Coaching Staff

Dave Ewart - Head Coach

17th AFL Season – Ninth with the Storm

Ewart enters his second season as head coach of the Tampa Bay Storm. He spent the previous seven seasons as the director of player personnel and assistant head coach. This is his 17th season as a coach in the Arena Football League.

Last season, 2011, Ewart took over the reins less than a week before the start of training camp. After a 2-6 start, he orchestrated a mid-season turnaround that saw the Storm finish 5-5 through the final 10 games of the season, including impressive wins over ArenaBowl XXIII defending champion Spokane Shock and in-state rivals Orlando Predators prior to ending the season with a dramatic come from behind victory over the San Jose SaberCats in the final game of the season.

He guided a defense that set an AFL single-season record with 41 sacks. Over the past two seasons his defensive line has combined for 70 sacks, the second highest total in a two-season span in League history. Ewart’s defense finished 2011 ranked third in the AFL, thanks in part to the pass rush that aided a passing defense that finished tied for first in the AFL.

In 2010, he guided a defensive line that collected the second most sacks (29) in the AFL as the team went on to play in ArenaBowl XXIII. He also guided one of the stingiest offensive lines in the AFL as the team allowed only 12 sacks the entire season, four less than the previous season.

In 2008 his offensive line did not yield a sack in seven games and finished as the sixth best line in the AFL yielding only 16 sacks. Additionally the offensive line paved the way for 32 rushing touchdowns, third most in the AFL and was efficient goal-line rushing attack that season with a league-high 28.8 percent touchdown conversion rate per attempt.

In 2007 Ewart fought through a revolving door on the offensive line early in the year due to injuries. His hard work resulted in a cohesive unit that helped protect a rookie quarterback to make the playoffs. In 2006 Ewart served as interim head coach for the Storm in the first three weeks of the season and won two games. Included among those games was a, 61-60, victory in the Storm home opener against the Georgia Force. The victory over the Force extended a Storm win streak to 12 consecutive victories at the St. Pete Times Forum. His overall record as head coach for the Storm is 3-2. He went 1-1 in 2005.

Ewart began his AFL coaching career in 1994 as the special teams coach and offensive line coach for the Cleveland Thunderbolts. In 1995 he moved on to the St. Louis Stampede where he served as the defensive coordinator. The following season the front office of the Stampede chose him to become the head coach for the 1996 campaign.

In 1997, Ewart moved on to his second head coaching position with the Texas Terror where he also was the general manager. The Terror, who finished 1996 with a 1-13 record, improved under Ewart’s guidance and finished the 1997 season with a respectable 6-8 record.

From there Ewart moved on to become defensive coordinator and line coach for the Florida Bobcats in 1998. He then moved on to the New England Sea Wolves where he spent a one year stint as the Sea Wolves defensive coordinator for the 1999 season.

In 2000, he re-joined the head coaching ranks once again. He served as head coach and director of football operations for the Florida Bobcats during the 2000 and 2001 seasons.

Ewart played offensive line for two seasons (1987-88) at Salem College (West Virginia) under Terry Bowden. He then transferred to East Tennessee State University (1989-90) where he enjoyed a productive two-year stint. During his time at ETSU, Ewart was a two-time All-Conference selection and named to the Division 1-AA All-America team. He coached with current Michigan Coach Rick Rodriguez while at Glenville State.

Dave Ewart’s Coaching Career

2011-Present Head Coach Tampa Bay Storm (AFL)
2002-2010 Asst. Head Coach | Director of Player Personnel Tampa Bay Storm (AFL)
1999-2002 Head Coach | Dir. of Player Personnel | Dir. of Football Operations Florida Bobcats (AFL)
1999 Def. Coordinator | Director of Player Personnel New England Seawolves (AFL)
1998 Defensive Coordinator | Line Coach Florida Bobcats (AFL)
1997 General Manager | Head Coach | Director of Football Operations Texas Terror (AFL)
1996 Head Coach | Dir. of Football Ops | Director of Player Personnel St. Louis Stampede (AFL)
1995 Defensive Coordinator | Director of Player Personnel St. Louis Stampede (AFL)
1994 Defensive Coordinator | Line Coach Cleveland Thunderbolts
1992-93 Defensive Line Coach | Special Teams Coordinator Glenville State College
1991 Offensive Line Coach East Tennessee State University

John Gregory - Offensive Coordinator

17th AFL Season – First with the Storm

Coach Gregory enters his first season with the Storm. He will serve as the offensive coordinator. This is his 22nd season as a coach in either the AFL (17) or af2 (five).

He spent the past four seasons as the head coach of the Iowa Barnstormers (2010-11 – AFL, 2008-09 – af2). He has on overall record of 140-114 in his Arena Football Career; 86-74 (regular) and 6-6 (post) in the AFL and 45-31 (regular) and 3-3 (post) in af2.

Gregory’s career began as an assistant head coach and athletic director at Iowa Central Community College, where he was given the task of building a football program from the ground up. In just three years, the program had a 24-3-1 record and won the Wool Bowl in 1969. Coach Gregory got his first head coaching job at South Dakota State in 1971 and stayed for 10 years. To this day, Gregory is still second in school history in coaching victories and he led the team to a single season best of 9-2 in 1979. SDSU didn’t have a winning record the previous 11 seasons before Gregory’s arrival.

After a one year stop as offensive coordinator at his alma mater of Northern Iowa, Gregory went further north to Canada and the Canadian Football League. While in the CFL, Gregory won a CFL championship in 1984 as the offensive line coach for Winnipeg. Gregory’s offensive line helped the team set a CFL rushing record in 1984 and Gregory was named CFL Outstanding Offensive Line Coach. Following the 1988 CFL season Saskatchewan gave Gregory his first professional head coaching job.

Saskatchewan didn’t have a winning season in the 11 years prior to Gregory’s arrival, and they hadn’t won a Grey Cup (CFL Title) in 22 years. In 1989 his first season with the team, Gregory led Saskatchewan to the Grey Cup championship. In the process, Gregory was named CFL Coach of the Year, and he was elected to the Saskatchewan Hall of Fame in 1996.

Gregory went on to coach for Hamilton of the CFL in 1991, making the postseason four of the five years he was with the team before the founder of AFL came calling in 1995. Arena Football League founder, Jim Foster needed a coach for a team he was starting in Des Moines, IA. Foster hired Gregory to build the Iowa team from scratch.

During his first stint with the Barnstormers, Gregory gave Kurt Warner a tryout, coached the team to five division titles in six years and led the team to two Arena Bowl title games. Warner and his successor, Aaron Garcia recently were named as two of the greatest AFL players. Gregory earned AFL Coach of the Year honors in ’95 and ’96, the only coach in AFL history to do so back-to-back.

The Barnstormers relocated to New York in 2000 and in 2004 Gregory went on to coach the Carolina Cobras. Afer that season he stepped back from coaching but was lured out of retirement to take over the Arkansas Twisters of af2 four games into the 2005 season. Gregory led the Twisters back to the playoffs in 2006 and 2007 by combining a steady offense with one of the best defenses in all of af2.

In October, 2007 Coach Gregory would return DesMoines to once again lead the Barnstormers (af2). In the 2008 season Coach Gregory took the team to a record of 6-10 and in 2009 took the Barnstormers to a record of 12-4 and brought them back to the playoffs where they made it to the second round, and the team was declared af2Midwest Division Champions. Gregory was also named Sportexe af2 Coach of the year, his fourth Coach of the Year title in his nearly 40 year football career. In 2010 the team returned to the AFL where he coached until midway through the 2011 season when he stepped down.

John Gregory’s Coaching Career

2012 Offensive Coordinator Tampa Bay Storm (AFL)
20010-2011 Head Coach Iowa Barnstormers (AFL)
2008-2009 Head Coach Iowa Barnstormers (af2)
2005-2007 Head Coach Arkansas Twisters (af2)
2004 Head Coach Carolina Cobras (AFL)
2001-2003 Head Coach | General Manager New York Dragons (AFL)
1995-2000 Head Coach | General Manager Iowa Barnstormers (AFL)
1991-1994 Head Coach Hamilton (CFL)
1989-1991 Head Coach Saskatchewan (CFL)
1983-1988 Offensive Line Coach Winnipeg (CFL)
1982 Offensive Coordinator Northern Iowa (Div. I-AA)
1972-1981 Head Coach South Dakota State (Div. II)
1969-1971 Assistant Head Coach | Athletic director Iowa Central Community College (NJCAA)

Donnie Abraham - Assistant Coach

Defensive Backs Coach

Second season with the Storm – Second season in the AFL

Abraham enters his second season as defensive backs coach for the Tampa Bay Storm. In 2011 he inherited a young group of defensive backs that had only 25 games under their belt, including 15 starts at the position. That season saw a total of eight different players start with seven different looks as the unit tried to overcome injury and consistency issues. By the end of the season the unit led the league in fewest yards allowed in the passing game.

He and Dave Ewart first met at East Tennessee State where Abraham played collegiately and Ewart began his coaching career. Abraham went on to have a successful nine-year career in the National Football League with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1996-2001) and New York Jets (2002-04). He finished his career with 38 interceptions in 132 games and a trip to the Pro Bowl in 2000.

He spent the past two seasons (2009-10) as the head coach at Gibbs H.S. (St. Petersburg, FL) and the previous four seasons he worked as the defensive backs coach at East Lake H.S (Palm Harbor, FL) with head coach Bob Hudson.

A native of Orangeburg, S.C., Abraham graduated from East Tennessee State with a degree in Business Management. He currently lives in Tarpon Springs, FL with his wife Tunisia and their children Tunisia, Devin and Alivia.

Donnie Abraham’s Coaching Career

2011-Present Defensive Backs Tampa Bay Storm (AFL)
2009-10 Head Coach Gibbs H.S. (St. Pete, FL)
2005-08 Assistant Coach East Lake H.S. (Palm Harbor, FL)

Lawrence Samuels - Assistant Coach

Assistant Coach Wide Receivers | Special Teams

16th season with the Storm – 17th season in the AFL – First as Wide Receivers Coach

The Tampa Bay Storm and legendary AFL Ironman, Lawrence Samuels, returns to the Storm for his 16th season with the franchise and first as a coach. The Franchise’s all-time leading receiver, Lawrence will be responsible for coaching the wide receivers and special teams.

He spent the 2011 season as the wide receivers coach at Central State (Wilberforce, OH) where he was the passing game coordinator and assisted in coaching the special teams units. Prior to that he was the consummate professional and veteran wider receiver with the Tampa Bay Storm where he assisted in the development of new and rookie receivers teaching them how to break down film and write up scouting reports.

During his tenure as a wide receiver with the Storm he held several high school coaching positions where he instructed high school athletes in the fundamentals of the wide receiver and defensive back position, as well as assembled weekly scouting reports and film breakdowns.

He also coached for USA football at their numerous summer football camps sponsored by the National Football League. His duties included fundamental and skills teaching at the wide receiver and defensive back positions and tutoring team skills, life skills and leadership.

Samuels served two stints as the wide receiver coach at his alma mater West Alabama, where he learned the intricacies of coaching, coordinating the passing game, mentoring and advising student-athletes, coordinating conditioning programs, recruiting student-athletes and monitoring NCAA academic rules and regulations.

He was the AFL’s all-time leading wide receiver prior to the end of his career. He was the first player in AFL history to record 1,000 receptions and the sixth player ever in professional football to reach that milestone. He retired as the Storm all-time leader in receptions (967), receiving yards (11,078), receiving touchdowns (160), points scored (1,076), fumble recoveries (32), forced fumbles (20) and tackles (455.5) and was second in all-purpose yards (11,651) and interceptions (32).

He is the only player in the history of the AFL to earn both MVP and Ironman of the Game honors in an Arena Bowl. He was a member of three AFL Championships teams and one of the greatest two-way players to ever play the game of Arena Football.

He and his wife Kellei live in Wesley Chapel with their two daughters Landry (10) and Wilson (5).

Lawrence Samuels’s Coaching Career

2012 Assistant Coach Wide Receivers Tampa Bay Storm (AFL)
2011 Assistant Coach Wide Receivers Central State University (Div. II)
2009-2010 Wide Receivers | Defensive Backs Coach East Lake H.S. (Palm Harbor, FL)
2009 Wide Receivers Coach USA Football
2005-2006 Assistant Coach Wide Receivers Wharton H.S. (Tampa, FL)
2005-2005 Assistant Coach Wide Receivers |Defensive Backs Sickles H.S. (Tampa, FL)
2002-2003 Assistant Coach Wide Receivers | Lineman Central H.S. (Brooksville, FL)
1998-2000 Assistant Coach Wide Receivers University of West Alabama (Div. II)
1993-1994 Assistant Coach Wide Receivers University of West Alabama (Div. II)