Ron James (American football)
 James in 2017 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born: | April 28, 1964 Albany, New York |
| Career information | |
| High school: | Albany (NY) Christian Brothers Academy |
| College: | Siena |
| Undrafted: | 1986 |
| Career history | |
| As a coach: | |
| |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Head coaching record | |
| Regular season: | 70–69 (.504) |
| Postseason: | 2–4 (.333) |
| Career: | 72–73 (.497) |
Ron James (born April 28, 1964) is an arena football coach. He played college football at Siena College. He has been a football coach since 1986. He was a head coach in the Arena Football League (AFL) for the Las Vegas Gladiators from 2005 to 2006, the Utah Blaze from 2009 to 2013, the Pittsburgh Power in 2014, the Portland Steel in 2016 and the Tampa Bay Storm in 2017.
James grew up in Albany, New York, where he played football at Christian Brothers Academy. He then enrolled at Siena College, and played offensive line on the Siena Saints football team from 1982 to 1985.
College career
James accepted a scholarship offer from Siena College, where he was an All-American offensive lineman.[1]
Coaching career
After multiple stops coaching in the NCAA and assistant jobs in the Arena Football League (AFL), James was named the head coach of the Las Vegas Gladiators in 2004.[2] After a he compiled a 12–18 record, James was let go and joined the Utah Blaze staff. After Danny White resigned in 2008, James was promoted to head coach of the Blaze.[3] After the Blaze folded following the 2013 season, James was left without a job. However, following week one of the 2014 season, the Pittsburgh Power fired head coach Derek Stingley and hired James to replace Stingley.[4]
On January 30, 2016, James was hired as the new head coach and general manager of the new Portland AFL Team (as of February 3, 2016, formerly known as the Portland Thunder) replacing Andy Olson who had previously been hired to replace Mike Hohensee. The team's name was later announced as the Portland Steel. They folded after the 2016 season.
On October 25, 2016, he was named the head coach of the Tampa Bay Storm.[5] He helped the Storm to a 10–4 regular season record and a berth in ArenaBowl XXX, where they lost to the Philadelphia Soul by a score of 44–40.[6][7] The Storm, who finished with a 2–14 record in 2016, became the first team in AFL history to have a winning percentage of less than .200 in a season and then earn an ArenaBowl berth the next season. James was named the AFL Coach of the Year in 2017.[6] The Storm folded in December 2017.
In 2018, James was hired as Senior Analyst for the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League.
Head coaching record
| Team | Year | Regular season | Postseason | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Won | Lost | Win % | Finish | Won | Lost | Win % | Result | ||
| LAS | 2005 | 8 | 8 | .500 | 3rd in AC West | – | – | – | – |
| LAS | 2006 | 5 | 10 | .333 | 4th in AC West | – | – | – | – |
| LAS total | 13 | 18 | .419 | – | – | – | – | ||
| UTAH | 2010 | 1 | 8 | .111 | 3rd in NC West | – | – | – | – |
| UTAH | 2011 | 9 | 7 | .563 | 3rd in NC West | – | – | – | – |
| UTAH | 2012 | 12 | 6 | .667 | 3rd in NC West | 1 | 1 | .500 | Lost to Arizona Rattlers in Conference Championship |
| UTAH | 2013 | 7 | 11 | .389 | 4th in NC West | – | – | – | – |
| UTAH total | 29 | 32 | .475 | – | 1 | 1 | .500 | ||
| PIT | 2014 | 15 | 2 | .882 | 2nd in AC East | 0 | 1 | .000 | Lost to Orlando Predators in Conference Semifinals |
| POR | 2016 | 3 | 13 | .188 | 4th in NC | 0 | 1 | .000 | Lost to Arizona Rattlers in Conference Semifinals |
| TAM | 2017 | 10 | 4 | .714 | 2nd in AFL | 1 | 1 | .500 | Lost to Philadelphia Soul in ArenaBowl XXX |
| Total[8] | 70 | 69 | .504 | 2 | 4 | .333 | |||
References
- ^ Kyle Goon (June 1, 2012). "AFL: In all ways, Ron James leads Utah Blaze". www.sltrib.com. The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved April 25, 2014.
- ^ "Gladiators name Ron James new head coach". www.oursportscentral.com. OurSports Central. August 24, 2004. Retrieved April 25, 2014.
- ^ "Ron James Named New Head Coach Of Utah Blaze". www.ksl.com. KSL.com. July 9, 2008. Retrieved April 25, 2014.
- ^ Matt Popchock (March 29, 2014). "Arena Football League: Timing Is Everything for Pittsburgh Power and Ron James". www.bleacherreport.com. Bleacher Report, Inc. Retrieved April 25, 2014.
- ^ "Storm Names Ron James Head Coach". arenafan.com. October 25, 2016. Retrieved October 25, 2016.
- ^ a b "Tampa Bay's James Named Marcum-Moss Head Coach of the Year". arenafootball.com. August 25, 2017. Archived from the original on August 26, 2017. Retrieved August 26, 2017.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "Soul Snare Second Straight Foster Trophy in ArenaBowl XXX". arenafootball.com. Archived from the original on August 27, 2017. Retrieved August 27, 2017.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "Ron James Coaching Record". ArenaFan.com. Retrieved July 7, 2014.
External links
- 1964 births
- Living people
- American football offensive linemen
- Siena Saints football players
- Siena Saints football coaches
- St. Lawrence Saints football coaches
- Hartwick Hawks football coaches
- Kentucky Wesleyan Panthers football coaches
- Army Black Knights football coaches
- Houston Thunderbears coaches
- Las Vegas Gladiators coaches
- Utah Blaze coaches
- Pittsburgh Power coaches
- Sportspeople from Albany, New York
- Cleveland Gladiators coaches
- Tampa Bay Storm coaches
- Portland Steel coaches