mSilver City, NM - Concluding the campaign of "Meet the Mustang Staff," the WNMU Football staff looks to have a bounce back year. Head Coach Frank Tristan coaches alongside 9 coaches, including Offensive Coordinator Buddy Blevins and Defensive Coordinator Beau Grech.

Tristan enters his 3rd season as the Mustangs Head Coach after previously coaching at Southwestern Assemblies of God University (SAGU), in Waxahachie, Texas. 

He slowly built SAGU to be one of the top teams in the NAIA, after taking over the head coaching duties in 2015. In two of his three seasons leading SAGU, they posted eight-win seasons, one of those being in his first year in 2015. He compiled 20 total victories over the three seasons.

In his last year at SAGU, he led the Lions 8-3, including a 7-1 mark in the Central States Football League, were ranked in the top-20 throughout the season, and appeared in the NCCAA Victory Bowl against Campbellsville University (KY).

Coach Tristan worked his way up at SAGU after spending the three seasons prior to being head coach as the offensive coordinator and offensive line coach. Before arriving at SAGU, Coach Tristan was at Kickapoo High School and Hillcrest High School, in his hometown of Springfield, Missouri. At Kickapoo, he was the defensive coordinator for the Chiefs. Coach Tristan also spent time at his alma mater Evangel University.

During his playing career at Evangel University, Coach Tristan was a two-time Heart of America All-Conference player and was named as an Honorable Mention All-American his senior year. During his junior year, he helped lead the Crusaders to an 11-1 record. He was a four-year letterman in football and baseball for Evangel.

As Coach Tristan continues to build and develop the Mustangs, Coach Blevins follows suit saying, "Coach Tristan's poise and love for our players is truly unique. It is something that each day helps me focus on being better, specifically, at those things which are not talked about a ton In the coaching world, but build the foundation of a truly successful program."

Blevins, who was hired in March as the Mustangs Offensive Coordinator will also serve as the recruiting coordinator and the Wide Receivers Coach.

The hiring of Coach Blevins comes with a diverse and unique experience. Blevins played his college ball at Colorado-Mesa University, quickly found himself spending time playing in the Indoor Football League (IFL), Canadian Indoor Football League (CIF), and the Arena Football League (AFL).

Originally from Wildwood, Missouri, Blevins was Wide Receiver for CMU, and eventually coached in 2011. In 2012, he moved up to the Division I level, coaching at University of Northern Colorado.

The CIF called his name, as he played for Oklahoma Defenders and briefly coached for them in 2014. After the Defenders season concluded, Blevins coached for Lone Star Conference (LSC) foes, Midwestern State University in 2014 and, in 2015, at Texas A&M Kingsville, before spending three seasons at Oklahoma Panhandle State University. In 2018, Blevins was at Trinity International University and was briefly at Fort Valley State University before joining the Mustangs.

With so much experience and a new offense being implemented Blevins was asked what a spectator can expect with the upcoming season, Blevins illustrated, "This team is exciting. Our offense is very different from a year ago. The guys worked hard all fall, finding their way on all sides of the ball this fall and were getting excited about it. This is a passionate team who has a competitive edge and wants to be successful."

Defensively, Coach Grech says, "We're going to play fast and with a lot of confidence. We have experience in the front 7, as well in the secondary. We want to disguise and attack our opponent with relentless effort to the ball every rep."

Coach Blevins credits Coach Tristan in his development as a coach saying, "Coach Tristan's scope of his wisdom is inspiring, stretching anywhere from team dynamics, to discipline, to budgeting. He has an exceptional grasp on what it takes to build a program." 

Though competition and football coincide, the fall has been unusual due COVID-19, pushing the season to the spring.  There has been chaos trying to figure out the unknown, however Coach Tristan believes one thing has been consistent and that is the team's chemistry expediting. 

"Buddy and Beau have used this time in the fall to really teach and develop our team," said Tristan. "The atmosphere they have created is fun but yet very competitive on both sides of the ball" explains Coach Tristan.

"Our staff did an excellent job in achieving our goal of ensuring everyone was safe once everyone got to campus, and we all worked with intensity in the classroom, in the weight room, and on the field" said Coach Grech.

Developing a team of 100+ student athletes in football is difficult, however Coach Tristan and the staff do more than just coach football. They have implemented a culture to be consistent and competitive, all while developing football players to be great human beings. 

"I have been very fortunate to work for great coaches that have fostered a team climate similar to ours. Every day of our lives we have to be great husbands, dads, and leaders; and that habit forms as a college student" explains Coach Tristan.

Coach Grech adds saying "Consistency and confidence are preached by Coach Tristan. He doesn't just help athletes see that but also the coaching staff. What I really admire about Coach Tristan is passion and gratitude for our players to become better dads, husbands, and leaders one day."
 
Grech has coached alongside Coach Tristan at SAGU, Hillcrest High School and now WNMU. 
 
Originally from Naples, Florida, Grech, like Tristan, played at Evangel, graduating in 2010 with a degree in Physical Education. At Evangel, Grech had 235 career tackles, was 2008 All-Conference HAAC Linebacker, 2009 All-HAAC Honorable mention, and Team Captain his senior year.
 
Coach Grech acknowledges the coaching staff on how well they prepared the Mustangs for the spring saying "We were able to get all practices in, starting every practice with morning position meetings, reviewing the practice schedule and film. Our practices consist of individual work, unit work and competition. Coach Davis has done a phenomenal job with our strength program and Coach Butler kept our players accountable for their studies in study hall."
 
The Mustangs are also coached by Kini Cocker, Gerald Davis, Tyler Butler, Zach McBride, Sean North (Corona, CA/Santiago HS), and  James Lee (Bayard, NM/Cobre). 
 
Coach Cocker, enters his 4th season with the Mustangs as the Defensive Line Coach. Originally from Tonga, Cocker was raised in Texas and eventually played at conference foe Angelo State, winning a National Championship in 2014.
 
The Running Backs, Special Teams, and Strength Coach for WNMU is 3rd year Mustang Coach, Gerald Davis. The former Missouri State standout, set Missouri State's  single-season records for most touchdowns (19) and points (114) in 2008.
 
Assistant Coach of Inside Linebackers is coached by second year Coach, Tyler Butler. Butler, from San Diego, California, originally played for the Mustangs graduating with his business management degree 2018, and is earning his Masters in educational leadership and business management this December.
 
First year Coach, Zach McBride coaches the Quarterbacks. The Washington native from Issaquah, previously coached at Colfax High School for two years. 
 
Coach Sean North (Corona, CA/Santiago HS) enters his second season with the Mustangs and coaches the Inside Receivers and is the Return Specialist Coach. Originally from Corona, California, North played at WNMU and became the Offensive Player of the Year for the Mustangs in 2017. 
 
The local standout from Bayard, James Lee (Bayard, NM/Cobre), starts his journey as football coach, coaching the Outside Linebackers. Lee played and graduated from WNMU, earning his Bachelors in Kinesiology with a minor in Coaching. He is currently working on his Masters in Interdisciplinary Studies with a concentration in Educational Leadership and Psychology, where he will attain his Masters in the Fall of 2020.

"Each one of our coaches works hard and sincerely cares about their players. I am really blessed and our players are really blessed to have position coaches that are concerned about them as players and as human beings.

Of his time as being a coach, Tristan explains "I love building relationships with players and learning who they really are. The Most rewarding part of the job is seeing them develop into mature young men."

Coach Tristan concludes saying he is very thankful to have a supportive, well-rounded staff that looks to develop young men not only on the field, in the classroom, or in the weight room, but in life as well!

WNMU Football is set to kick off February 27, 2021, against University Texas-Permian Basin, in Odessa, Texas!