Les Moss is joining the Bay Area Panthers for 2025 as Assistant Head Coach while also leading the offensive line unit.
Moss spent the previous three years in the Indoor Football League as the Head Coach of the Northern Arizona Wranglers, making two trips to the playoffs and winning the 2022 IFL National Championship. Notably, the aforementioned title came with current Panthers Head Coach Rob Keefe serving as Wranglers defensive coordinator, which was on the heels of a 1-13 season in 2021.
The 2022 turnaround for NAZ earned Moss the IFL Coach of the Year award in what was his first campaign in Prescott Valley. As the champs, the Wranglers finished with a 12-4 record, winning their final eight contests of the year.
With Bay Area, Moss and Keefe are joining forces for the fourth time, looking to add to their collective championship pedigree. The pair made the playoffs at each of their three previous stops together, including two championships—one with the Albany Empire (AFL) in 2019 and another with Northern Arizona in 2022.
"I have great respect for Coach Moss, and I am thrilled that our players will be able to work with someone I consider a mentor—someone who will preach consistency, accountability, and greatness on a daily basis," Coach Keefe told Panthers play-by-play voice Dave Lewis upon last September’s hiring in San Jose.
A revolutionary of indoor football, Moss has worked on teams that have played in 14 championship games during his tenures. He won his first title as a head coach with the Jacksonville Sharks of the AFL in 2011, and brings over 35 years of coaching experience to the Panthers.
Moss’ most established stay within the sport was as Jacksonville’s head coach, which spanned seven seasons from 2010 to 2016. There, he accumulated a 77-54 (.588) overall record.
Originally, Moss grew up in Orlando, FL. He was raised with a football background, and stayed nearby for college, attending University of Central Florida. A son of the game, his father coached throughout the professional and collegiate ranks for five decades.
"Being a part of the Panthers organization is a tremendous opportunity," Moss told Lewis prior to the 2025 campaign. "They've got great ownership and have everybody pulling on the rope the same way to fight for a championship."
