Former Hamilton Tiger-Cats, NFL special teams coach Frank Gansz Jr. dead at 64

Photo courtesy: Hamilton Tiger-Cats

Former Hamilton Tiger-Cats coach Frank Gansz Jr. passed away last weekend at the age of 64.

Gansz spent one season in Hamilton, serving as special teams coordinator in 2018 under June Jones. The Ticats finished 8-10 that year. Notable special teams contributors included Lirim Hajrullahu, Brandon Banks, Frankie Williams, Courtny Stephen, and Aaron Crawford.

The son of the former Kansas City Chiefs head coach of the same name, Gansz began coaching at the college level and worked at the University of Houston from 1993 until 1997, before making the jump to the NFL. He spent two seasons as a special teams assistant with the Oakland Raiders and five with the Chiefs, before serving as the Baltimore Ravens special teams coordinator in 2006 and 2007. He later returned to college, making stops at UCLA and SMU.

In recent years, Gansz had been actively involved in spring professional football, holding jobs in the XFL, USFL, and UFL. He was the special teams coordinator for the St. Louis Battlehawks in 2026.