Gary Gussman

Last updated
Gary Gussman
Position: Placekicker
Personal information
Born: (1965-09-24) September 24, 1965 (age 56)
Miami, Florida
Height:5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight:180 lb (82 kg)
Career information
College: Miami (OH)
Career history
As a player:
As a coach:
As an administrator:
Career highlights and awards
Career Arena statistics
FG made:36
FG att:135
PAT made:91
PAT att:134
Tackles:7
Player stats at ArenaFan.com

Gary Gussman (born September 24, 1965) is a former American football placekicker and coach. He was the special teams coach for the Tampa Bay Storm of the Arena Football League (AFL) in 2017. He previously played four seasons in the AFL with the Denver Dynamite and Albany Firebirds. He played college football at Miami University. [1]

Contents

College career

Gussman played for the Miami RedHawks from 1984 to 1987. He was named All-MAC three consecutive seasons, including First Team and All-American honors as a senior in 1987. [2]

Professional career

Gussman played for the AFL's Denver Dynamite in 1989, earning First Team All-Arena honors. [3] He played for the Albany Firebirds of the AFL from 1990 to 1992, earning Second Team All-Arena honors in 1990. [3]

Coaching career

Gussman was the special teams coordinator of the AFL's Connecticut Coyotes in 1995. [2] He was special teams coordinator of the Houston Thunderbears of the AFL from 1998 to 2001. [2] He was special teams coordinator of the Orlando Predators of the AFL in 2002. [2] Gussman was head coach of the Rio Grande Valley Dorados of the af2 in 2004. [2] He was special teams coordinator and Director of Football Operations for the AFL's Las Vegas Gladiators from 2005 to 2006. [2] He was special teams coordinator of the New Orleans VooDoo of the AFL from 2007 to 2008. [2] Gussman was assistant head coach/special teams coordinator of the Orlando Predators of the AFL from 2010 to 2011. [2] In March 2017, Gussman was named the special teams coach for the Tampa Bay Storm of the AFL. [4]

Administrative career

Gussman was named Director of Football Operations for the New Orleans VooDoo in September 2011. [2] He was also named interim general manager of the VooDoo in August 2012. [5] He resigned in March 2013. [6]

Related Research Articles

New Orleans VooDoo Arena football team

The New Orleans VooDoo were a professional arena football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. The VooDoo were a member of the East Division of the American Conference of the Arena Football League (AFL). They played their home games in Smoothie King Center. The VooDoo were unrelated to an earlier AFL team, the New Orleans Night, who had competed in the 1991 and 1992 AFL seasons in the Louisiana Superdome.

Pat OHara American football coach and former player

Patrick O'Hara is an American football coach and former quarterback who is the quarterbacks coach for the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as the head coach of the New Orleans VooDoo, Orlando Predators and Tri-Cities Fever. O'Hara also served as an assistant coach for the Houston Texans and Tampa Bay Storm.

Mike Neu American gridiron football player and coach (born 1970)

Michael David Neu is an American football coach and former quarterback, who is the current head football coach of the Ball State Cardinals. He played college football at Ball State for Paul Schudel from 1990 to 1993 and played in the Canadian Football League (CFL) for one season and the Arena Football League (AFL) for 2 seasons from 1995 to 1997. He then served as the head coach of the af2's Augusta Stallions (2000), the AFL's Carolina Cobras (2001–2002) and the New Orleans VooDoo (2004–2008). In 2016, Neu returned to his alma mater, Ball State.

Damon Mason is a former American football defensive back.

The 2011 New Orleans VooDoo season was the fifth season for the franchise in the Arena Football League. The team was coached by Derek Stingley until his firing on June 26. Jon Norris, who coached the Bossier–Shreveport Battle Wings in 2010, stepped down from his General Manager position with New Orleans to become the team's interim head coach. The VooDoo played their home games at New Orleans Arena. This was the first season for the VooDoo since 2008, after the league went on hiatus in 2009 and the franchise was not active in 2010. The VooDoo went 3–15, missing the playoffs, and finishing with the worst record in the league.

Alvin Ray Jackson American football player (born 1980)

Alvin Ray Jackson is an American football/arena football linebacker who is currently a free agent.

Brian Zbydniewski American football player (born 1981)

Brian David Zbydniewski is a former professional American football quarterback. Zbydniewski played college football at Belhaven University after attending prep school at Choctawhatchee High School located in Fort Walton Beach, Florida. During his collegiate career, Zbydniewski set numerous single-game, season, and career passing record.

The 2013 Orlando Predators season was the 22nd season for the franchise in the Arena Football League. The team was coached by Doug Plank and played their home games at Amway Center. Despite losing their first five games, the Predators recovered enough to qualify for the playoffs. However, they were eliminated by the Philadelphia Soul by a score of 59–55 in the conference semifinals.

The 2013 New Orleans VooDoo season was the seventh season for the franchise in the Arena Football League. The team was coached by Pat O'Hara and played their first three home games at the New Orleans Arena. Due to the renovations to the arena that started immediately following the conclusion of the New Orleans Hornets season, the Voodoo played their remaining six home games at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. The VooDoo had a chance to clinch a playoff berth in their final game, but lost to finish the season with a 5–13 record.

The 2014 Tampa Bay Storm season was the 27th season for the franchise in the Arena Football League, and their 23rd in the Tampa Bay area. The team was coached by Lawrence Samuels, following his promotion from offensive coordinator. They played their home games at the Tampa Bay Times Forum. Finishing the regular season with an 8–10 record, the Storm failed to reach the playoffs for the third time in four seasons.

The 2014 Orlando Predators season was the 23rd season for the franchise in the Arena Football League. The team was coached by Rob Keefe, who was in his first season with the team. They played their home games at CFE Arena, located on the campus of the University of Central Florida, after Amway Center informed the team that they had defaulted on their lease with the arena for failing to meet attendance requirements.

The 2014 New Orleans VooDoo season was the eighth season for the franchise in the Arena Football League. The team was coached by Pat O'Hara and played their home games at the Smoothie King Center. The VooDoo finished the season 3-15 in a three way tie to be last in the league and failed to make the playoffs for a second straight season.

The 2014 San Antonio Talons season was the 14th season for the franchise, the fifth in the Arena Football League, and the third in San Antonio, Texas. The team was coached by Lee Johnson and played their home games at the Alamodome. Finishing the regular season with a 3–15 record, this was the worst season in franchise history.

Antonio Narcisse is an American football center who is currently a free agent. He played college football at Portland State. He has been a member of the New Orleans VooDoo, Cleveland Gladiators, Spokane Shock, Utah Blaze, Iowa Barnstormers, Portland Thunder, Pittsburgh Power, Jacksonville Sharks and San Jose SaberCats of the Arena Football League (AFL).

Sunungura "Gogo" Rusununguko is a former American football player who played four seasons in the Arena Football League (AFL) with the Indiana Firebirds, Colorado Crush and New Orleans VooDoo. He played college football at Ball State University and attended Franklin Central High School in Indianapolis, Indiana. He was also a member of the Las Vegas Gladiators, New York Dragons and RiverCity Rage.

Derek Cassidy American football player (born 1986)

Derek Winfield Cassidy is a former American football quarterback who played three seasons in the Arena Football League (AFL) for the New Orleans VooDoo and Pittsburgh Power. He played college football at the University of Rhode Island. He was also a member of the Columbus Lions of the Professional Indoor Football League (PIFL).

The 2015 New Orleans VooDoo season was the ninth and final season and for the franchise in the Arena Football League (AFL). The team was coached by Dean Cokinos and played their home games at the Smoothie King Center. The team finished the regular season dead last in the league at 3–14-1, with one game cancelled and regarded officially as a tie, and failed to qualify for the playoffs for a third straight season. Following the season, the AFL, which had operated the team as owners since July 15, announced that the VooDoo would cease operations effective immediately.

The 2015 Orlando Predators season was the twenty-fourth season for the franchise in the Arena Football League. The team was coached by Rob Keefe and played their home games at the Amway Center. The Predators improved to a 12-6 record and won the South division for the second straight year.

The 2015 Tampa Bay Storm season was the twenty-seventh season for the franchise in the Arena Football League. The team was coached by Lawrence Samuels and played their home games at the Amalie Arena. The Storm finished the regular season 7–11, and for the second consecutive season, failed to reach the playoffs.

Umar Muhammad from Edinburg, Texas is a former American football linebacker who played nine seasons in the Arena Football League with the Albany/Indiana Firebirds, Grand Rapids Rampage, Tampa Bay Storm, Georgia Force and New Orleans VooDoo. He played college football at the University of North Texas.

References

  1. "Gary Gussman". arenafan.com. Retrieved December 21, 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Rizzuto, Brandon (September 22, 2011). "New Orleans VooDoo Name Gary Gussman Director of Football Operations". aflvoodoo.com. Archived from the original on December 22, 2014. Retrieved December 21, 2014.
  3. 1 2 "Gary Gussman". arenafan.com. Retrieved December 21, 2014.
  4. "Storm Solidifies Coaching Staff". arenafootball.com. March 16, 2017. Retrieved March 22, 2017.
  5. Rizzuto, Brandon (August 15, 2012). "Gary Gussman Named VooDoo Interim General Manager". aflvoodoo.com. Archived from the original on December 22, 2014. Retrieved December 22, 2014.
  6. Trahan, Ken (March 12, 2013). "New-look VooDoo feature some familiar faces for 2013". sportsnola.com. Archived from the original on December 22, 2014. Retrieved December 22, 2014.