Frank Gansz Jr., the son of the former Kansas City Chiefs head coach who made a name for himself as a special teams guru, died over the weekend according to multiple reports. Gansz had been the special teams coordinator for the St. Louis Battlehawks of the United Football League since February.
Gansz's NFL career included stops as special teams coordinator with the Oakland Raiders (1998-2000), Chiefs (2001-06), and Baltimore Ravens (2006-08) as well as the NFL Players Association. Louis Battlehawks mourn the passing of Frank Gansz Jr., a second-generation football lifer who carved out his own path as a respected coach, teacher, and mentor," UFL commissioner Russ Brandon said in a statement. "Frank was old school in the best sense of the word.
He was a student of the game, passionate about his craft and deeply respected by his peers and players. With a remarkable ability to bridge generations, Gansz delivered message that blended his love of history with his love of football, using lessons from the past to shape how his teams prepared for the present." Gansz attended The Citadel, where he was a four-year defensive back. He quickly followed the footsteps of his father, former Kansas City Chiefs head coach Frank Gansz Sr. — first as a graduate assistant coach at Kansas, then at Pittsburgh and Army before joining the New York/New Jersey Knights of the World League in 1992.
More news: Cowboys Super Bowl Guard, Pro Bowler Dies In 1993-97, Gansz coached tight ends and special teams at Houston. Between professional stints, he would return to college coaching special teams at both UCLA and SMU. Gansz leaves behind many star pupils at different ranks.
At UCLA, Gansz mentored kicker Kai Forbath, who won the Lou Groza Award and earned consensus first-team All-America honors. With the Chiefs, Dante Hall made consecutive Pro Bowls in 2002 and 2003 and became one of the NFL’s most dangerous return specialists. With the Ravens, Gary Stills led the NFL with 44 special teams tackles in 2006, the second most in history.
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