Barnstormers Announce Coaching Staff
Published on May 5, 2021 under Indoor Football League (IFL)
Iowa Barnstormers News Release
It's a dawn of a new era for the 2018 United Bowl champion Iowa Barnstormers in Des Moines this year.
A new coaching staff is set to mix things up for the team, led at the helm by two of the winningest coaches in Arena Football history.
Head Coach Les Moss and Assistant Coach/Defensive Coordinator Rob Keefe have once again joined forces in Iowa with the goal hoisting a second trophy in Iowa.
"It's a blessing to have a coaching staff like we have," Moss said. "We work well together. We work off of each other very well. The continuity we have together is awesome."
The pair comes into Des Moines as two of the winningest coaches in Arena Football history. Moss and Keefe are both in the top 15 in wins in AFL history - spurring from their time as head coaches in Florida.
Moss was established at the helm of the Jacksonville Sharks win Keefe started his three-year stint with the Orlando Predators. The two battled it out and helped add to one of the most famous rivalries the sport has ever seen.
They grew to respect each other and came to an agreement before their time ended in the Southeast.
"We would have just amazing battles," Keefe said. "There were a lot of games that came down to the wire, went to overtime, had a last second touchdown... we got to the point where we just had so much respect for each other that we said if we ever had the opportunity to coach with each other, we would do it."
Keefe went on to be hired as the head coach of the Albany Empire in 2018.
The first call he made when compiling his staff went to Moss.
"I look at Coach Moss as a great mentor," Keefe said. "We have a wealth of knowledge and I learn every day from him. We offer so much knowledge to each other and we play off of each other well. It's an honor to be able to work for him and when he made the phone call to bring me to the Iowa Barnstormers, I didn't hesitate."
Together, the two helped lead the Albany Empire to win the final ArenaBowl ever played, blowing out the Philadelphia Soul in the championship game.
They'll try and bring that culture to the Barnstormers program in 2021.
"(All those teams) had great work ethic," Moss said. "They were all great teams that competed against each other and really brought the best out in each other. You've got to be able to work hard together against each other."
Along with the duo to lead the team this season is Offensive/Defensive Line Coach BJ Cohen and Defensive Backs Coach Jason Simpson.
Simpson has a history of coaching in with the Barnstormers and Cohen is a former player of Moss'.
"Coach Moss brought me into the league in 1999 when I was coming out of college," Cohen said. "I've always looked at him as a type of mentor even after I played for him."
The staff, tooled with a multitude of experience at the championship level, will look to continue that mentality.
Including a coach in Keefe that is the only person in the history of the sport to have ArenaCup (AF2) and ArenaBowl (AFL) championships as both a player and a coach.
"I've been very fortunate to be a part of great organizations and be a part of great teams," Keefe said. "You can't be a champion if there's no great teamwork and synergy with it. A lot of hard work, sweat and sacrifice went into it, but I got the full experience of winning it as a head coach and (player). Almost every facet of an arena football organization, I've been in and been able to win at that capacity."
It's an impressive list of accolades for everyone on the staff.
When the season opens on May 15 on the road against rival Sioux Falls (7:05 p.m. YouTube), that experience will come in handy.
But the experience won't be enough. They've still got to build something in Iowa.
"There's a lot of luck involved to winning a championship, but to have 14 or 15 rings on a staff if you include everybody is hard to do," Moss said. "We've assembled a good staff, but what we've done in the past means absolutely nothing. We've got to do it again this year."
Season Tickets for the 2021 Iowa Barnstormers season are on sale now for as low as $96 per seat. Don't miss a minute of the action! Call 515-633-2255 or visit www.theiowabarnstormers.com for more information.
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