by Mick Moninghoff

LOWELL – The Massachusetts Pirates have parted ways with Interim Head Coach and Defensive Coordinator Fred Griggs, hiring Tom Menas to take his place, filling both roles. Menas, who began this year as the Head Coach and Defensive Coordinator of the San Antonio Gunslingers, becomes the first in-season hire at Head Coach for the Pirates during their seven year tenure.

Menas, who coached the Gunslingers to an eight-and-eight record last season, began this year with an eight-point loss to Tulsa and then defeated Bay Area 28-21 on the road before his release. The Gunslingers have yet to win another game since his departure.

“I am honored and humbled to be the new Head Coach and Defensive Coordinator of such a great organization,” Menas said. “I look forward to a very competitive season ahead with the players and coaches that I have been given the opportunity to be a part of. My stewardship is to maintain and surpass the historic winning success of the Pirates. I am excited to meet the fans of the Pirates and the community in general. Again, I am grateful to Founder, President, and General Manager Jawad Yatim and Co-Owner Hassan Yatim for this opportunity, ” he added.

The man behind the hire, Jawad Yatim shares his excitement for the addition of Menas, as well as his gratitude for the job Fred Griggs did during his tenure with the Pirates.

“During training camp we were in a position where we needed to pivot to a couple of interim solutions at our Head Coach and Offensive Coordinator positions due to our initial hires leaving the organization shortly prior to opening night. These early bye weeks have given us an opportunity to adjust gracefully and implement the staff we feel comfortable with moving forward as we look to continue to build continuity and meet the standards we place on ourselves, beginning next weekend in Tucson. It’s not common to be able to add a coach with Tom’s resume and experience at this point in the season, and we felt the timing made sense for both parties. We thank Fred for his efforts and wish him the best throughout his career.”

As a Head Coach, Menas has enjoyed success at the professional and collegiate levels. Before joining San Antonio, Menas was the Head Coach and General Manager of the Albany Empire of the National Arena League and led the franchise to back-to-back championships in 2021 and 2022.

Menas has worked as an assistant coach in a few leagues. From 2020-2021, he was an Assistant Head Coach with the New Jersey Flight in the NAL. His first experience in the IFL was with the Green Bay Blizzard in 2019 as an offensive and defensive line coach. He also served as a Head Coach in the Rivals Professional Football League.

A native of Lapeer, MI, Menas won a NCFA National Championship as the Head Coach of Oakland University as he led the Golden Grizzlies to a record of 23-1 from 2015 through 2017.

Other professional stops included working as a defensive line coach with the Toronto Argonauts from 2003 through 2005 with the team winning the Canadian Football League’s Grey Cup Championship in 2004, and with the Detroit Fury of the Arena Football League from 2000-2002 as a running backs and linebackers coach.

A former guard at Kansas State University (1978-1983), Menas helped the Wildcats to their first-ever Bowl appearance. He then joined the Detroit Lions in 1983, but an injury cut short his NFL career. After his release by the Lions, he signed with the San Antonio Gunslingers of the USFL, where he played with the franchise through 1985.