Les Moss (American football)
{{Short description|American indoor football coach}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{Infobox NFL biography
|name= Les Moss
|image=
|caption=
|current_team= Bay Area Panthers
|position= Assistant Head coach
|number=
|high_school=Poca (WV)
|college= UCF
|birth_date=
|birth_place=
|height_ft=
|height_in=
|undraftedyear=
|pastcoaching=
- Chicago Bruisers ({{AFL Year|1988}}–{{AFL Year|1989}})
Assistant - Detroit Drive ({{AFL Year|1990}})
Assistant - Orlando Predators ({{AFL Year|1991}}–{{AFL Year|2003}})
Defensive coordinator - Orlando Rage (2001)
Tight ends coach - Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers ({{af2 Year|2004}}–{{af2 Year|2009}})
Head coach - Jacksonville Sharks ({{AFL Year|2010}}–{{AFL Year|2016}})
Head coach - Albany Empire ({{AFL Year|2018}}–{{AFL Year|2019}})
Assistant head coach - Iowa Barnstormers ({{IFL Year|2021}})
Head coach - Northern Arizona Wranglers ({{IFL Year|2022}}–{{IFL Year|2024}})
Head coach - Bay Area Panthers ({{IFL Year|2025}})
Assistant head coach
|highlights=
- 5× Arena Bowl champion ({{AFL Year|1990}}, {{AFL Year|1998}}, {{AFL Year|2000}}, {{AFL Year|2011}}, {{AFL Year|2019}})
- IFL National Champion ({{IFL Year|2022}})
- af2 Coach of the Year (2004)
- AFL Coach of the Year (2010)
- IFL Coach of the Year (2022)
|afl=
|coachregrecord= {{winpct|70|50|record=y}}
|coachplayoffrecord= {{winpct|7|4|record=y}}
|coachrecord= {{winpct|77|54|record=y}}
}}
Les Moss is an American football coach and current assistant head coach of the Bay Area Panthers in the Indoor Football League (IFL). He was the head coach of the Jacksonville Sharks of the Arena Football League (AFL) from 2010 to 2016 and the assistant head coach of the Albany Empire of the AFL from 2018 to 2019. He was the head coach of the IFL's Iowa Barnstormers for the 2021 season and the head coach of the IFL's Northern Arizona Wranglers from 2022 to 2024. He is the son of former NFL, AFL, CFL and NCAA head football coach Perry Moss, who is enshrined in the AFL Hall of Fame.
Early life
Moss grew up in Lexington, Kentucky, until he was in eighth grade when his family moved to Poca, West Virginia, where he attended Poca High School. He was a member of the football team playing offensive end.{{cite news |title=Poca's Les Moss knows how to win |url=http://www.dailymail.com/Sports/201108111047 |date=August 21, 2011 |first=Rich |last=Stevens |newspaper=Charleston Daily Mail |access-date=October 5, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130121070426/http://www.dailymail.com/Sports/201108111047 |archive-date=January 21, 2013 }}
Professional career
Moss was head coach of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers of Af2, where he was Coach of the year. In 2010, Moss was named AFL Coach of the Year after compiling a 12–4 record with the Jacksonville Sharks in their inaugural season.{{cite web |url=http://www.arenafootball.com/news/les-moss-coach-year-2010 |title=Les Moss: Coach of the Year 2010 |date=November 1, 2010 |publisher=Arena Football League |work=www.arenafootball.com |access-date=October 5, 2012 |archive-date=January 6, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120106023720/http://www.arenafootball.com/news/les-moss-coach-year-2010 |url-status=usurped }} On October 4, 2012, The Sharks announced that Moss had been re-signed through the 2014 season.{{cite news |url=http://jacksonville.com/sports/football/sharks/2012-10-04/story/jacksonville-sharks-coach-les-moss-receives-two-year |title=Jacksonville Sharks Coach Les Moss receives two-year extension |date=October 4, 2012 |first=Don|last=Coble |newspaper=The Florida Times-Union |access-date=October 5, 2012}} He was fired by the Sharks on July 18, 2016, after a 5–9 start to the season.{{cite web|url=http://jacksonville.com/sports/football/sharks/2016-07-18/story/jacksonville-sharks-fire-less-moss-only-coach-franchises |title=Jacksonville Sharks fire Les Moss, only coach in franchise's history |publisher=jacksonville.com |date=July 18, 2016 |access-date=July 18, 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160718224459/http://jacksonville.com/sports/football/sharks/2016-07-18/story/jacksonville-sharks-fire-less-moss-only-coach-franchises |archive-date=July 18, 2016 }} He was tight ends coach for the XFL's Orlando Rage.
On November 28, 2017, Moss was named the assistant head coach of the AFL 2018 expansion team, the Albany Empire.{{cite web | url=http://www.arenafan.com/news/?page=pressrel&article=13722 | title=Albany AFL Names Les Moss as Assistant Head Coach | publisher=arenafan.com | date=November 28, 2017 | access-date=November 28, 2017}} He was with the Empire in their 2019 season when they won ArenaBowl XXXII. The entire league ceased operations after that season.
In 2021, he was named the head coach of the Iowa Barnstormers of the Indoor Football League.{{cite web |url=https://www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/barnstormers-name-les-moss-as-head-coach/n-5678914 |title=Barnstormers Name Les Moss as Head Coach |website=OurSports Central |date=April 5, 2021}} The Barnstormers finished 6–6 and were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. Moss was released in September 2021.{{cite web |url=https://www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/iowa-barnstormers-part-ways-with-head-coach/n-5747093 |title=Iowa Barnstormers Part Ways with Head Coach |website=OurSports Central |date=September 17, 2021}} He was then hired by the IFL's Northern Arizona Wranglers as head coach for the 2022 season.{{Cite web |url=https://www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/northern-arizona-wranglers-name-les-moss-head-coach/n-5752599 |title=Northern Arizona Wranglers Name Les Moss Head Coach |website=OurSports Central |date=October 5, 2021}} In his first season as head coach, Moss would lead the Wranglers to a remarkable turnaround, a 12–4 record and clinching a playoff berth, just one season after the team went 1–13 in its inaugural season. The Wranglers would go on to win the 2022 IFL National Championship, defeating the Quad City Steamwheelers 47–45.{{Cite web |url=https://goifl.com/news/2022/8/15/football-northern-arizona-wranglers-win-2022-ifl-national-championship.aspx#:~:text=NORTHERN%20ARIZONA%20WRANGLERS%20WIN%202022%20IFL%20NATIONAL%20CHAMPIONSHIP,-8%2F15%2F2022&text=The%20Northern%20Arizona%20Wranglers%20are,%2D45%2C%20on%20Saturday%20night |title=Northern Arizona Wranglers Win 2022 IFL National Championship |website=Indoor Football League |date=August 15, 2022}}
On September 9, 2024, Moss was named Assistant Head Coach of the Bay Area Panthers.{{Cite web |url=https://bayareapanthers.com/news/2024/9/9/football-panthers-name-les-moss--assistant-head-coach.aspx |title=Panthers Name Les Moss as Assistant Head Coach |website=Bay Area Panthers |date=September 9, 2024}}
= AFL head coaching record =
| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%; text-align:center;" | |||||||
| rowspan=2|Team | rowspan=2|Year | colspan=4|Regular season | colspan=4|Postseason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Won | Lost | Win % | Finish | Won | Lost | Win % | Result |
| style="background:#fdd;"
! JAX || {{AFL Year|2010}} || 12 || 4 || {{winpct|12|4}} || 1st in AC South || 0 || 1 || .000 || {{small|Lost to Orlando Predators in AC First Round}} | |||||||
| style="background:#FDE910;"
! JAX || {{AFL Year|2011}} || 14 || 4 || {{winpct|14|4}} || 1st in AC South || 3 || 0 || 1.000 || {{small|ArenaBowl XXIV Champions}} | |||||||
| style="background:#fdd;"
! JAX || {{AFL Year|2012}} || 10 || 8 || {{winpct|10|8}} || 1st in AC South || 1 || 1 || .500 || {{small|Lost to Philadelphia Soul in AC Championship}} | |||||||
| style="background:#fdd;"
! JAX || {{AFL Year|2013}} || 12 || 6 || {{winpct|12|6}} || 1st in AC South || 1 || 1 || .500 || {{small|Lost to Philadelphia Soul in AC Championship}} | |||||||
| JAX || {{AFL Year|2014}}
|| 7 || 11 || {{winpct|7|11}} || 3rd in AC South || – || – || – || – | |||||||
| style="background:#fdd;"
! JAX || {{AFL Year|2015}} || 10 || 8 || {{winpct|10|8}} || 2nd in AC South || 2 || 1 || .666 || {{small|Lost to San Jose Sabercats in ArenaBowl XXVIII}} | |||||||
| JAX || {{AFL Year|2016}}
|| 5|| 9 || {{winpct|5|9}} || Fired || – || – || – || – | |||||||
| colspan=2|Total{{cite web|url=http://www.arenafan.com/history/?page=coaches&coach=85 |title=Les Moss Coaching Record |publisher=ArenaFan.com |access-date=July 7, 2014}} || 70 || 50 || {{winpct|70|50}} || || 7 || 4 || {{winpct|7|4}} || |
References
{{Reflist|30em}}
External links
- [http://www.jaxsharks.com/team/footballoperations/index.html?staff_id=1 Team bio]
{{Iowa Barnstormers}}
{{Jacksonville Sharks|state=collapsed}}
{{Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers|state=collapsed}}
{{ArenaBowl IV}}
{{ArenaBowl XII}}
{{ArenaBowl XIV}}
{{ArenaBowl XXIV}}
{{ArenaBowl XXXII}}
{{AFL COYs}}
{{IFL Coach of the Year}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Moss, Les}}
Category:UCF Knights football players
Category:Chicago Bruisers coaches
Category:Year of birth missing (living people)
Category:Players of American football from Lexington, Kentucky
Category:Players of American football from West Virginia
Category:People from Poca, West Virginia
Category:Massachusetts Marauders coaches
Category:Orlando Predators coaches
Category:Jacksonville Sharks coaches
Category:Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers coaches
Category:Albany Empire (AFL) coaches
Category:Northern Arizona Wranglers coaches