Post by DiamondThief on Oct 6, 2014 16:17:03 GMT -8
October 15, 2014 -- Just three weeks after being fired as head coach of the Portland Thunder, Matthew Sauk has been hired by the Los Angeles KISS as their director of player personnel.
Sauk spent one season as the expansion Thunder's head coach, going 5-13, including winning five of their last eight, and earning a trip to the playoffs. He was fired on Sept. 23.
Sauk spent six seasons as quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator for the Spokane Shock and Utah Blaze prior to being named head coach of the Thunder just about a year ago. He helped lead the Shock to the ArenaBowl XXIII championship in 2010. He also was named AFL assistant coach of the year in 2011 and 2012.
The AFL released the following statement on Sauk's hiring today:
LOS ANGELES – The LA KISS have named Matthew Sauk the team’s new Director of Player Personnel, the Arena Football League office announced today.
Sauk served as the inaugural head coach of the Portland Thunder in 2014, guiding the team to a 5-13 record and playoff berth in his lone season with the club.
“It’s an honor to have Matt come to our team,” KISS head coach Bob McMillen said. “Matt Sauk has one of the best offensive minds in Arena Football and a great knowledge of the game.”
A two-time AFL Assistant Coach of the Year, Sauk has developed a reputation for his success in developing passers. At various points in his career, he has mentored each of the past three AFL MVP selections in Nick Davila, Tommy Grady, and Erik Meyer, all of whom are quarterbacks. Nick Davila worked under Sauk with the Spokane Shock in the af2 before going on to win MVP accolades in 2011 and 2014 with the Arizona Rattlers. Grady received the honor in 2012, his second season under Sauk with the Utah Blaze. Meyer earned the award in 2013 after playing under Sauk as a rookie with the Shock in 2010 and again the following season with the Utah Blaze.
Sauk received his first AFL Assistant Coach of the Year award in 2011 after his Utah Blaze offense set Arena Football League records for passing yards (5,422), passing touchdowns (128), and passing first downs (328). Sauk’s squad proceeded to shatter those marks again the following season, rewriting the AFL record books while garnering a second consecutive Assistant Coach of the Year award. In 2012, Sauk’s unit enjoyed the most productive offensive campaign in AFL history. The group surpassed previous all-time records with 5,758 passing yards, 142 passing touchdowns, 332 passing first downs, 510 pass completions, and 753 pass attempts.
A former af2 and AFL quarterback, Sauk was a 2009 af2 Hall of Fame inductee after an eight-year playing career that saw him thrown for more than 17,000 yards and 345 touchdowns. He entered the coaching ranks in 2008 as a member of the Spokane Shock, eventually helping to guide the franchise to a victory in ArenaBowl XXIII in 2010 as the Assistant Head Coach and Offensive Coordinator.
A native of Livonia, Michigan, Sauk played collegiately at Utah State University in 1996 and 1997, where he set multiple records and still ranks among the top 10 in school history for career passing yards (5,385), completions (334), attempts (664), and total offense (5,466). As a senior, he earned second-team All-Big West honors while leading the Aggies to the Humanitarian Bowl.
Sauk served as the inaugural head coach of the Portland Thunder in 2014, guiding the team to a 5-13 record and playoff berth in his lone season with the club.
“It’s an honor to have Matt come to our team,” KISS head coach Bob McMillen said. “Matt Sauk has one of the best offensive minds in Arena Football and a great knowledge of the game.”
A two-time AFL Assistant Coach of the Year, Sauk has developed a reputation for his success in developing passers. At various points in his career, he has mentored each of the past three AFL MVP selections in Nick Davila, Tommy Grady, and Erik Meyer, all of whom are quarterbacks. Nick Davila worked under Sauk with the Spokane Shock in the af2 before going on to win MVP accolades in 2011 and 2014 with the Arizona Rattlers. Grady received the honor in 2012, his second season under Sauk with the Utah Blaze. Meyer earned the award in 2013 after playing under Sauk as a rookie with the Shock in 2010 and again the following season with the Utah Blaze.
Sauk received his first AFL Assistant Coach of the Year award in 2011 after his Utah Blaze offense set Arena Football League records for passing yards (5,422), passing touchdowns (128), and passing first downs (328). Sauk’s squad proceeded to shatter those marks again the following season, rewriting the AFL record books while garnering a second consecutive Assistant Coach of the Year award. In 2012, Sauk’s unit enjoyed the most productive offensive campaign in AFL history. The group surpassed previous all-time records with 5,758 passing yards, 142 passing touchdowns, 332 passing first downs, 510 pass completions, and 753 pass attempts.
A former af2 and AFL quarterback, Sauk was a 2009 af2 Hall of Fame inductee after an eight-year playing career that saw him thrown for more than 17,000 yards and 345 touchdowns. He entered the coaching ranks in 2008 as a member of the Spokane Shock, eventually helping to guide the franchise to a victory in ArenaBowl XXIII in 2010 as the Assistant Head Coach and Offensive Coordinator.
A native of Livonia, Michigan, Sauk played collegiately at Utah State University in 1996 and 1997, where he set multiple records and still ranks among the top 10 in school history for career passing yards (5,385), completions (334), attempts (664), and total offense (5,466). As a senior, he earned second-team All-Big West honors while leading the Aggies to the Humanitarian Bowl.
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- ANM
EDIT: Originally, on October 6, the KISS had released a press release via their facebook page stating the team had hired Sauk as its offensive coordinator rather than its director of player personnel. This thread has been edited to update the correct job title. The original thread was started in reference to the following press release, which has now been deleted from the KISS' facebook page.
Graphic courtesy of David.
