| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1938-11-22)November 22, 1938 Altoona, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | April 27, 2009(2009-04-27) (aged 70) Dallas, Texas, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| 1957–1959 | Navy |
| Position(s) | Center,linebacker |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1964–1966 | Air Force (assistant) |
| 1968 | Colgate (assistant) |
| 1969–1972 | Navy (assistant) |
| 1973 | Oklahoma State (WR) |
| 1974 | Army (OC) |
| 1975 | Oklahoma State (WR) |
| 1976–1977 | UCLA (OL) |
| 1978 | San Francisco 49ers (TE/ST) |
| 1979–1980 | Cincinnati Bengals (TE/ST) |
| 1981–1982 | Kansas City Chiefs (TE/ST) |
| 1983–1985 | Philadelphia Eagles (TE/ST) |
| 1986 | Kansas City Chiefs (ST) |
| 1987–1988 | Kansas City Chiefs |
| 1989–1993 | Detroit Lions (ST) |
| 1994–1996 | Atlanta Falcons (OC) |
| 1997–1999 | St. Louis Rams (ST) |
| 2000–2001 | Jacksonville Jaguars (ST) |
| 2008 | SMU (ST) |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 8–22–1 |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Awards | |
| 2× NFL Special Teams Coach of the Year (1989, 1999) | |
Frank Gansz (November 22, 1938 – April 27, 2009) was anAmerican football coach whose career spanned nearly 40 years. He served as the head coach for theKansas City Chiefs of theNational Football League (NFL) from 1987 to 1988, compiling a record of 8–22–1.
A native ofAltoona, Pennsylvania, Gansz graduated in 1960 from theUnited States Naval Academy, where he playedcollege football as acenter andlinebacker.[1][2] Gansz then served three years at theAir Force Academy inColorado Springs, Colorado before spending seven months atContinental Airlines.
He served as a head freshman football coach at Colgate in 1968 before returning to Navy the following year as an assistant coach and football recruiting coordinator.
At the college level, Gansz served as an assistant atColgate,Oklahoma State,SMU,Army,UCLA, andAir Force, as well as his alma mater,Navy, where he was assistant coach and football recruiting coordinator from 1969 to 1972.
On February 20, 2008, Gansz came out of retirement to join SMU as its special teams coach under head coachJune Jones, with whom he had worked in Atlanta and Detroit.
In January 1986, Gansz was named assistant head coach and special teams coach for theKansas City Chiefs. He took over ashead coach of the Chiefs in January 1987 afterJohn Mackovic was fired. In his first year, a strike-shortened season, he finished 4–11. Despite this, he was kept on as coach for the 1988 season. They proceeded to go 4–11–1, with likely the most noted moment being the suspension of backPaul Palmer for violating team policy, which came after he reportedly said he would threaten to fumble on purpose.[3] In January 1989, Gansz was fired and replaced byMarty Schottenheimer.
Once called "the best special teams coach ever" by former NFL head coachDick Vermeil, Gansz twice earned special teams coach of the year honors, including 1999 when he helped theSt. Louis Rams to a Super Bowl victory.
He retired as an NFL coach in 2001 after coaching in the league for 24 seasons, including stops inSan Francisco,Cincinnati,Philadelphia,Detroit,Atlanta andJacksonville.
Gansz was inducted into the Western Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame in 1999. In 2009, theUnited States Naval Academy andSouthern Methodist University jointly created theGansz Trophy which is to be awarded to the winner of any football game between the two institutions. Navy won the first four trophies, winning from 2009 to 2011 and again in 2015. The teams played every year from 2015 until 2023 as members of theAmerican Athletic Conference. In 2024, Southern Methodist University joined theAtlantic Coast Conference.[4][5]
After retirement, he lived inAtlanta, Georgia, with his wife Barbara, though he continued to speak at colleges and clinics around the country. Gansz died inDallas on April 27, 2009, from complications followingknee replacement surgery. He is interred at theUnited States Naval Academy Cemetery inAnnapolis, Maryland. Gansz's son, Frank Jr., is the Tight Ends/Special Teams Coach for the USFL'sTampa Bay Bandits and was a special teams coach with theSMU Mustangs.
| Team | Year | Regular Season | Postseason | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Won | Lost | Ties | Win % | Finish | Won | Lost | Win % | Result | ||
| KC | 1987 | 4 | 11 | 0 | .267 | 5th in AFC West | – | – | – | – |
| KC | 1988 | 4 | 11 | 1 | .281 | 5th in AFC West | – | – | – | – |
| KC Total | 8 | 22 | 1 | .274 | – | – | – | |||
| Total | 8 | 22 | 1 | .274 | ||||||