2015 Tennessee State Football Team Guide
RUSS
ERIC
4TH YEAR
1ST YEAR
EHRENFELD OL
GALLON RBs
It’s a homecoming of sorts for Russ Ehrenfeld after spending three seasons at Chattanooga.
Eric Gallon enters his first season with the Big Blue and will serve as running backs coach. Gallon comes to TSU after two seasons at Youngstown State.
Ehrenfeld replaces Steven Smith, who accepted an assistant offensive line positing with the Kansas City Chiefs. Returning to Tennessee State in March 2012, Ehrenfeld brought an immediate impact to UTC in his first season.
With the Penguins, the running corps piled up 4,241 yards on 746 carries while scoring 47 touchdowns in 24 games. YSU averaged 5.7 yards per rushing attempt, 176.7 yards per game and nearly two touchdowns per contest during his stay.
He helped the Mocs allow only nine sacks in 2009, tied for fewest in the Southern Conference and third lowest in the nation. UTC did not allow a sack for the last four games of the season, including a trip to FBS National Champion Alabama in the season finale.
Under the tutelage of Gallon in 2014, Martin Ruiz had his second straight 1,000-yard campaign finishing with 1,320 yards while earning second-team All-Missouri Valley Football Conference honors. Ruiz was named the Valley’s Newcomer and Freshman of the Year while being named second-team all-conference.
In 2010, he turned his attention to the centers and guards, helping T.J. Hurless earn a spot on the All-SoCon second team. Add in Chris Harr and Ehrenfeld has guided two Mocs to all-league honors in his two years at UTC.
Ruiz was one of three FCS freshmen to eclipse the 1,000-yard mark and finished tied for third in the voting for the Jerry Rice Award, which goes to the top freshman in the FCS.
In 2011, Ehrenfeld coached tight ends, helping the Mocs to a 5-6 overall record, including a 38-17 win at then ranked No. 10 Jacksonville State on Sept. 10. Faysal Shaffat was a 2011 All-Southern Conference freshman tight end for the Mocs. In his first stop at TSU, Ehrenfeld’s offensive line set the tone for the No. 1 rushing offense in the Ohio Valley Conference while allowing just the second fewest number of sacks in the league. All totaled, he has coached more than ten offensive lineman that have gone on to play professionally. Ehrenfeld previously coached the offensive line at TSU for three seasons (1997-99), helping the Tigers capture back-to-back OVC championships in 1998 and 1999. Notably, four linemen from the 1999 team went on to play in the NFL. A native of Hillside, N.J., Ehrenfeld played four seasons at Chattanooga, helping the Mocs claim three SoCon titles as a starting offensive guard. He earned his bachelor’s degree in secondary education-history in 1981. Following graduation, Ehrenfeld’s first coaching position was at TMI Academy as the offensive line coach. His first collegiate position was as a graduate assistant at the University of South Carolina, where he had the opportunity to coach the Gamecocks in the 1984 Gator Bowl. Since then, he has also coached at Austin Peay (1985-87, 95-96), Itawamba Community College (1988-89), Southeast Missouri State (1990-92), Eastern Michigan (1993-94), Alabama State (2000) and Bucknell (2001-02).
Prior to moving up to the collegiate ranks, Gallon served as the head coach at George Jenkins High School in Lakeland, Fla. Gallon was the head coach of the Eagles in 2012 after spending the previous four seasons as the offensive coordinator on the staff. As the head coach, GJHS won four games, quite a turnaround following a winless campaign the year prior. The Lakeland, Fla., native was a standout running back for the Kansas State and Coach Bill Snyder from 1989-92. Gallon was a three-year letter-winner (1989, 1991 and 1992) and served as a team captain his senior season. He rushed for 1,960 yards on 447 carries while totaling 2,476 all-purpose yards during his Wildcat career. Gallon had seven 100-plus yard rushing performances in his KSU career, including five as a junior. Gallon had a brief stint with the New England Patriots following his collegiate career. Following his playing career, he returned to his home state where he spent time working with at-risk youths before getting involved with coaching at the high-school level. He was the founder, President and CEO of Global Youth Services, Inc., from 2004-12, which is located in Tampa, Fla. The service is responsible for relationships with the state and local officials regarding the welfare of youth, management and implementation of policies and procedures. Prior to starting his own company, Gallon spent 11 years with Correctional Services Corporation. He was a Vice President of Operations in the Juvenile Division after serving as a program and regional director for the organization. He worked in Bartow and Sarasota, Fla., while employed by CSC. A graduate of Kathleen High School in Lakeland, he earned his bachelor’s degree in Social Sciences from Kansas State in 1999. He was a standout basketball and football player as a prep student-athlete.
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