Lawrence Samuels
American football player and coach (born 1970)
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Lawrence "Law Dogg" Samuels (born May 1, 1970) is an American football coach and former player. He played college football at Livingston University, and was an Arena Football League (AFL) wide receiver/linebacker from 1994 to 2010.[1] He was head coach of the Tampa Bay Storm of the AFL from 2014 to 2016.
Mobile, Alabama, U.S.
Samuels with Adrian McPherson during a 2013 game. | |||||||||||||
| Profile | |||||||||||||
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| Position | Head coach | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
| Born | May 1, 1970 Mobile, Alabama, U.S. | ||||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 215 lb (98 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school | Mobile (AL) Shaw | ||||||||||||
| College | Livingston (AL) | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
Playing | |||||||||||||
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Coaching | |||||||||||||
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| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||||
| Career Arena League statistics | |||||||||||||
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| Head coaching record | |||||||||||||
| Regular season | 17–35 (.327) | ||||||||||||
| Postseason | 0–0 (.000) | ||||||||||||
| Career | 17–36 (.321) | ||||||||||||
Early life
Born in Mobile, Alabama, Samuels attended Shaw High School in Mobile. Samuels was a basketball player in high school, but was lured to the football field after seeing most of his childhood friends join the Shaw team.[2]
Samuels received both his Bachelor of Science degree in industrial technology and Master of Science degree in education from The University of West Alabama.
Professional career
Tampa Bay Storm
Samuels made his AFL debut in 1994 with the Tampa Bay Storm, racking up 247 receptions through the 2000 season for over 3,120 yards in his first tenure with the Storm.
New Jersey Gladiators
In 2001, Samuels left the Storm and played the season with the New Jersey Gladiators, catching 65 passes (a career high at the time) for 742 yards, just short of his 844-yard career high receiving season he recorded the year before with Tampa Bay.
Return to the Storm
After a single season in New Jersey, Samuels returned to Tampa,[3] where he finished his playing career. From 2003-2007, Samuels notched 1,000+ yards receiving in 4 of 5 seasons, including back-to-back-to-back 1,100 yard+ seasons in 2005, 2006, and 2007. Was named MVP and Ironman of ArenaBowl XVII.
In 2007, after 5 losses to begin the season, Samuels was again named to the AFL's All-Ironman Team after leading the Storm to a #3 seed in the playoffs. 100+ catches, 1,000+ yards, and 100+ touchdowns also helped Samuels earn the honor.
On June 15, 2008, Samuels became the first receiver in AFL history to record 1,000 career receptions. [dead link]
On August 10, 2013, Samuels was inducted into the AFL Hall of Fame.[4]
Coaching career
In 2002 and 2003, Samuels was an assistant coach and wide receivers coach at Central High School in Brooksville, Florida.
Samuels was the offensive coordinator and receivers coach for the Wharton High School Wildcats during the 2005 and 2006 seasons.
In 2011, Samuels was named the offensive coordinator of the Storm, working with one of his former coaches, Dave Ewart.[5]
Ewart was fired in early August 2013, and on September 5, 2013, Samuels was promoted to head coach of the Storm.[6] Samuels and the Storm mutually agreed to part ways in August 2016.[7]
In 2017, Samuels was hired as the tight ends coach at Tuskegee University.[8]
Head coaching record
Personal
Samuels's brother, Chris Samuels, was a six-time Pro-Bowler in the National Football League (NFL). He and his wife, Kelli, have two daughters.