ARLINGTON, TX (August 18, 2026) - The United Football League and St. Louis Battlehawks are mourning the passing of Special Teams Coordinator Frank Gansz Jr., who died at the age of 64.
Gansz brought more than four decades of coaching experience to the Battlehawks and spent his career building special teams units at every level, including several prominent college programs, multiple iterations of spring football, and the NFL.
Gansz's connection to St. Louis football and Battlehawks Head Coach Ricky Proehl ran even deeper. His father, Frank Gansz Sr., served as the special teams coach for the 1999 Super Bowl champion St. Louis Rams, where Proehl was a key member of the team. More than two decades later, Gansz was back in St. Louis as part of Proehl’s first coaching staff for the Battlehawks.
But those who worked alongside Gansz knew him for much more than his résumé. He was passionate about football, teaching, and the people he coached. He approached every meeting, every practice, and every game plan with an unmistakable energy and conviction.
A four-year defensive back at The Citadel, Gansz graduated in 1985 with a bachelor's degree in history. He put that degree to use throughout his coaching career, including during his time with the Battlehawks. In morning meetings and special teams preparation, Gansz would routinely draw parallels between plays, concepts and approaches in the game plan and historic events or figures.
He believed football was built on a set of principles that extended well beyond the field. He often spoke to his players about the characteristics of a champion – remaining aggressive when facing challenges, being confident in the decisions they make, maintaining strict discipline in pursuit of their goals and, above all, demonstrating resiliency.
Those principles reflected the coach he was. His special teams units consistently excelled at creating field position and making game-changing plays, while producing some of the NFL's most dynamic and accomplished players.
Gansz's NFL career included stops as special teams coordinator with the Oakland Raiders (1998-2000), Kansas City Chiefs (2001-06), and Baltimore Ravens (2006-08) as well as the NFL Players Association.
During his tenure in Kansas City, Dante Hall earned consecutive Pro Bowl selections as a return specialist in 2002 and 2003, while becoming one of the most dangerous returners in NFL history. In 2003, the Chiefs led the NFL in both punt return average and kickoff return average, while Hall scored four special teams touchdowns and set a franchise record with 2,446 combined net return yards.
With Baltimore, his special teams group featured Pro Bowl-caliber performances from kicker Matt Stover and special teams standout Gary Stills, while rookie punter Sam Koch emerged as one of the NFL's top young specialists.
Before reaching the NFL, Gansz spent five seasons as the tight ends and special teams coach at the University of Houston from 1993-97. His units set a school record for kickoff return average in 1996 and helped Houston capture the Conference USA championship. His college coaching career also included stops at UCLA, SMU, West Point, the University of Pittsburgh, and Kansas. He also spent the 1992 season with the New York/New Jersey Knights of the World League, where the team led the league in multiple special teams categories.
For the Battlehawks, Frank Gansz Jr. was more than a coach. He was a teacher, mentor and relentless advocate for doing things the right way. His impact was felt in the meeting room, on the practice field and in the lives of the players and coaches fortunate enough to work with him.
The United Football League and St. Louis Battlehawks extend their deepest condolences to the Gansz family, his friends, former players and coaches, and the countless people throughout the football community whose lives he touched during his remarkable coaching career.
His passion, knowledge, competitiveness, and example he set will be remembered throughout the UFL and Battlehawks organization and carried forward by all those he came across.