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Jim Lyall
Head Coach
jlyall@sienaheights.edu
Jim Lyall will begin the football tradition at Siena Heights University as its first head coach. He has more than 36 years of collegiate coaching experience, including the last 20 as a head coach.
Lyall was the head coach of NCAA Division III Adrian from 1990-2009, compiling a record of 99-91, including a 55-25 stretch during his final eight seasons. In 1997, his Bulldogs won a Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association Championship.
Lyall has coached nearly 60 all-conference performers, five academic All-Americans and three NCAA Division III All-Americans. Four of his former players have moved on to play football at the professional level.
The Cleveland, Ohio, native was a defensive lineman for four seasons (1970-73) at the University of Michigan. He played for legendary coach Bo Schembechler. During that time, the Wolverines won three Big Ten Conference titles and had a record of 31-1-1 – their only loss coming in a 13-12 Rose Bowl defeat to Stanford on New Year’s Day, 1972. As a senior, Lyall was awarded the “Champion of the Year” award by the Michigan coaching staff.
Lyall also worked for 15 years as a special education teacher in adapted physical education and was named the 1989 “Teacher of the Year” by the Lenawee County Intermediate School District. He was also awarded the “Volunteer of the Year” award by the Lenawee County Special Olympics and has served as the director of the Special Olympics in Lenawee and Monroe counties.
Lyall and his wife, Laurie, have two grown sons, Michael and Patrick.
They Said It:
“In a relationship that stretches back several decades, I have known Coach Lyall as a quality man with integrity and values. He is a coach that enjoys football and the relationships created through the game. Jim is a great part of the Michigan athletic family and I would enjoy my sons being coached by him.” – Les Miles (Former Michigan teammate and Louisiana State Head Coach)
“While at Michigan, Jim Lyall was a player who never missed a meeting, never missed a practice and spent little or no time in the training room. Jim was a coach’s dream because his motto was the same as mine... ‘The Team, The Team, The Team!’ ” – Bo Schembechler (Former Michigan Head Coach)
Jeff Hancock
Offensive Coordinator/Recruiting Coordinator
jhancock@sienaheights.edu
Jeff Hancock begins his first season as offensive coordinator and recruiting coordinator for Siena Heights University. He served four years as an assistant coach at Adrian – the last three as offensive coordinator. During that time, his offenses averaged nearly 30 points per game, and in 2008, averaged more than 230 rushing yards.
Hancock previously served as an assistant coach at Grand Valley State, which he helped to a NCAA Division II championship in 2005. He also served as an assistant coach at Saint Mary’s (Kan.), Lane (Tenn.), New Mexico Military, Louisiana Tech, Eastern Michigan and Highland Community College (Kan.) before joining Lyall at Adrian in 2006.
Known as a teacher and innovator on the fundamentals of offensive football, he has written articles for “Gridiron Strategies” and “American Football Monthly” magazines. Hancock has a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Eastern Michigan University and a master’s degree in exercise science from Louisiana Tech University.
Hancock and his wife, Leigh, reside in Onsted with their two sons, Jonah and Landry.
He Said It:
“I met Jeff Hancock several years ago at the Michigan football camp, and I could tell at the time he was an extremely bright young coach. He was very innovative. I hired him as my offensive coordinator four years ago and his offenses have been very wide open. They’ve scored close to 30 points every game, and he’s had a great mix of being able to run football as well as throw it. The biggest thing is I’ve seen how our players have bought into what he’s doing. He teaches football and why we do things. Not just how, but why. It opens players’ eyes. He’s been a great teacher, and his offenses have produced on a consistent basis.” – Jim Lyall (Siena Heights Head Coach)
Matt Kohn
Co-Defensive Coordinator/Linebacker Coach
Matt Kohn will join the Saints as Co-Defensive Coordinator and Linebacker Coach. It will be his first season coaching on the defensive side.
Kohn previously served as an assistant coach at the University of Indianapolis where he was the assistant offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.
Kohn was a three-year starter at quarterback for Indianapolis. A two-time captain, he still holds the NCAA Division II record for passing yards in one game (652). During his junior season, Kohn was a finalist for the Harlon Hill Trophy, which honors the D-II Player of the Year.
After his collegiate career, Kohn spent three seasons playing in the Arena Football League with the Nashville Kats, Kansas City Brigade and Orlando Predators. Upon completion of his playing career, Kohn spent the past year and a half as a recruiter and account executive for Aerotek Inc. in Indianapolis.
A native of Adrian, Kohn graduated from Adrian High School and received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Indianapolis with a double-major in business management and marketing.
Ron Shiels
Co-Defensive Coordinator/Defensive Back Coach/Strength and Conditioning Coach
Ron Shiels joins the Saints as Co-Defensive Coordinator, Defensive Back and Strength and Conditioning Coach.
Prior to joining Siena Heights, Shiels coached for six seasons as an assistant coach for his alma mater, Adrian. While there, he coached the outside linebackers and defensive backs.
Shiels helped mentor First Team All-League selections in four of his six seasons at Adrian.
As a player, Shiels was a team captain and two-time defensive MVP while playing defensive back at Adrian (2000-03). He was a three-time All-MIAA performer.
A native of Britton, Mich., Shiels played his prep football at Britton-Macon High School. He is single and resides in Ann Arbor.
Mike McGee
Wide Receiver Coach
Michael McGee accepted a position to coach on the offensive side of the ball for Siena Heights University. He will be the wide receiver coach.
As a student-athlete, McGee was a four-year starting quarterback for Adrian. In 2010, he set single-season school records in completions (183), passing yards (2,302) and touchdowns (19). That season he was also was honored as an All-MIAA Second Team player. McGee also broke career records for passing attempts (815), completions (494), passing yards (6,643), touchdowns (49) and completion percentage (60.6) while at Adrian.
A native of Columbus, Ohio, McGee played his prep career at Columbus Brookhaven High School where he won a state championship in 2004. McGee received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Adrian College while majoring in business administration.
Michael Lyall
Defensive Line Coach
Michael Lyall has been named defensive line coach for the Siena Heights University football team.
Lyall has four years of coaching experience under his belt at both the college and middle school levels. In 2005, he was a defensive line assistant for his alma mater, Adrian, before serving as an offensive line assistant for Saint Mary (Kan.).
During the past two years, he was a coach for Adrian Middle School, working as the defensive coordinator in 2007 and as the offensive coordinator in 2008.
While playing at Adrian, he was a three-year starter and a two-time All-MIAA honoree at left tackle. He graduated in 2005 with a bachelor’s degree in exercise science.
Jason Mensing
Offensive Line Coach/Assistant Coordinator of Offense
Jason Mensing will be the assistant coordinator of offense for the Saints. He will work primarily with the offensive linemen.
Mensing started his coaching career as an offensive line coach at his alma mater, Adrian. Mensing was a two-time Academic All-American center while playing three seasons (1997-99) under Coach Jim Lyall. Mensing then helped coach Adrian’s offensive line through the 2000 season.
Mensing also was an intern for the University of Michigan in 1999 and worked under Coach Mike Gittleson before moving onto the high school ranks. He has coached four high school teams.
In 2001, Mensing became a teacher and assistant coach at Addison High School before rising into the head coaching ranks when he was named Lenawee County Coach of the Year in 2002.
Mensing then took the head coach job at Grayling High School and turned around a program that compiled a 1-27 record in its previous three seasons. In his only year, he guided Grayling to an 8-3 slate and was honored as the Associated Press Class B Coach of the Year in Michigan.
From 2004-06, Mensing was head coach at Owosso High School before taking the head coach job at alma mater Tecumseh High School.
In his first season at Tecumseh, he guided the squad to a 6-4 record – a turnaround from a 2-16 combined record from the prior two seasons. Once again, Mensing was named Lenawee County Coach of the Year.
Coach Mensing resides in Tecumseh where he is a Physical Education teacher. He and his wife, Angel, have two sons: Case (7) and Bo (4).
Jim Hamilton
Tight End Coach
Jim Hamilton will serve as the Tight End Coach for the Siena Heights football team after having coached in the same capacity for the last three years at Adrian.
Prior to that, Hamilton coached at Madison High School for 25 years, including 20 as head coach. He was named MHSFCA Regional Coach of the Year in 1993 and later coached future NCAA Division III all-time leading tackler, Tavarski Wallace.
Hamilton currently works as a Physical Education and Health Teacher and serves as the Assistant Athletic Director at Madison High School. His wife Kate and their three children – Samantha, Alex and Sydney – reside in Adrian.
Dr. Michael Dawson
Defensive End Coach
Dr. Michael Dawson will begin his coaching career as the Defensive End Coach for Siena Heights University after having spent many successful years running his own practice as an orthopedic surgeon in Adrian. He also served as the Adrian Maples football team doctor for 25 years.
Dawson is no stranger to the game of football, having excelled as a player in high school and college. As a fullback and linebacker, he was an All-State/All-Conference/All-Area star in Illinois during his senior year in high school.
Dawson was recruited by Tennessee, Dartmouth, Cornell, Pittsburgh, Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, Washington and Vanderbilt. He chose to play at Vanderbilt where he was a two-way star and played under then-assistant coach Buddy Ryan.
As a student-athlete, Dawson was able to shine on the field and in the classroom. After earning his degree at Vanderbilt, he went on to Michigan to get his Medical Degree.
Everyone who knows Dr. Dawson knows he is a fierce competitor and will look to share his techniques, values, and knowledge to the student-athletes at Siena Heights.
Dawson lives in Adrian with his step-son, Jay Nicols.
Phil Lawrence
Defensive Assistant Coach
Phil Lawrence has joined the Siena Heights football team as a defensive assistant coach. He spent the last 16 years as an assistant for Adrian’s football and baseball teams.
Lawrence has served as a head football coach for Hudson High School (11 years) and as an assistant for Adrian (16 years) while serving in multiple roles as a baseball coach for 28 years.
During his stint as the coach at Hudson, Lawrence guided his teams to three league championships and two state playoff appearances. He was named Lenawee County Football Coach of the Year three times and was once an MHSFCA Regional Coach of the Year one time.
Lawrence has a master’s degree in Athletic Administration and teaches in the Hudson Area School District. He is also a Vietnam Veteran, having served 3 1/2 years in the U.S. Navy as a Medical Corpsman.
Phil and his wife Rebecca reside in Onsted and have two children (Jason and Beth) and two grandchildren (Isabelle and Johnathan).
Alan Schmidt
Offensive Back Coach
Alan Schmidt has joined the Saints as an Offensive Back Coach.
Schmidt began his coaching career in 1999 at his alma mater, Tecumseh High School. In his five years at Tecumseh, he filled several roles, starting as a Defensive Back and Quarterback Coach. He also held roles as the Junior Varsity Head Coach, Running Back Coach and Linebacker Coach while helping the Indians to three consecutive playoff seasons.
From 2004-2010, Schmidt was the Defensive Coordinator and Running Back Coach at Onsted High School. In his seven years with the Wildcats, the team compiled a 55-16 record. Onstead made six consecutive playoff appearances and won two league titles and a district championship.
Schmidt earned a bachelor’s degree in Biology and Secondary Education from Eastern Michigan in 2001. In 2007, he was awarded a master’s degree in Education from Michigan State in 2007.
Coach Schmidt currently resides in Tecumseh where he is a science teacher within the Tecumseh Public School district. He and wife Kim have three daughters: Evelyn, Kathryn and Clare.
Anathan Gibson
Running Back Coach
hypeman32@gmail.com
Anathan Gibson has joined the Saints as a Running Back Coach.
Gibson began his coaching career as a student assistant at his alma mater, Newberry, in Newberry S.C. He was in charge of the defensive backs.
In 2007 and 2008, Gibson was a Running Back Coach at Adrian and then coached at Newberry until 2010 as a Defensive Back Coach. While at Newberry, he coached defensive back Ron Parker, who is currently on the Seattle Seahawks’ active roster. Gibson also coached defensive back Kamaal McIlwain, who is on the New Orleans Saints' practice squad.
Gibson is a 2006 graduate of Newberry, where he played at five different positions. Prior to playing for the Wolves, he attended school at Jones County Community College in Ellisville, Miss., and Dodge City Community College in Dodge City, Kan.
Nate Biringer
Defensive Back Coach
Nate Biringer will be the Defensive Backs Coach for the Siena Heights Saints.
Biringer played collegiately at Adrian College from 1999-2002. He was selected as the team’s Defensive Back MVP following his junior year in 2001 and was elected as a captain by teammates prior to his senior year in 2002. Biringer also served as a graduate assistant with Adrian in 2003.
Nate resides in Adrian with his wife, Dyan, who is an Adjunct Professor in the Mathematics Department at Siena Heights. Nate earned a bachelor’s degree in history from Adrian. He has been employed with Panera Bread since June 2004.
Biringer played his prep football at St. Clair High School, where he also excelled at baseball. He has also worked as an assistant baseball coach at Onsted High School for the past three seasons.
Stan Parrish
Quarterback Coach
Stan Parrish is the Siena Heights volunteer quarterbacks coach. He is a former collegiate head coach, and National Football League quarterbacks coach.
Parrish spent the past two seasons as the head coach for Ball State (Ind.). He has also been a head coach for Wabash (Ind.), where he went 42-3-1 from 1978-82, Marshall, W. Va., (1984-85) and Kansas State (1986-88).
Collegiate assistant coach stints include Purdue, Ind., (1975-76), Wabash (1977), Rutgers, N.J., (1990-95), Michigan (1996-01) and Ball State (2005-08).
In 2002-03, he was the quarterbacks coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers – an experience that culminated with a Super Bowl XXXVII win over the Oakland Raiders.
Prior to joining the Buccaneers, Parrish was an assistant coach at Michigan, where he worked with future NFL quarterbacks Tom Brady, Brian Griese, Drew Henson and John Navarre.
Robert Thornbladh
Outside Linebacker Coach
Robert Thornbladh begins his collegiate coaching career as the outside linebacker coach for Siena Heights.
Coach Thornbladh attended Fork Union Military Academy immediately after high school to play football in 2005. He started all 15 games with playing time at inside linebacker and fullback.
Following prep school, Thornbladh was recruited at fullback as a preferred walk-on at the University of Michigan. For two seasons, he was coached by Lloyd Carr. Thornbladh did not see any game action while at Michigan.
After playing football, Thornbladh stayed involved by coaching at the high school level. For the past four years, he has coached for Ypsilanti Lincoln High School at all levels. He was the Defensive Coordinator for the freshman/junior varsity levels and has coached inside linebackers for the varsity.
Robert, who resides in Ann Arbor, earned a bachelor’s degree in General Studies from the University of Michigan. Thornbladh played his prep football at Ann Arbor Pioneer, where he was an all-state player in football, hockey and lacrosse.
Brad Czerniak
Offensive Assistant
Brad Czerniak is an assistant coach for the Siena Heights offense. He is a graduate of Central Catholic High School in Toledo, Ohio, where he was a member of the 2006 Division 2 Ohio State Champions.
Czerniak played college football for Coach Jim Lyall at Adrian and earned three varsity letters. He currently attends Siena Heights University and resides in Adrian.