Back to the old place of work! The Hamburg Sea Devils present Charles Jones, nicknamed "Yogi", as their head coach for the upcoming season of the European League of Football. Jones completes the Sea Devils' leadership trio of Defensive Coordinator Kendral Ellison and Offensive Coordinator Kirk Heidelberg as Head Football Coach. The 61-year-old previously served as linebackers coach with the NFL Europe franchise of the same name in Hamburg in 2007. He spent the last 11 years on the sideline with the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats in the Southwestern Athletic Conference, NCAA Division I (FCS), as assistant head coach and defensive coordinator.

"Value of the European League of Football"

General Manager Max Paatz seems confident the Hanseatic team will move in the right direction under Jones. "When someone gives up a longtime leadership role in NCAA Division I to coach for us, it's a clear statement of the value of the European League of Football and European football. To have attracted someone like this to our football program makes me very happy. Yogi Jones is a proven football expert. Together with our coaching staff, I am sure he will once again turn Hamburg into a top team," explains General Manager Max Paatz in the official press release.

NFL and NFL Europe history

Jones, who grew up in Pennsylvania, played linebacker for the Dallas Cowboys in 1983 before embarking on a coaching career. He coached and interned in both the NCAA FBS and NFL, for example for the Miami Dolphins or Carolina Panthers, and was responsible for player personnel with the Cleveland Browns. In the early 2000s, he then ventured across the Atlantic ocean to continue his professional career in Europe.

Enthusiastic and with effort

Here he was able to prove his knowledge and coaching expertise not only in NFL-Europe, with the Frankfurt Galaxy and the Hamburg Sea Devils, but also in club football with Paris Flash. Together with Commissioner Patrick Esume, he won a national championship there in 2009. Since 2010, he found his home with the Wildcats in Daytona Beach, Florida. Jones will arrive in Germany next week to guide the Hamburg Sea Devils' fortunes on the field from there on. As he does so, one thing seems important to the veteran coach: "Effort!"  

More about the Sea Devils!

"Put the ball down and let's go! For my team, it won't matter where against whom or when we play. Whether we play on asphalt or grass. As long as we give our best, we will walk off the field as winners. I demand that my guys work hard and be there for each other," Jones says confidently, urging, "The offensive players will make the defensive players better and vice versa. If they work for each other, then I'm happy. Or as they say, 'iron sharpens iron.' We need to build on those fundamentals to get stronger and start a successful season."