From Tennessee Valley to Rio Grande Valley
October 7, 2004 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Rio Grande Valley Dorados News Release
HIDALGO, TX: October 7, 2004 â The Rio Grande Valley Dorados of the arenafootball2 (af2) league hosted a press conference today at the Dodge Arena, and Dorados Managing Partner Trey Medlock announced and introduced Kevin Guy as the Dorados new Head Coach / Dir. of Football Operations. Guy becomes the second head coach of the Dorados and steps into the position which was vacated when Gary Gussman resigned to accept an assistant coaching and player personal director position with the Arena Football League's Las Vegas Gladiators.
Guy, a 31 year-old native of Birmingham, Alabama, joins the Dorados organization after serving as the Head Coach / Dir. of Football Operations for the Huntsville, Alabama based Tennessee Valley Vipers over the past three af2 seasons. He leaves the Vipers with a 39-9 coaching record, which places him amongst the af2's top five career coaching leaders in wins (39) and winning percentage (81.25%), and places him with the best coaching record in af2 history based on tenure. Guy began his Vipers coaching career in 2002 and posted a 13-3 record. The Vipers won 14 consecutive games to begin the 2003 season and ended up with a 14-2 finish, which led to Guy claiming af2 "Coach of the Year" honors. This season, Guy kept his three year streak alive of consecutive division winning finishes by posting a 12-4 record. The Vipers lost to the eventual af2 champion Florida Bobcats in the first round of the playoffs 62-58, with the game winning tally by Florida coming in the final minute of the game. Tennessee Valley ranked ninth in scoring offense this season (49.8 avg) and fourth in scoring defense (40.1 avg). They led the af2 in turnover margin with a +28 advantage and led the league in red zone defense by limiting opponents to a 61.1% scoring percentage in the zone.
A graduate of Shelby County High School in Columbiana, Alabama, Guy played college football at West Alabama (Livingston, Alabama) and lettered from 1991-95. He started out his college career as a wide receiver and made the move to defensive back his senior season. Guy racked up 627 yards on 46 receptions and tallied 5 touchdowns. He also returned nine kickoffs for 147 yards. On the defensive side, Guy led the team in interceptions (3) and was fifth in tackles with 45 (4 tackles for a loss).
Guy was then introduced to the arena game, beginning his pro playing career in the Arena Football League (AFL) with the Minnesota Fighting Pike. The rookie led the team in tackles (56, 49-unassisted) as a defensive specialist and also grabbed 2 interceptions. He also appeared in reserve roles on the offensive side of the ball and had 9 catches for 96 yards. Guy spent the the following two-and-a-half seasons with the New Jersey Red Dogs and combined for 118 tackles and 5 interceptions on the defensive side of the ball and 16 receptions for 203 yards on the offensive side. Halfway through the 1999 season, Guy was traded to the Orlando Predators and appeared in 6 games as the Predators marched to the ArenaBowl title game.
He began his coaching career in 2000 as the defensive coordinator of the New Jersey Red Dogs and was promoted to their head coaching position for the final four games of the season. His defense ranked third in the AFL and forced 50 turnovers, and the âDogs offense increased their scoring production from 44 points per game to 57 when he took over the head coaching position. Guy served as the defensive coordinator for the AFL's Florida Bobcats in 2001 before heading to Tennessee Valley in 2002.
The success Guy has produced has not only been on the field, but has also been in the community. Guy performed several instructional football camps in Alabama and was instrumental in establishing the "Kevin's Guys and Gals Golf Tournament," which served unprivileged children in the Huntsville community. Guy will reside in the Rio Grande Valley with his wife, the former Cathy Ramirez, and their daughter Alexa.
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