KENNY STILLS
Kenneth L. Stills, Retired NFL Player, Football Coach and Scout. Ken has a
wealth of coaching and scouting experience having coach and scouted at the
High School, Junior College, College, Indoor and Professional ranks over the
past seventeen seasons. His most recent position was Head Football Coach at
IMG Academy.
Before joining the Ascenders he was Director of Football Operations for the
upstart Omaha Nighthawks of the UFL. Ken also worked with The United Indoor
football league. He was the Assistant General Manager of the Omaha Beef in
2010 and the Head Coach of the River City Rage in 2009. The Rage finished
their season as the Eastern Conference Champions.
Prior to working in the UIF Ken was the Defensive Backs Coach for National
Football League Europe, Frankfurt Galaxy between 2003-2007. His team won
the World Bowl Championship in 2003 & 2006. They also were World Bowl
participants in 2004 & 2007.
Ken is from Oceanside, California where he prepped at El Camino HS (1977-81);
played two years at El Camino Jr. College (1981-83); and finished his collegiate
career at Wisconsin (1983-85) where he was an All-Big Ten performer. He was
an 8th round draft pick by the Green Bay Packers in 1985, and played in their
organization until 1990. He played his last two seasons in the NFL with
Minnesota Vikings (1990-91). Ken is married and has four children, Clare, Ken
Jr, Lawson and Preston.
MARTY FINE
Marty Fine has a 20 year college coaching career with 105 wins.
Fine came most recently from NMHU and prior to that Bryant University – where he started at in 2004. In his first season he posted a .500 record, but everyone around the program saw the direction he was taking the team. Being an assistant coach at Iowa State University, he brought the drive and expectations of a Division I program with him. During the next two seasons under Fine the team posted 7-3, and a 8-3 records (0-1 in playoffs).
Under Fine, Bryant brought in many Division I transfers the most notable is Lorenzo Perry, a transfer from UMass Amherst. Perry in just two years broke almost all the rushing records at the university. He was also a finalist in the Harlen Hill Award, the Heisman Trophy for Division II, and while he did not win it, he did make the NCAA All-American Team.
The biggest move in the Fine era was the move to Division I. Under coach Fine they had three consecutive winning seasons before the move to Division I. The team also had its longest win streak at seven straight. All these accomplishments set the team up perfectly for the transition. In 2008 the team began to give its first scholarships and began play in the top division of college athletics.
In 2009, Bryant joined the Northeast Conference and in the first year coach Fine went 5-6 overall and 4-4 in conference. From 2010-2016, Fine went 41-37 overall and 27-21 in the Northeast Conference.
GREG QUICK
Greg Quick was promoted to Defensive Line Coach in September 2021 after rejoining the team in February 2021. He then helped the Alouettes lead the CFL with 49 quarterback sacks
With 40 years of experience in football in the CFL and the NCAA, Quick will be making his third stop with the Alouettes after coaching the linbackers in 2014, as well as in 2016-17. This time, he will take on the role of Defensive and Special Teams Assistant.
The 64-year-old was most recently the CFL’s Director of Global Scouting. Prior to that, he made stops in Regina where he was the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ Defensive Coordinator in 2015, as well as in Toronto where he was the Argonauts’ Linebackers Coach in 2010-11 and 2018.
ROMBY BRYANT
Romby Bryant (born December 21, 1979) is a former Canadian football wide receiver. Bryant spent the majority of his professional career playing for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League. He was signed by the Arizona Cardinals as an undrafted free agent in 2004. He played college football at Tulsa. He graduated from Western Heights High School in Oklahoma City in 1999.
Bryant was also a member of the Atlanta Falcons, Baltimore Ravens, and Toronto Argonauts.
PERRY KEMP
Commodore Perry Kemp (born December 31, 1961) is a former American football wide receiver. He began his professional career with the Jacksonville Bulls of the United States Football League. He then played for the Cleveland Browns and Green Bay Packers of the NFL. He played college football at the California University of Pennsylvania.
Kemp started his pro career with the Jacksonville Bulls of the USFL who were coached by Lindy Infante in 1985. He was on the Dallas Cowboys roster in the 1986 season but did not play. He then followed Infante to the Cleveland Browns in 1987. He then moved with Infante to the Green Bay Packers in 1988.
NAKIA CODIE
Nakia Yarbrough Codie (born January 20, 1977) is a former American football defensive back who played one season with the Detroit Lions and 3 with the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League. He played college football at Baylor University and attended Cleburne High School in Cleburne, Texas.
RICHARD GILLIAM
Wide Receiver Coach
CHRIS FIELDS
Chris Fields enters his first season as the Defensive Backs coach for the Saint Mary Football Team.
Fields is Originally from Baton Rouge, La. Chris played football cornerback at Saint Mary from 2014-17. Coach Fields also ran the 60m and 200m dash for the indoor Track & Field team at Saint Mary.
Fields began his coaching career coaching Defensive Backs and was the JV Defensive Coordinator at JC Harmon High School in 2017. Chris had two all conference defensive backs at JC Harmon. In 2018, Fields interned at Independence Community College as the Assistant Wide Receiver coach, transportation coordinator, Assistant equipment manager and Dorm coordinator. From 2018-2019, he coached defensive backs at Southern Laboratory School in Baton Rouge, La., helped coach and mentor one All-State Defensive Back and two All-District Defensive backs. During the 2019 season, Fields taught at South Garland HS in Garland, Texas where he coached an All-League Cornerback selection as the Cornerback coach. Fields also coached Sprinters for the Boys and Girls Track & Field Team at South.
Fields has coached several bowl games for High School All-Americans and college athletes during his coaching career including the O-D Bowl game.
Fields holds a Bachelor degree in Political Science Sport with a Minor in History, and is currently earning his Masters in Education.
GARY HOWARD
Gary Howard joins the Benedict College football staff as the Defensive Line Coach. Coach Howard comes to Benedict after spending the past five seasons coaching the defensive line at Alabama State University under head coach Donald Hill-Eley.
At Alabama State, he helped the Hornets defense hold opponents to 140.8 yards rushing and 184.8 yards passing, while also helping a defense hold opponents to 17 points or less twice in just five games.
As a college football player, Howard lettered in football at Alabama State after transferring to Montgomery from Phoenix Junior College. Howard played in nine games on the defensive line in 2016, and 11 games on the defensive line in 2015.
A native of Houston, Texas, Howard graduated from Alabama State University with a bachelor’s degree in communications (public relations), and a master’s degree in Applied Technology. Coach Howard also has an associate’s degree in general studies.
Howard has a 4-year old daughter, Zoie Isabella Howard.
LUCAS GOVEN
Lucas Govan will serve as the offensive line coach for the Humboldt State football team after spending the 2017 season as a volunteer assistant.
Lucas Govan is no stranger to Humboldt State fans as he played for the Jacks from 2012-16. During his Lumberjack career, he was a two-time unanimous All-GNAC First Team selection. Govan also received All-Super Region 3 and Don Hansen Honorable Mention All-American honors following his junior campaign. In 2016, Govan was a Preseason All-American selection and Instantscouting.com First Team All-American.
He played high school football at Carmel High and was a two-time Salinas Californian All-League selection and received All-State Division IV Cal-Hi Sports recognition. Govan also coached the offensive line at Carmel High from 2013-16.
CHASEN GEMPELER
Chasen Gempeler enters his first season at Graceland as the Running Backs Coach.
Gempeler comes to Graceland from Shadow Mountain High School, located in Phoenix, AZ, where he was the Offensive Coordinator and worked with the quarterbacks.
Prior to Shadow Mountain High School, Gempeler played overseas for the Ritterhuge Badgers in Bremen, Germany. There he also coached youth and adult football teams, while starting at quarterback for the Badgers.
Gempeler’s collegiate playing career began at College of the Redwoods where he played quarterback. He then attended Kansas Wesleyan where he was a quarterback and eventually a coach under then Head Coach, Matt Drinkall (currently Army TE Coach). Gempeler went on to play professionally in Germany.
A native of Murrieta, California, Gempeler earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Sports Management from Kansas Wesleyan in 2019.
