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JEFF GONOS
General Manager
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Jeff Gonos is entering his third year as General Manager of the Columbus Lions.
He began his football career as the Assistant GM of Erie Invaders of Indoor Football league with former WIFL commissioner Gary Tufford. Tufford then moved on to become the Head Coach and General Manager of the Greensboro Prowlers in af2 where Gonos followed as the Director of Football Operations and Player Personnel. After the team ceased operations after the 2003 season, Gonos moved on to work in the operations department for the Carolina Panthers following their impressive run to Super Bowl XXVIII.
Gonos then moved on to work as the team operations manager for the Amsterdam Admirals of NFL Europe after a recommendation from the Panthers staff. The Admirals finished the season 6-4 and went on to defeat the Berlin Thunder 27-21 in World Bowl XIII lead by RB Jarrett Payton (Tennessee Titans) and QB Kurt Kitner (Atlanta Falcons). Immediately following his return, Jeff continued his football career in the Arena Football League for the Austin Wranglers. The Wranglers finished the 2005 season 10-6 earning their first ever AFL playoff birth with Gonos as the Director of Football Operations. The Wranglers struggled the following season after a series of injuries and inconsistent QB play going 4-12 prompting the team to make a decision to drop to the af2.
Gonos then decided to join former Greensboro Prowler player and coach, and current Lions head coach, Jason Gibson, in Columbus. The two had previously worked and coached together for nearly 5 seasons in af2 and High School football.
Originally from Indiana, PA, Gonos played quarterback at Grove City College before transferring to Penn State to pursue a degree in Biology.
He currently resides in Columbus, GA.
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Matthew Hester
Media Relations Director
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Matthew Hester is entering his third season with the Columbus Lions Indoor Football Team, second as the Director of Media Relations.
While attending his Sports and Event Marketing class one summer afternoon, his college professor asked him if he would be interested in working for the local indoor football franchise, the Columbus Lions. Being the sports junkie he is, Matt quickly obliged and made a phone call to Lions owner John Hargrove. Within a week he was sitting face-to-face with the Head Coach Jason Gibson and was brought on to serve as a Marketing Intern.
That first season while finishing his college degree, Matthew took on roles such as implementing game-day operations, Coaches Show Host, and Color Commentator on Lions road games. In conjunction with the Literacy Alliance, Sylvan Learning Center, and Muscogee County School District, Matt helped administer the season long book promotion by visiting 20 local elementary to help promote the awareness of literacy.
In May of 2008, Matthew obtained his B.B.A in Marketing from Columbus State University becoming the first in his family to achieve a college degree. The following season he was brought back and given the title as Media Relations Director for the 2009 season.
During the 2009 campaign, he served as the clubs play-by-play announcer, game-day operations manager, public relations manager, at the same time as continuing to be the clubs website administrator covering the Lions as they captured the 2009 AIFA Southern Division Crown and just falling short of reaching the championship game.
In addition to his duties with the Lions, Matthew has also served as a radio host on the local Columbus ESPN radio affiliates ESPN 1580 The Zone as well as working on ESPN telecasts such as the annual Tuskegee/Morehouse Classic and STIHL TimberSports Series.
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RICHARD LINEBACK
Sales Manager/ Team Operations
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Richard Lineback is entering his first year with the Columbus Lions as Sales Executive/Team Operations.
His football interest began when he was young, playing in the Little League in Hudson, FL for the Hudson Cobras. He continued to play all throughout Middle School with the Bayonet Point Patriots. He finished playing football with the Hudson High Cobras.
He began his career in sales in 1999 with the Automotive Industry. He worked in Clearwater, Fl at Castriota Chevrolet. In 2001, he moved to Camilla, Ga and worked at Camilla Chevrolet. Richard moved to Columbus, Ga in 2004 and sold at Budget Car and Truck Sales. He now is responsible for all sales of marketing and advertising with the Columbus Lions.
He is married to Chastaty Lineback as of 2008. They have 2 children, Daylin and Kayden.
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MIKE JONES
Creative Director
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706.761.3870
Mike Jones is in his fourth season with the Columbus Lions as the Creative Director. Along with his passion for graphic design, Mike shares a passion for football. He enjoyed two seasons with the Columbus Lions as an Offensive Lineman (#61) prior to his retirement in 2008 due to an unfortunate knee injury.
Mike currently is employed with OmegaFi in Columbus, GA as their Senior Graphic Designer and he owns his own freelance design firm; 826.
Mike earned his BFA in Graphic Design at the University of West Georgia. While attending the university, Mike was an active member of the Kappa Alpha Order (ZK '97) and is currently an active Alumnus.
Mike and his bride, Karen, married in September 2009 and united their two families to include their three children; Jake(8), Alexis(8) and Elise(5). Their favorite family past times are swimming in their pool, going to see Third Dayin concert, attending Cascade Hills Baptist Church in Columbus, GA, playing video and Wii games, and - of course - attending Columbus Lions football games.
GO LIONS!!!
Stay Connected with Mike:
\\ FaceBook \\ Myspace \\ Twitter \\LinkedIn
XBOX Live Gamer Tag: BUCKET826
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JARED MCGRADY
Intern
Jared McGrady is entering his first season with the Columbus Lions. He began his career in the sports industry in 2003 on the Operations Staff for the NBA-Hoop-It-Up Tour in Dallas, TX. He traveled across the country for a whole year coordinating games and assisting with marketing initiatives.
In 2004, he began to work for the DeKalb County Parks & Recreation Department. He worked there as a Recreation Center Director until 2008. In that position he was very pivotal in reviving the athletic and recreational programs at the Tobie Grant Recreation Center in Scottdale, GA. He was the creator of the highly successful King of Scottdale Summer Basketball League, which attracted some of the most talented youth AAU basketball teams in the metro Atlanta area.
He attended law school at Southern University Law Center during the 2008-2009 school year, but decided his passion was in sports and decided to enter the Sport Administration Master’s program at Georgia State University. While at Georgia State, he was an Area Supervisor with Allied Barton Security Services and an Operations & Game Management Intern with the Georgia State University Athletic Department. As an intern he assisted with overall game management within the athletic operations department.
A Decatur, GA native, he attended Cedar Grove High School where he was an All-County centerfielder for the baseball team and also lettered in football. McGrady attended Rollins College to play baseball, but ended up transferring to Morehouse College, where he obtained a B.A. in English. He is scheduled to graduate with an M.S. in Sport Administration from Georgia State University in May 2010. He currently resides in Atlanta, GA
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