Gabriele Battistella
22 Aug 2022
The rumors have been confirmed
It's official, Gary Gardener, Head Coach of the Bristol Apache, will join the American Football program at the University of Bristol this season.
In sight of the upcoming 2022/2023 Bucs American Football season, the University of Bristol Barracuda and incoming Head Coach, Gary Gardener, will join forces and take on the South West conference of Division 1.
The level of this conference is due to become even more competitive than last year, and Cuda Football has chosen Gary Gardener, current Head Coach of the Bristol Apache (9-0), to lead the team through this next challenge.
In the past few seasons, the level of Cuda Football has been on a steady rise, and the team has seen Coach Gardener as the man fit to continue this trend.
Player and Coaching background:
Coach Gardener has a rich past both as a coach and a player in American Football, and is no stranger to silver-wear.
Gardener played football for many years. He notably played for the Surrey Rams in British Columbia, where he became both Provincial champion and West Conference champion between 1992 and 1994. Whilst playing for the Bristol Aztecs back in the UK, he was crowned National Champion in 2004 and placed 11th with his team on the European stage.
Gardener started his coaching career at Reading University's set-up year in 2008. After retiring as a player, he then became a coach at the Bristol Academy (Filton Pride) in 2016. By 2018 he was the offensive line Coach and Offensive Assistant for the Bristol Aztecs. He is now Head Coach at the Bristol Apache, finding much success in a so-far undefeated season. He leads a team steadily heading towards the 2022 Bowl Game, a team seen by many as Championship favourites.
Here is what Coach Gardener had to say about his arrival to Cuda Football: "I'm excited to begin this new adventure, be part of a young and enthusiastic team, and bring further growth and success to the University of Bristol."
The players and coaching staff at Cuda give Head Coach Gary Gardener a warm welcome to the family