2024 Staff

Coach Portman takes over the helm from Coach King who is stepping down as Head Coach but will remain o staff as the assistant head coach to free up some time for he and his family. Charles begins his third season with the Express and in addition to his head coaching duties he will also act as our defensive coordinator.

In Coach Portman's previous 2 seasons the Express have racked up an impressive 20-3 record including 2 division titles, a regional title, GDFL Xtreme Conference Champions, 2021 GDFL National Championship and a 2022 USA Bowl Summer Division National Championship. In January we will once again be heading to Florida to face the Minneapolis Warriors a champions from 2022 as well.

Last season Charles did an amazing job with the ever changing roster. Whether it was injuries or no shows coach Portman kept a positive attitude every practice and game and led by example. He has a great sense for putting players in the best possible position to benefit them and the team. Coach Portman's ability to put players in the best position for success has played a huge roll in the above mentioned team accolades.

Charles is a graduate of Mount Vernon, HS in Alexandria, Virginia where he was a three year letter winner in football. Charles played his college ball at Delaware State before moving to Akron, OH. Charles has served as the defensive coordinator for Springfield, HS (OH). In 2019 Charles joined the Ohio Silverbacks as the Head Coach and Defensive Coordinator. Charles helped guide the Silverbacks to a PAFL T2 Championship and a national bowl game appearance. Prior to joining the Silverbacks Portman served as the Defensive Coordinator of the Ohio Broncos where he helped lead them to a division title and OFL Championship Game appearance.

"A coaching change this close to the start of the season for most teams would be catastrophic. For us and the way this transition is it will be smooth and efficient. Coach King did an amazing job and Coach Port will as well. Our Head Coaches have always been successful guys from within the program and who know what we need. Charles has done an amazing job, is a proven winner everywhere he goes and we expect that to remain the same in his new role. Coach Portman does an amazing job for us. He is as passionate a coach as you will find. By the end of every game he can hardly speak. He pushes his payers to reach their full potential on and off the field. He wants to see them shine and in doing so the team shines. He demands their best and brings that same energy to every practice and game. We hope to have our full squad healthy and ready to rock in January and we know Coach will have the guys ready to go. We are very blessed to have Coach Charles back and are excited to see what we accomplish in 2023"-Director of Operations Paul Pennington.

Coach Portman has recently been named the offensive line coach at Akron Buchtel High School. In his first season there, the Griffs are City Series Champions and have qualified for the OHSAA Playoffs! GO GRIFFS!

Charles resides in Akron, OH with his wife and three children.

The Erie Express are pleased to announce Dane Staaf as our new Director of Media Relations. Dane will be responsible for maintaining our website as well as managing the flow of communication and information between our sponsors and fans.

Dane begins his first year in this new role but has been a part of the Express since 2017. Dane has helped with gameday videography, sponsorships and general help throughout the week and on gamedays.

Staaf is a graduate of Corry High School where he was a member of the Beavers football team.

Dane owned and operated Gem City Flag Football for the community for 4 years. One of our premier players, Antonio Batista was first seen during one of the Gem City games. 

Dane has filmed game highlights and has prior community out reach experience as well. In addition to his work with the Erie Express, Dane has also worked with former Express stand out QB Brandon Hanna's varsity team at Jefferson High (OH). That year the Falcons made it to the OSHAA state semi finals for the first time in school history.

Dane has also served as youth baseball and football coach in MYAA for several seasons.

"Dane has done a great job for us every year. He is a football guy and he gets it. He knows what we are trying to accomplish and does his best to make sure it happens. He has been a great asset to us throughout the years and we feel very confident that he will excel in his new role with the team"-Director of Operations Paul Pennington.

GO EXPRESS!

The Erie Express are happy to announce Damien Lane as our new Director of Community Outreach. Damien will be in charge of securing partnerships with local businesses as well as securing opportunities for the Express to help make a difference in the community.

This is the first season in this capacity for Damien but he is no rookie to the Express. He has played for us as well as worked our sideline videographer for the past few seasons. He did an amazing job capturing many of the highlights during our 2021 GDFL Championship season.

Lane is a graduate of McDowell High School where he was a member of the football and baseball teams. Damien holds the (15-16yr old) state record in CF baseball for stolen bases with 12 in 4 games. Since graduation, Lane has stayed active in the game playing 15 flag seasons. Along the way he has won seven league championships and two defensive player of the season titles. Damien has also referred flag football for the past three seasons.

"Damien is an amazing person. He loves the team and does whatever is asked to make us better. He has a ton of great ideas and is self motivated to be great. We absolutely love his energy and what he brings to the team. We know he will do an amazing job in this role and are blessed to have him on board with us."-Director of Operations Paul Pennington.

Welcome back on board the PAINTRAIN Damien! GO EXPRESS!

The Erie Express are pleased to announce the addition of Nate Angus to our coaching staff for 2024. Nate begins his first season with the Express and will serve as an offensive assistant for us and handle the Pass Game Coordinator duties.

Nate is a graduate of Derry, HS where he was a member of the WIPAL runner up team in 2018 as well as being crowned Conference Champions 3x during his High School Career.

After High School Nate played for the Allegheny Gators as a quarterback where he studied computer science. 

Nate came back home to coach at Derry, HS as a Quarterbacks Coach and Offensive Assistant. Nate was responsible for the play calling of the JV team as well as working hand in hand with the offensive coordinator on varsity gamedays.

Angus has also coached for the DAMF Wolves where he has served two seasons as the offensive coordinator leading the Wolfpack to back to back WPYFL Semifinals appearances.

"Nate comes from winning programs and has proven himself to be a winning coach. He will work side by side with our OC Brandon Hanna to help put our players in the best position to succeed. His attitude and background as a former college player are great attributes and we feel confident he will be a tremendous asset for our players and fellow coaches. We are blessed to have Nate on board with us and are expecting a great season from our playmakers"-Director of Operations Paul Pennington.

Welcome aboard the PAINTRAIN Coach Angus! GO EXPRESS!