The Fort Lewis College Football team this week announced the addition of Spencer Brown as an assistant coach and defensive coordinator ahead of the 2022 season.
“I am excited to join coach Cox’s staff,” Brown said. “To follow his leadership along with the student athletes who all have such a strong desire to build a championship program, it will be an exciting year.”
Brown brings a plethora of skills to Fort Lewis after spending the past three seasons at Division I Southern Illinois University as the defensive run game coordinator and linebackers coach.
“Brown is a young coach and an exciting addition to the team,” said Fort Lewis College Head Coach Johnny Cox. “He is very knowledgeable, energetic, and a relatable young coach with a bright future.”
While at Southern Illinois, Brown helped the Salukis defense hold opponents to just 154 rushing yards per game, a 67-yard improvement from previous seasons. Additionally, the Salukis held the No. 1 Kickoff return defense in the Missouri Valley Conference and No. 3 Kickoff return defense in all the FCS in 2019.
Before Southern Illinois, Brown had stops at North Carolina State University as senior defensive analyst and the University of South Dakota as a linebackers coach and video coordinator. While at N.C. State, Brown helped coordinate a Top 25 defense that included National Football League athletes Dravious Wright and Shawn Boone.
Brown completed his Master of Business Administration degree in marketing from the University of North Texas while serving as a graduate assistant for the football team. While assisting the Green, Brown helped coach future NFL athletes Zach Orr and Derek Akunne.
The Skyhawks added another tool to its coaching staff with the addition of volunteer assistant coach John Sandoval. Sandoval will aid the Skyhawks offense and will be responsible for developing tight ends.
“I feel very honored to be a part of the program,” Sandoval said. “Coach Cox asked me to be a part of the team, and I am excited to help build the foundation for a championship program.”
Sandoval joins the Skyhawks after a two-year stint with the Citrus College Owls in Glendora, California.
“He is going to be a great addition to the staff,” Cox said. “John is a relentless recruiter and a great person. Overall, he will be a great addition to our team, and we are very excited to have him.”
Sandoval began his coaching career as the quarterbacks coach for the Owls. After one season, he quickly established himself as a pivotal piece of the coaching staff and was elevated to the running backs coach and recruiting coordinator.
Before collegiate coaching, Sandoval worked in strategic consulting and marketing analytics.
FLC will begin its 2022 season at home on Sept. 10, hosting National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics powerhouse Arizona Christian University. The Phoenix finished last season 8-2, winning five straight to close out the year. In the final NAIA Football First Down Playbook Top 25 Coaches Poll, the Phoenix finished ranked No. 20.
FLC will host Adams State on Sept. 24, Chadron State on Oct. 8, South Dakota Mines on Oct. 22, and Western Colorado on Nov 5. All FLC home games will kick off at noon.
The Skyhawks will hit the road in Week 2 to open its Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference schedule against New Mexico Highlands. Additional away contests include Colorado State University Pueblo on Oct. 1, Colorado Mesa on Oct. 15, Black Hills State on Oct. 29, and the regular-season finale against the defending RMAC Champion Colorado School of Mines on Nov. 12.
All games will be streamed live on the RMAC Network.
The Skyhawks, coming off a tough 0-11 season, will have a new look moving forward with the addition of Cox as its new head coach in the offseason.
Cox was a four-year star for FLC at wide receiver from 1990-93. He earned first team All-American honors in 1992 and 1993 while being named RMAC Player of the Year in 1993. He was inducted into the FLC Athletics Hall of Fame in 1999. Now a 28-year coaching veteran, Cox returned to Durango after spending eight seasons at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke, an NCAA Division II program that competes in the Mountain East Conference.
“It's going to be a challenge, but we are focused on fielding a team that the school, the community, and Skyhawks fans can be proud of,” Cox said.
