket information will be available soon at www.sacmountainlions.com. Fans can also visit www.buyUFL.com for merchandise.



United Football League Stories from February 15, 2011


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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