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Ron James (American football)

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Ron James
refer to caption
James in 2017
Northern Arizona Wranglers
Position:Head coach
Personal information
Born: (1964-04-28) April 28, 1964 (age 60)
Albany, New York, U.S.
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:74–77 (.490)
Postseason:2–4 (.333)
Career:76–81 (.484)

Ron James (born April 28, 1964) is an American football coach. He is the head football coach for Northern Arizona Wranglers of the Indoor Football League. He was the head coach of the Atlantic City Blackjacks of the Arena Football League (AFL) in 2019. He played college football at Siena College. He has been a football coach since 1986. Before becoming the Blackjacks' head coach for their inaugural 2019 season, James coached for the Las Vegas Gladiators from 2005 to 2006, the Utah Blaze from 2010 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

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James accepted a scholarship offer from Siena College, where he was an All-American offensive lineman.[2]

Coaching career

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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.[3] 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.[4] The Blaze folded following the 2013 season and James was hired after week one of the 2014 season by the Pittsburgh Power when they fired head coach Derek Stingley.[5] The Power folded at the end of the season.

On January 30, 2016, James was hired as the new head coach and general manager of the team that became the Portland Steel, replacing Andy Olson. The Steel folded after the 2016 season.

On October 25, 2016, he was named the head coach of the Tampa Bay Storm.[6] 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.[7][8] 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.[7] The Storm folded in December 2017.

In 2018, James was hired as a senior analyst for the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League. He returned the AFL in 2019 as the inaugural head coach of the expansion Atlantic City Blackjacks.[9]

Head coaching record[10]
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
AC 2019 4 8 .333 5th in AFL – – – –

References

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  1. ^ "Northern Arizona Wranglers Appoint Two-Time AFL Coach of the Year as New Head Coach". Northern Arizona Wranglers. September 16, 2024.
  2. ^ 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.
  3. ^ "Gladiators name Ron James new head coach". www.oursportscentral.com. OurSports Central. August 24, 2004. Retrieved April 25, 2014.
  4. ^ "Ron James Named New Head Coach Of Utah Blaze". www.ksl.com. KSL.com. July 9, 2008. Retrieved April 25, 2014.
  5. ^ 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.James led the Power to a 15-3 record.
  6. ^ "Storm Names Ron James Head Coach". arenafan.com. October 25, 2016. Retrieved October 25, 2016.
  7. ^ 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}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  8. ^ "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}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  9. ^ "Atlantic City AFL Team Announces Head Coach, Coaching Staff". OurSportsCentral.com. January 31, 2019.
  10. ^ "Ron James Coaching Record". ArenaFan.com. Retrieved July 7, 2014.
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