Frank Gansz Jr., a respected special teams coach with more than three decades of experience across the NFL, college football, and spring leagues, died over the weekend, according to multiple reports from the coaching community.
Gansz, known to many as “Frankie,” most recently served as special teams coordinator for the St. Louis Battlehawks during the 2026 UFL season. The Battlehawks finished 6-4 and reached the semifinals under head coach Ricky Proehl.
He was the son of Frank Gansz Sr., the longtime NFL special teams coach and former Kansas City Chiefs head coach who was widely regarded as one of the best in the profession and who won a Super Bowl with the St. Louis Rams.
A four-year defensive back at The Citadel who graduated with a degree in history in 1985, Gansz Jr. built a lengthy coaching résumé that began as a graduate assistant at Kansas in 1987. He later coached at Pittsburgh, Army, Houston, UCLA (2008-10), and SMU, among other stops.
In the NFL, he spent nine seasons as a special teams coach or coordinator with the Oakland Raiders (1998-99), Kansas City Chiefs (2001-05), and Baltimore Ravens (2006-07). During his time in Kansas City, his units ranked among the league’s most productive, helping return specialist Dante Hall earn Pro Bowl honors and producing one of the most dynamic special teams groups of the era. In 2003, the Chiefs led the NFL in both punt return and kickoff return average.
Gansz also coached in the CFL with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats (2018) and in spring football with the Tampa Bay Vipers (XFL, 2020), Tampa Bay Bandits (USFL, 2022), and Memphis Showboats (USFL, 2023).
Northeastern State head coach Darrin Chiaverini, who worked as Gansz’s assistant at UCLA in 2009, shared a heartfelt tribute: “One of my coaching mentors and friend Frank Gansz Jr passed away over the weekend. ‘Frankie’ was one of the best coaches and teachers I have been around in my career… He taught you about more than football…he taught you about life! I will forever miss you ‘Frankie’… Rest in paradise.”
Others in the coaching and football community, including those who crossed paths with him at Houston, in the UFL, and across the NFL, have expressed similar sentiments, remembering his energy, teaching ability, and passion for the game.
FootballScoop extends its deepest condolences to the Gansz family, friends, former players, and colleagues.