In his first season as Las Vegas Head Coach, Former NFL Coach of the Year Jim Fassel successfully led the Locos to their first UFL Championship title.  Under his guidance, the Locos went 5-2 in the "Premiere" season. 

As head coach of the New York Giants, Fassel resurrected the career of Kerry Collins and received acclaim for his playoff guarantee in the 2000 season, during which he led the Giants to an improbable Super Bowl appearance.  Fassel has a long record of offensive successes and has tutored other prominent quarterbacks including Phil Simms, Boomer Esiason, Jeff Hoestetler and John Elway.  Prior to becoming the Giants head coach, Fassel was the team’s offensive coordinator and served in the same capacity with the Arizona Cardinals, Denver Broncos and Oakland Raiders.  Fassel was also the offensive coordinator to the Baltimore Ravens for the 2004 and 2005 seasons.  He began his coaching career as an offensive coordinator at the University of Utah and Stanford University before being elevated to head coach at the University of Utah.

Quarterback development and high scoring offenses are innate to Fassel who played quarterback at USC and later transferred to Long Beach State.  He was drafted in the 7th round by the Chicago Bears in the 1972 NFL Draft.   Fassel also played with the San Diego Chargers, Houston Oilers and the Hawaiians of the WFL.

Fassel took a break from coaching when he was hired as color commentator on NFL Sunday Night Game broadcasts for the Westwood One Radio Network and also served as a color analyst on ESPN.  The recipient of numerous awards including the 2000 NFL Coach of the Year by the Sporting News, NJ Sports Writers Association and the Victor Awards Pro Football Coach of the Year, Fassel has also been honored for his work off of the field.  He received the Catholic Big Brothers of the Year Award (1998), the Fresh Air Fund Man of the Year (1999) and the Long Beach State University Distinguished Alumnus Award (2001).  The proud father four boys and one girl, in 2001, Fassel was presented the National Father’s Day Father of the Year Award.

Isaac Carter joins the Las Vegas Locomotives as Defensive Backs Coach.  A former defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach at Colorado College, Carter brings a diversified background and unique leaderships skills having coached in high school, Division II and Ivy League.

Prior to his time in Colorado, Carter served as an assistant defensive backs coach and assistant special teams coach at Princeton University where the Tigers ranked No. 1 in pass defense and won the Ivy League title. Carter worked primarily with the cornerbacks, including J.J. Artis of the New York AFL team, and four of his players earned first-team Ivy League honors.

While an assistant coach at New Mexico Highlands, Carter coordinated the pass defense and coached the defensive backs, special teams and supervised the Cowboys’ strength and conditioning program. The Cowboy’s ranked No. 1 nationally in kickoff returns in 2004 and led the RMAC in blocking punts in 2003 and 2004.  Carter has also worked as head football coach, head track & field coach and director of athletics at Summit Christian School in West Palm Beach, Fla.

Carter earned his master’s degree in sports administration from NMHU in 2006 and a bachelor’s in human performance and sport in 2004. During that time, he was a four-time all-Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference selection.

Carter and his wife, Nicole, have a daughter, Anaya.

Donald Eck joins the Las Vegas Locomotives as Offensive Line Coach.  He is reunited with Coach Jim Fassel where he first served as Fassel's graduate assistant and then offensive line coach at the University of Utah.

This past season, Eck served as Offensive Line Coach at Weber State University.  Prior to Weber State, Eck spent five seasons coaching in NFL Europe with the Rhein Fire and Berlin Thunder.  While in Berlin, the 2004 Thunder team posted a 9-1 record and won the World Bowl with Eck acting as both offensive coordinator and offensive line coach.  Under Eck's direction, the Thunder had the top offensive team in almost every category.  Eck began his NFL Europe career in 2003 with the Scottish Claymores and led the team's offense to a league best.

While working with Coach Fassel at Utah, Eck's offensive line protected quarterback Scott Mitchell during an era which saw the Utes lead NCAA Division I in passing and ranked third in total offense.  He coached the Utes through the 1989 season before moving to Arizona as assistant offensive line coach.  Eck also had coaching stints at James Madison University and the University of Utah.

Eck and his wife Cynthia have four children.

Sam Garnes reunites with Coach Jim Fassel as he joins the Las Vegas Locomotives as Defensive Assistant.  A fifth round draft pick by Fassel’s New York Giants in 1997, Garnes started as free safety in nearly every contest he competed in, including Super Bowl XXXV.

Garnes spent his entire professional playing career with New York teams, moving from the Giants to the Jets in 2002.  After seven seasons, Garnes took his football knowledge to the sidelines coaching Emerson High School in 2005 before overseeing the secondary for NFL Europe’s Cologne team.  While in Cologne, Garnes’ team was number one against the pass and excelled as the League's interception leader.  The past two seasons, Garnes completed internships with the coaching staffs of the Carolina Panthers (2007) and the New Orleans Saints (2008).

Garnes, a three-time all-conference player at the University of Cincinnati, received his bachelor’s degree in criminal justice.

Amp Lee joins the Las Vegas Locomotives as Running Backs Coach.  Lee, a Florida native, has 10 years of extensive coaching experience for the NFL, NFL Europe, and multiple high school teams.

Lee is a former running back from Florida State University, where he majored in Physical Education. He was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the second round of the 1992 NFL Draft. Lee played in nine NFL seasons from 1992 to 2000, and his best year as a professional came during the 1995 season as a member of the Minnesota Vikings when he caught 71 receptions. Lee’s career highlights as a NFL player include catching Joe Montana’s final touchdown pass for the 49ers, and being named MVP for the St. Louis Rams in 1997.

Lee started his coaching career as a Running Backs Coach for Phoenix Valley Christian High School in 2003.  He spent the 2004 -2005 seasons as Running Back Coach for the Amsterdam Admirals and the Berlin Thunder of NFL Europe. During the same time, he was an Area Scout for the Kansas City Chiefs.  In 2006, Lee served as Quality Control Assistant for the Arizona Cardinals.

Most recently, Lee has worked as a manager and trainer at Foothills Acceleration Sports Training (FAST), and acted as the Head Football and Basketball Coach at Scottsdale Prep Academy.
 
Lee and his family, which includes son Saben, reside in Scottsdale, Arizona. 
 

Larry Mac Duff joins the Las Vegas Locomotives as the Defensive Coordinator/Special Teams Coach.  With over 35 years of coaching experience, Mac Duff has coordinated successful defenses and special team units at both the professional and collegiate level. Most recently, Mac Duff served as Co-Defensive Coordinator, Assistant Head Coach and Linebackers Coach for the University of   Texas.  The Longhorns were the top team in the Big 12 Conference for rushing defense (ranked 6th nationally) and defeated Arizona State in the Holiday Bowl.

Prior to Texas, Mac Duff spent four seasons as Special Teams Coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers.  During that time, San Francisco's special teams achieved top four rankings in the NFL for takeways, kickoff coverage and kickoff returns.  Mac Duff first came to the NFL as Special Teams Coach for the New York Giants, working under current Las Vegas UFL franchise coach Jim Fassel.  During Mac Duff's tenure with the team, the Giants won two NFC East titles and advanced to the Super Bowl in 2000.

The majority of Mac Duff's career can be traced back to the University of Arizona where his Desert Swarm Defense finished in the top 10 nationally in total defense for four consecutive years (1992-95). Arizona led the nation in scoring defense in 1992 and in rushing defense in 1993.  Under Mac Duff's guidance, five players were named Consensus 1st Team All-Americans, five players named Pac 10 Defensive Players of the Year and 24 defensive players were drafted or made NFL rosters.

An All-America defensive end on Fullerton Junior College’s 12-0 National Championship team, Mac Duff continued his college playing career at the University of Oklahoma.  An effective leader and teacher, Mac Duff and his wife Barbie have one son, Justin.

Charles "Chuck" Shelton joins the Las Vegas Locomotives as Director of Football Operations/Running Backs Coach.  A 19-year Division I-A Head Football Coach, Shelton has been honored numerous times for his achievements on and off the field.

Shelton is a four-time recipient of Conference Coach of the Year for his success with Drake University, University of the Pacific and Utah State University.  He is a two-time District 7 Coach of the Year.  In February 2006, Shelton was inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame. 

Shelton's accomplishments extend beyond the playing field with his philanthropic accomplishments.   He assisted in raising $14 million for football stadium renovations at Utah State and $3.4 million for the Silicon Valley Football Classic, a Division I-A contest in San Jose, Calif.

A national motivational speaker addressing the "The Power of “Self" and "Bullying", Shelton has also authored two successful novels, Return to Rolla and Jarrett.
 

Eric Van Heusen joins the Las Vegas Locomotives as the Special Teams/Tight End Coach.  A 12-year coaching veteran, Van Heusen has spent the past two seasons as the Defensive Coordinator for McDaniel College.   

The majority of Van Heusen's coaching career was spent at Princeton University, beginning in 2001 and continuing through the 2006 season.  He began as Outside Linebackers Coach, moved to Defensive Tackles and finished as the Tigers' Tight Ends Coach.  Prior to Princeton, Van Heusen served as Slot Receivers/Running Backs Coach at Sienna College.  He also served as Defensive Ends/Outside Linebackers Coach at the US Military Academy and as Defensive End/Outside Linebackers Coach forthe Academy's Lightweight team. 

Van Heusen launched his coaching career as the Quarterbacks Coach and Head Freshman Coach for James O'Neill High School in Highland Falls, N.Y.   He and his wife Jennifer have two children and one on the way.

Michael Wilson joins the Las Vegas Locomotives as Wide Receivers Coach.  Affiliated with the NFL for over 25 years as a coach and a player, Wilson earned four national titles winning Super Bowl XVI, XIX, XXIII and XXIV as a member of the San Francisco 49ers.  He most recen tly served as assistant wide receivers coach for the Arizona Cardinals.
 
During his four years with the Cardinals (2003-07), Wilson was instrumental in developing Anquan Bolding and Larry Fitzgerald into 2006 Pro-Bowl receivers with both players having over 100 receptions for more than 1,400 yards apiece.  The duo became only the second receiving tandem in NFL history to accomplish this feat.  As part of the NFL’s Minority Internship program, in 2003, Wilson worked with the Washington Redskins during the team’s training camp.  As assistant wide receivers coach at the University of Southern California from 1997-2001, he assisted in game plan preparation and coordination of passing game along with video breakdowns.
 
Wilson began coaching in the NFL during the 1995-96 season where he developed the wide receivers core for the Los Angeles/Oakland Raiders.  He also mentored Pro-Bowl player Tim Brown during that time.  Wilson’s first coaching job began in 1992 at Stanford University where he served as assistant wide receivers and tight ends coach.  During Wilson’s time at Stanford, three tight-ends and four receivers advanced to the NFL.
 
Following his successful collegiate football career at Washington State, Wilson was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the ninth round of the 1981 NFL Draft.  Upon his release by the Cowboys during the preseason, he joined the 49ers where he was mentored by several accomplished coaches—Dennis Green, Bill Walsh, George Seifert, Sam Wyche, and Mike Holmgren. During his stay with San Francisco, the 49ers won four World Championships, appeared in six NFC title games, and won eight NFC West crowns. He is one of only three wide receivers in NFL history to own four Super Bowl rings. In addition, Wilson was honored as San Francisco’s 1987 Ed Block Courage award winner.   A native of Los Angeles, Wilson was an all-city and all-American football and basketball standout at Carson High School leading his team to the city title as a senior in basketball. 
 
In 2001, Wilson was inducted into the North-South Shiners All-Star Game’s “Hall of Fame.” He still holds the record for the longest touchdown reception in the history of the game with his 97-yard reception in the 1978 contest.  While in private business from 2001-2003, he served as an assistant for the annual East-West College All-Star game.
 
A member of the Board of Directors of the Champs Foundation, Wilson also serves on the boards of the Family House of San Francisco (Children with Cancer) and the Los Angeles Blazers Youth Organization Academic Center.  Wilson also serves as the honorary chairman for the National Kidney Foundation Golf Tournament.  Graduating from Washington State with a communications degree, Wilson resides in Chandler, Arizona and has two daughters in college Samantha (Yale University) and Emma (DePaul University).

Kevin Wolthausen joins the Las Vegas Locomotives as Defensive Line Coach.   Prior to coming to the UFL, Wolthausen was the Associate Head Coach/Linebackers at Eastern Michigan University.  He also served as the  Atlanta Falcons Defensive Line Coach for the 2007 season.

Wolthausen spent four seasons coaching at the Unversity of Louisville, culminating with his role as Co-Defensive Coordinator and Defensive Line Coach in 2006.  While at Louisville, he develped one of the top defensive line prospects in Elvis Dumervil, who went on to post 8.5 sacks in his rookie year with the Denver Broncos.  During Wolthausen's coaching career, he helped lead 17 teams to post-season bowl games and has collegiate coaching experience dating back to 1980.

Wolthausen also played linebacker at Santa Barbara City College and Humboldt State.