MARINOVICH STEPS INTO DAUNTING SOCAL COYOTES QB LEGACY

THE SHERIFF - Nate Lewis set the gold standard for Coyote QBs, winning two titles and passing for 10,027 yards

(INDIO) – Before Todd Marinovich sets his sights on the eye-popping Run ‘n’ Shoot milestones of Jim Kelly, Warren Moon or Colt Brennan, he might want a refresher course on Nate Lewis, Zach Adkins, Michael Karls or Jacob Russell, the daunting lineage of SoCal Coyotes Run ‘n’ Shoot quarterbacks.

Over nine seasons, the four-time champion Coyotes have led six different minor professional leagues in total offense, and likewise, their quarterbacks over that span are far and away the most productive in the country.

Head coach J David Miller demands a winning formula – at least a 60-percent completion average; a 4-1 TD-INT ratio; an average of 300 yards-per-game; and an average completion of 15-plus.

“Of course, intelligence is a prerequisite,” Miller says, “before we give you the keys to the car.”

You be the judge.

-Nate Lewis (Dixie State), the Coyotes first quarterback (2012-14), originally set every club record, and still holds three – career yards (10,027), total victories (32) and career touchdowns (98). Over three seasons, Lewis, 6-5, 230, led the Coyotes to two of their four titles. He remains ‘The Sheriff’ in Coyote lore, and was the first to sign a next-level pro contract, appearing briefly with the San Jose Sabercats.

-Michael Karls (Midland University) followed Lewis in 2014, and broke most team single-season records in a 13-2 season. Karls, 5-11, 200, was named league MVP after a perfect 2015 spring championship season. During his Coyotes’ tenure (2014-15), Karls went 18-2, with 13 300-yard games and a 117.4 NFL passer rating. His 4,084 career yards and 59 career touchdowns are third in club history.

-An injury to Karls cracked the door for heralded NCAA record-setter Zach Adkins (Northwestern State) in fall 2015. Adkins, 6-1, 215, answered with a championship season, behind a team record 13-straight wins. Adkins shattered 13 franchise records in a 4,343-yard, 64-touchdown barrage – against just four interceptions. Adkins’ Coyote resume includes high scores of 107-0 and 102-0, and 11 touchdowns in a single game.

-In 2016, NAIA National Player of the Year Jacob Russell (Campbellsville University), 6-4, 235, earned the job as a rookie, and broke or tied seven franchise marks en route to a perfect 7-0 season. The Coyotes finished as the only California team ranked in the national Top 20, thanks in part to Russell’s dazzling 67-percent passing, 35-2 TD-INT ratio and a 134.1 NFL QB rating – all club records.

Every Coyote quarterback has one common denominator: WR Rashad ‘The Franchise’ Roberts, who holds every team receiving record, including 90 touchdowns, for 6,089 career yards.

Another irony? The Coyotes have also led every league in rushing. Their single backs, who rely on quick-hitting draws, traps, screens and shovels, average 5.9 yards a carry.

DISCOVER how The Pro Football Educator, operated by former Denver Broncos GM and two-time Super Bowl winner Ted Sundquist, selected the perennial champion SoCal Coyotes as America’s #1 Developmental Pro Football Program™.  The Coyotes have worked painstakingly to produce a scalable model whose entire integrated platform – community, officials, front-office, personnel, players — addresses essential long-term sustainability of the NFL product. Visit www.thesocalcoyotes.com.

FAITH, FAMILY, FOOTBALL is the real mission of the Coyotes – and not surprisingly, something that dates back to the great Vince Lombardi in 1959. More than game tape. More than a weight room. More than a 40 time. The Coyote mission of ‘Building Champions, Building Men™’ reaches far beyond the actual gridiron, deep into the development of young athletes as fathers, husbands, and men.

SEVENTY PLAYERS EACH YEAR earn the distinction to ‘Defend the Shield™’ in the uniform of the SoCal Coyotes. Many will earn a shot with NFL, CFL or AFL opportunities, or graduate into business careers.

-SVP Ron DiGrandi ([email protected])