Riptide Announce Coaching Staff
March 24, 2004 - arenafootball2 (af2)
San Diego Riptide News Release
SAN DIEGO – San Diego Riptide Head Coach Mouse Davis has finalized his coaching staff for the 2004 season. Joining the coaching legend on the sidelines this season will be former Riptide player Patrick Gregory, along with first-year coaches Al Jones, Jared Hargrave and Danny Lewis.
Gregory is in his third season with the Riptide after spending the 2001 and 2002 seasons as a player/coach with the team. In 2003, he will serve as the RiptideÂ’s defensive backs coach after working previously as the teamÂ’s strength and conditioning coach.
The San Diego native played two seasons of Arena Football with the Sacramento Attack (1992) and the Miami Hooters (1993), followed by three seasons with the Birmingham Bulls of the British-American Football Association (1992-94), winning the 1994 National title. He also served as the defensive coordinator during his entire tenure with Birmingham. He has also coached defensive backs locally at University of San Diego High (1992, 94) and Patrick Henry High (1995).
Jones is in his first season with the Riptide, serving as the offensive and defensive lines coach. He played for four years at defensive end and defensive tackle for Texas A&M University from 1986-90 and was a two-time All-American. He was drafted in the 11th round by the Los Angeles Raiders and spent three years in the NFL, from 1990-93.
He began his coaching career in 1993 at Willow Ridge High School in Houston, Texas before moving on to coach at Navarro College in Corsicana, Texas for eight seasons, from 1994-2001. Before joining the Riptide staff this season he had worked with the semi-pro San Diego Saints. Jones also coaches football and track at East Lake High School.
Hargrave is also in his first season with the Riptide. He will serve as the teamÂ’s fullbacks, linebackers and special teams coach. Before coming to the Riptide, Hargrave ran various strength and conditioning programs throughout San Diego, teaching new approaches to fitness that focus on form and function over the more widely-used weight-lifting programs. Before the start of the 2004 season, Hargrave worked with players from the Riptide, teaching them his training program as the teamÂ’s strength and conditioning coach.
Hargrave, who was born in Oceanside, played four years of high school football at West High School in Bakersfield, Calif. and went on to play at Bakersfield College. He has attended training camps with several Arena Football League teams and has also played with the semi-pro San Diego Saints.
Hargrave has also has spent time working as a professional wrester on the Florida Independent Wrestling Circuit under the pseudonym, J.T. Scarface.
Lewis is in his first season with the Riptide, serving as a coachÂ’s assistant, helping out with all aspects of the team.
Prior to joining the Riptide, Lewis coached with the semi-pro San Diego Saints from 2000-03. As a player, he spent two seasons with Bishop College (Dallas, TX) and two more years with the semi-pro San Diego Storm.
Lewis also served his country for three years while a member of the United States Navy, serving in Operation Desert Storm.
The Riptide currently have 32 players in camp, with rosters needing to be cut to 19 active players by March 31. They take the field for the first time in the regular season on April 3 in Little Rock, Ark. against the Arkansas Twisters before returning home for the first time on April 9.
The ‘Tide’s home opener will feature “Junior Seau” t-shirts to the first 5,000 fans and will include a special pre-game ceremony in which Seau, himself, will be on hand to receive an honorary Riptide jersey.
To get your tickets for the April 9 game against the Green Bay Blizzard for as little as $12 each, please visit the Sports Arena box office, Ticketmaster, or call the Riptide offices at 866-RIPTIDE.
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