Sam Garnes enters his first season with Denver and second in the NFL after being hired to his current position as the team’s assistant secondary coach on Jan. 27, 2011. Last season, Garnes was a special teams and strength and conditioning assistant under John Fox in Carolina, where he also worked closely with Special Teams Coordinator Jeff Rodgers.
Prior to entering the NFL coaching ranks, Garnes spent five seasons coaching various positions following his seven-year professional playing career. He served as a defensive backs coach with the UFL’s Las Vegas Locomotives in 2009, helping them capture the league’s inaugural championship.
Sam Garnes enters his first season with Denver and second in the NFL after being hired to his current position as the team’s assistant secondary coach on Jan. 27, 2011. Last season, Garnes was a special teams and strength and conditioning assistant under John Fox in Carolina, where he also worked closely with Special Teams Coordinator Jeff Rodgers.
Prior to entering the NFL coaching ranks, Garnes spent five seasons coaching various positions following his seven-year professional playing career. He served as a defensive backs coach with the UFL’s Las Vegas Locomotives in 2009, helping them capture the league’s inaugural championship.
Garnes participated in the NFL’s Minority Internship Program during training camps with New Orleans (2008) and Carolina (2007) after beginning his professional coaching career in 2006 with the Cologne Centurions of NFL Europe. Serving as the defensive backs coach for the Centurions, he helped lead a unit that led the league in pass defense and interceptions.
In 2005, Garnes got his first taste of coaching experience as defensive coordinator for Emerson High School in Emerson, N.J. Garnes played safety for five seasons with the New York Giants (1997-2001), while Fox was the team’s defensive coordinator. He finished his career with the New York Jets, where he played from 2002-03. He started 105-of-106 games and registered 577 tackles, three sacks, 10 interceptions, 41 passes defensed, five forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries during career. He was selected by the Giants in the fifth round of the 1997 NFL Draft.
A three-time first-team All-Conference USA and All-Liberty Bowl Alliance choice at the University of Cincinnati, Garnes finished his career as the Bearcats’ all-time leader in tackles and interceptions and graduated with a degree in criminal justice. He attended DeWitt Clinton High School in Bronx, N.Y., and was born on July 12, 1974.
