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Sports

Menlo College Names New Football Coach

Former SaberCats quarterback lives in San Carlos.

 

The hunt to fill the Menlo College football head-coaching void has concluded and a face familiar to the Bay Area and Menlo community will take the helm as the school’s newest head coach.

Menlo Director of Athletics Keith Spataro announced that Mark Grieb has been named the Menlo head football coach.

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Grieb, a 1996 graduate of UC Davis, makes his return to the Oaks football program following two brief stints as an assistant coach. In 2003 he served as the team’s offensive coordinator and in 2011 he headed up the receiving corps as a position coach.

“I'm very pleased to have Mark join the Oaks family. Throughout the process he demonstrated the character traits and skill set necessary to advance Menlo football into the future,” said Spataro. “Our players, their families and the Menlo community - including the alumni, are going to be extremely pleased to have Mark at the helm. He will prove to be an amazing leader and I look forward to working with him as he builds an amazing football program here at Menlo College.”

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Grieb is thrilled to return to Menlo with the opportunity to take over the responsibilities as head coach.

 “I was really excited because I know what a big deal it is to be offered this position and how many people applied. Even to be someone that was considered to be interviewed for the job was a big deal and I’m obviously really excited about coming here and being the head coach,” said Grieb.

From 1999-2012, Grieb spent 12 successful seasons as the quarterback of the San Jose SaberCats of the Arena Football League (AFL) where he led the squad to three Arena Bowl championships, earning MVP honors in 2004 and 2007.

He earned Maxwell Club Arena Football Player of the Year honors in 2004. During this time he launched an assault on the AFL’s career record books; inking his name in the top-three in 6 career offensive categories including: Most passes completed in a career, completion percentage, passing yards, touchdown passes, most passes attempted, and most seasons as the league leader in passing yards.

He was the first player in AFL history to throw for more than 4,000 yards in seven-straight seasons and the only player in league history to throw for 70-plus scores in nine-straight seasons.

During his last two seasons with the team, Grieb rolled into a role as both a player and coordinator, running offensive meetings and practices and leading offseason workouts for teammates under head coach Darren Arbet and Offensive Coordinator Terry Malley. Utilizing his experiences as both a player and coordinator bodes well for Grieb and his future with Menlo College.

“I think all of your experiences make you think about how you would do things,” said Grieb. “As far as playing, I’ve learned so much from the people I’ve been surrounded by. That’s probably the biggest thing, learning not only the principals of the game but what things are important in trying to teach the game.”

Aside from playing professionally, Grieb has spent the last 10 years coaching in various capacities. He spent a pair of seasons as an assistant coach at his alma mater, UC Davis where he worked with head coach Bob Biggs and coached freshman quarterbacks.

While receiving his Master of Arts degree in Science Education from Stanford University in 2000-01, Grieb was a graduate assistant under Tyrone Willingham where he oversaw the offensive scout team. Aside from his two stints with Menlo, Grieb has also spent time as an assistant coach at Monterey Peninsula College and Foothill College.

Menlo junior wide receiver Mike Alexander was on hand on Tuesday to meet with coach Grieb and noted his anticipation in playing for Coach Grieb and his excitement to begin preparing for the upcoming season.

“I was pretty excited. I’ve worked with Mark Grieb before and I knew he was a great guy and a great coach. I think it’s helpful that he is familiar with the program and I think it will help him to get acclimated to what we are doing here much quicker,” said Alexander. “I’m excited to get things rolling and start focusing on football.”

Apart from his remarkable career with the SaberCats, Grieb also spent a season as a member of the Scottish Claymores of the NFL Europe.

A San Jose native, Grieb was a three-sport standout at San Jose’s Oak Grove High School. He went on to receive a Bachelor of Science degree in Biochemistry from UC Davis and earned a Master’s degree in Science Education from Stanford University. He has spent the last year teaching chemistry at Leland High School in San Jose and currently resides in San Carlos with his wife, Erin and twin daughters, Ava and Maddie.

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