ORCHARD PARK, NY- The Buffalo Bills have named Travis Bush, Gabriel Franklin, Ernie Gutierrez, Elvis Joseph, Chris McAlister, Andre Reed and Kenechi Udeze as the 2015 Bill Walsh Minority Coaching Fellowship participants. Bush, Franklin, Gutierrez, Joseph, McAlister, Reed and Udeze will assist the Bills’ coaching staff during mandatory minicamp in Orchard Park and at Buffalo Bills Training Camp presented by Connors & Ferris at St. John Fisher College in Pittsford, NY.
Bush will work with the Bills’ running backs. After playing four years at wide receiver for Texas State, Bush made the jump to coaching as a graduate assistant with TCU. From there, Bush eventually moved on to his current position with the University of Houston where he currently serves as the Assistant Head Coach/Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks Coach.
Franklin will assist with the Bills’ defensive backs. Due to his exceptional play while at Boise State, Franklin ranks near the top of school history with 18 career interceptions. After a brief professional playing career, Franklin returned to his high school alma mater to get his coaching start. He then moved on to the University of California and University of San Diego before ending up at UTEP. He has been the Defensive Backs Coach/Recruiting Coordinator since July of 2011.
Gutierrez will work with the Bills’ special teamers. A high school coach at La Mirada High School in La Mirada, California, he previously was a minority coaching fellow with the New York Jets in 2013.
Joseph will assist with the Bills’ tight ends. After a three-year playing career with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Joseph returned to his alma mater of Southern University to coach. In his sixth year with Southern, he is currently the Senior Associate Head Coach/Running Backs Coach.
McAlister will work with the Bills’ defensive backs for the second year in a row. After a standout collegiate career at the University of Arizona, McAlister played 11 seasons in the NFL, including stints Baltimore and New Orleans. A two-time All-Pro and three-time Pro Bowl selection, McAlister also was a member of the Ravens team that won Super Bowl XXXV. He finished his career with 339 tackles, 26 interceptions and five touchdowns. McAlister played under current Bills defensive backs coach, Donnie Henderson, from 1999-2003.
Reed will assist with the Bills’ wide receivers. A 2014 Hall of Fame inductee, Reed put together an illustrious 16-year NFL career, with 15 of those seasons coming in Buffalo. After retiring as the Bills all-time career leader in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns, he has his eyes set on coaching in the NFL. Reed was previously a Bill Walsh Minority Fellow with Kansas City in 2013.
Udeze will work with the Bills’ defensive linemen. He was a three year started at the University of Southern California and was a first round selection by the Minnesota Vikings in 2004. After being forced to retire due to a diagnosis of acute lymphoblastic leukemia in 2008, Udeze turned to coaching. He currently serves as the assistant Strength and Conditioning coach at USC.
The Bill Walsh Minority Coaching Fellowship is designed to expose talented minority college coaches to the methods and philosophies of summer NFL training camps. Walsh introduced the idea to the league in 1987 when he brought in a group of such coaches into his San Francisco 49ers training camp. Eventually every NFL team became a participant in the program.
The Buffalo Bills have participated in the Bill Walsh Minority Coaching Fellowship program since 1989.
Below is a list of Buffalo’s participants in the Bill Walsh Minority Coaching Fellowship program.
1989: Curtis Jones, Southern Methodist University
Mac Singleton, Harvard
1990: Bobby Turner, Ohio State
Lenny Willis, Boston College
1991: Rudy Hughes, Lehigh University
Ricky Porter, Slippery Rock
1992: Juan Castillo, Texas A & I
Gary Emanuel, Syracuse
1993: Ron Sharpless, Virginia Tech.
Sherman Smith, Illinois
1994: Dwayne Dixon, Florida
Jethro Franklin, Fresno State
1995: Louis Garza, Southwest Texas State
Buddy Wyatt, Minnesota
1996: Art Valero, Utah State
Theo Young, Rice
1997: Sanders Shivers, Howard
Donnie Roberts, Lehigh
1998: David Moody, Jr, Texas Tech
Vernon Perry, Prairie View A&M
1999: James Saxton, Rutgers
Dennis Simmons, Cornell
2000: Derrick Burroughs
Andrew Dees, Stony Brook
2001: Reginald Brown, Texas Southern
Ricky Hunley, Florida
2002: Reginald Brown, Texas Southern
O’Neill Gilbert, no affiliation
2003: Barry Foster, NFLEL
Robert Lyles, AFL
2004: Joe Bowden, NFLEL Coaching intern
Tim Lester, NFLEL Coaching intern
2005: Broderick Lee Fobbs, Northwestern State
Antonio Goss, University at Buffalo and former NFL player
Ernie Mills, former NFL player
2006: Steve Little, Trinity International
Adrian White, Former NFLEL coach and NFL player
2007: Steve Little, Trinity International
Nathan Poole, former NFL player
Adrian White, former NFL player
2008: Jeff Burris, former NFL player
Kenneth Ray, North Carolina A&T
2009: Michael Barrow, former NFL player
Dwayne Foster, Prairie View A&M
2010: Ricky Brumfield, Fairmont State
Steve Ellis, Middle Tennessee State
Brian Jean-Mary, Louisville
Dennis Springer, Indiana
2011: Jamal Fobbs, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
Ernest Jones, University at Buffalo
William Inge, University at Buffalo
2012: Eugene Daniel, former NFL player
Keith Higdon, Tuskegee
Rashaan Jordan, Brockport
Gabe Northern, Prairie View A&M
2013: Antwon Bailey, St. Johns College High School
Michael Grant, North Texas University
Matthew Scott, University of Albany
Jamar Nesbit, former NFL player
Kevin Mawae, former NFL player
2014: Siriki Diabate, Syracuse University
Chris McAlister, former NFL player
Myles Russ, Robert Morris University
2015: Travis Bush, University of Houston
Gabriel Franklin, UTEP
Ernie Gutierrez, La Mirada High School
Elvis Joseph, Southern University
Chris McAlister, former NFL player
Andre Reed, former NFL player
Kenechi Udeze, former NFL player
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