http://www.kcchiefs.com/news/2006/01..._to_his_staff/
EDWARDS NAMES SIX MORE ASSISTANTS TO HIS STAFF
Jan 23, 2006, 2:56:18 PM
Chiefs head coach Herm Edwards announced on Monday that he has added six more members to his coaching staff. As per club policy, terms of the agreements were not announced. Edwards announced that Jeff Hurd (strength and conditioning), Billy Long (assistant strength and conditioning) and Darvin Wallis (defensive assistant/quality control) will all be retained. New members of the Kansas City Chiefs coaching staff include Don Blackmon (linebackers), John Matsko (offensive line) and Mike Priefer (special teams).
Blackmon comes to Kansas City as the Chiefs linebackers coach after spending the past three seasons in that same capacity in Buffalo (2003-05). Under Blackmon’s guidance, Bills LB Takeo Spikes earned his first two Pro Bowl invitations following the 2003 and 2004 seasons. Prior to joining Buffalo, Blackmon spent five seasons with Atlanta as the linebackers coach (’97-00) and defensive coordinator (2001) and was part of a Falcons staff that helped guide the club to a berth in Super Bowl XXXIII. The Pompano, Florida native also coached the linebackers for New England (’88-90), Cleveland (’91) and the N.Y. Giants (’93-96). A three-time All-Missouri Valley Conference selection at Tulsa, Blackmon was a fourth-round pick of New England in the ‘81 NFL Draft. He started 72 of 89 games the next seven seasons and was a member of the Patriots squad that faced Chicago in Super Bowl XX. He finished his career with 29.5 sacks.
Hurd enters his ninth season as the club’s head strength and conditioning coach. A Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist and a member of the National Strength and Conditioning Association, he joined the Chiefs in ‘98 after spending the previous three seasons as the assistant strength and conditioning coach for Jacksonville (’95-97). He began his coaching career as a graduate assistant strength coach in ‘84 at his alma mater of Fort Hays State. After leaving Fort Hays, Hurd served as the head strength coach for Delta State (’85-86), Western Michigan (’87-93) and Tulsa (’94), in addition to a stint as the assistant strength and conditioning coach at Clemson (’86-87) before joining the Jaguars in ‘95. Hurd was raised in Parker, Arizona and was a four-year letterman on the Fort Hays State baseball squad.
Long begins his sixth season as the Chiefs assistant strength and conditioning coach. He joined Kansas City after a nine-year stay (’92-00) at Southern University where he served as that school’s offensive line coach and the school’s strength and conditioning coach. Long also served as a longtime consultant with the St. Louis Rams. He also enjoyed a coaching stint as an offensive line coach/strength and conditioning coach at Arkansas – Pine Bluff (’87-91) after beginning his coaching tenure working with the offensive and defensive lines at Alabama State (’81-86), where he also served as strength and conditioning coach.
Matsko joins the Chiefs as the club’s offensive line coach after spending the previous seven seasons as the offensive line coach in St. Louis (’99-05). During his time with the Rams, he tutored seven-time Pro Bowl T Orlando Pace. Prior to joining the Rams he enjoyed stints as the offensive line coach for Arizona (’92-93), New Orleans (’94-96) and the N.Y. Giants (’97-98). The Mentor, Ohio native had collegiate coaching stops at Southern California (’87-91), Arizona (’86), Navy (’85), North Carolina (’78-84) and Miami (OH) in ‘77. The Kent State graduate started his coaching career at Kent State (’73) and Miami (’74-75) before serving as the head coach at Danbury HS in Lakeside-Marblehead, Ohio.
Priefer was named Kansas City’s special teams coach after spending the last three seasons as the assistant special teams coach with the N.Y. Giants (2003-05). He originally entered the NFL coaching ranks as an assistant special teams coach with Jacksonville (2002). He began his coaching career at his alma mater of the Navel Academy (’94-96) before enjoying stops at Youngstown State (’97-98), Virginia Military Institute (’99) and Northern Illinois (2000-01). Priefer was a quarterback and wide receiver on the Naval Academy’s junior varsity and lightweight teams. In addition, he flew helicopters as a Naval officer and was stationed on USS America in the Persian Gulf after the Persian Gulf War.
Wallis embarks on his 25th season as an NFL coach in 2006. A member of the Chiefs coaching staff since ‘89, Wallis’ 18-year tenure with Kansas City is the second-longest stint by an assistant coach in franchise history. Only Tom Pratt (21 years) owns more years of service with the club. Wallis also joins Pratt by holding the distinction of becoming the only other assistant coach in franchise history to serve with four different head coaches (Marty Schottenheimer, Gunther Cunningham, Dick Vermeil and Edwards). Wallis and Edwards were both members of Schottenheimer’s staff in Kansas City from ‘92-94. Prior to joining the Chiefs, Wallis spent seven seasons on Schottenheimer’s staff with the Cleveland Browns (’82-88).