HOME OF BULLDOG FOOTBALL - 28 SCIAC Championships, including 10 since 1990

It was announced late yesterday that the University of Redlands has made some staffing changes in the Bulldog football office. Robert “Bobby” Stangel Jr. has been hired as the offensive coordinator, while Jeff Thomas, who has held that position since 2007, makes the move to defensive coordinator.

“After considering the needs of Bulldog football in totality, we felt certain these changes would best support our current and long-term goals,” stated Head Coach Mike Maynard.

“I applaud Coach Thomas for his continued dedication and commitment to Bulldog football and our institution - he is a true Bulldog, willing to do anything for the betterment of our program and the student-athlete experience,” Director of Athletics Jeff Martinez said.

Thomas began his coaching stint at Redlands in 2003, working primarily with the defensive backs and special teams. He later stepped in as the offensive coordinator after the 2006 season. Under his direction, the Bulldogs broke the school record for total offense in a single game with 677 yards on Nov. 3, 2007. That season, the Maroon and Gray won its 28th conference championship.

In addition, Thomas has guided the team to various other top-10 marks at Redlands, including senior wide receiver Brian Putman’s (Bakersfield, CA) record-breaking 77 receptions during the 2009 campaign.

Thomas was tabbed the 2009 American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Division III Assistant Coach of the Year. He now enthusiastically returns to the side of the ball where he was named the 2002 Southern California Intercollegiate Athletics Conference (SCIAC) Defensive Player of the Year and led the NCAA Division III with 13 interceptions as a Bulldog defensive back.

“Coach Thomas excels at everything he does. He began his coaching career on defense and he knows our system well,” Maynard added.

The Bulldogs welcome Stangel back to the football program, following a five-year hiatus. He originally coached at Redlands during the 2004 season as the quarterbacks coach.

“Coach Stangel is someone with whom we have often consulted about offense and he has a history of successful coaching at all levels of football,” Maynard commented.

Stangel brings more than 20 years of combined high school and collegiate coaching experience with expertise in the passing game. Most recently, he served as the offensive coordinator at Redlands High School from 2007 through 2009.

Currently, Stangel works as a full-time special education teacher at Redlands High School and will continue to do so while taking on the responsibilities of the offensive coordinator.

Finally, the search for filling the full-time position vacated by Vinny Fazio will continue, with the intent to complete that search process as soon after the holidays as possible.