PRESEASON EditiON - Detroit Lions
PRESEASON EditiON - Detroit Lions
PRESEASON EditiON - Detroit Lions
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exeCutives & CoaChing<br />
<strong>Detroit</strong>lions.com<br />
Media.<strong>Detroit</strong>lions.com<br />
silas<br />
mCkinnie<br />
Regional<br />
Scout<br />
Years with <strong>Lions</strong>: 10<br />
Silas McKinnie enters his 10th season as personnel scout with<br />
the <strong>Lions</strong>. Prior to joining the club in 2003, McKinnie spent five NFL<br />
seasons (1997-2002) as a regional scout with the Minnesota Vikings.<br />
Before joining the Vikings, McKinnie concluded a 20-year career as<br />
a college basketball coach, including a three-year stint as an assistant<br />
coach for the University of Miami (1994-96).<br />
McKinnie played football at the University of Iowa from 1965-67,<br />
where he earned All-Big 10 honors as a running back. He graduated in<br />
1968 with a bachelor’s degree in speech and dramatic arts. Following<br />
graduation, McKinnie played five seasons of professional football with<br />
the Saskatchewan Rough Riders of the Canadian Football League<br />
(1968-71, ’73). He signed with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1972, but<br />
played the season with the Atlanta Falcons and the Kansas City Chiefs.<br />
Silas Anthony McKinnie was born in <strong>Detroit</strong>. He attended<br />
Robichaud High School in Dearborn, Mich., where he earned all-state<br />
honors in both football and basketball. He has a daughter, Ixchel,<br />
and a son, Lance.<br />
dave<br />
sears<br />
Regional<br />
Scout<br />
Years with <strong>Lions</strong>: 6<br />
Dave Sears joined the team as a regional scout in May 2007 after<br />
spending seven seasons with the Houston Texans organization. He<br />
joined the Texans’ personnel department in May 2000 to scout the<br />
central region.<br />
Prior to his stint in Houston, Sears spent three seasons (1997-<br />
2000) working with Washington’s scouting department. He started<br />
with the Redskins as an intern in January 1997 and was hired as their<br />
scouting administrator in May. Sears was promoted as the Redskins’<br />
BLESTO scout in May of 1998. He also spent time interning for the<br />
Springfield Falcons in the American Hockey League.<br />
Sears earned a bachelor degree in sports management from<br />
Springfield (Mass.) College and he was a four-year linebacker for<br />
Springfield’s football team. He attended Hauppauge High School in<br />
his hometown of Hauppauge, N.Y., and lettered in football, basketball<br />
and lacrosse.<br />
Sears is married to wife, Nancy and together they have a<br />
daughter, Delaine.<br />
dave<br />
uyrus<br />
National<br />
Scout<br />
Years with <strong>Lions</strong>: 13<br />
Dave Uyrus joined the <strong>Lions</strong>’ personnel department as an area<br />
scout in June 2000, and 2011 marks his 13th season with the club.<br />
Prior to joining the club’s scouting staff, Uyrus spent seven years<br />
(1994-2000) with New England. He started as their assistant director<br />
of pro scouting (1994-96) and then was director of pro scouting for<br />
three years (1997-99). Uyrus worked as a national scout for the<br />
Patriots in 2000.<br />
Uyrus has been coaching and scouting in the collegiate and<br />
professional ranks for nearly 40 years, beginning with his first job<br />
in 1974 as freshman coach of his alma mater, Middlebury College.<br />
In 1975 he coached the varsity tight ends at Brown University and<br />
the following year he was an assistant coach at Lee High School<br />
in Lee, Massachusetts. He then joined Dick MacPherson’s staff at<br />
Massachusetts as a graduate assistant in 1977-78 before moving on to<br />
American International in 1979 and Merchant Marine Academy in 1980.<br />
Following those stints, Uyrus then re-joined MacPherson’s staff at<br />
Syracuse in 1981. He spent 10 seasons (1981-90) with the Orangeman,<br />
six as the tight ends and special teams coach (1985-90). He moved into<br />
the professional ranks after MacPherson was named the head coach of<br />
the Patriots in 1991. He spent the 1991-92 campaigns as the Patriots’<br />
assistant defensive line and special teams coach before coaching the<br />
tight ends and special teams at Cornell in 1993.<br />
As a player, Uyrus earned honorable mention Little All-American,<br />
All-ECAC and All-New England Small College honors as a junior at<br />
Middlebury.<br />
He and his wife, Heidi, have two daughters: Haley and Gwendolyn.<br />
CedriC<br />
saunders<br />
Vice President of<br />
Football Operations<br />
Years with <strong>Lions</strong>: 7<br />
Cedric Saunders is in his seventh year with the <strong>Lions</strong> and was<br />
named vice president of football operations September 24, 2008. In<br />
2007, Saunders was promoted to director of football operations in<br />
his second season with the club. He came to <strong>Detroit</strong> after spending<br />
the previous five seasons with Tampa Bay.<br />
Saunders works closely with Executive Vice President of Football<br />
Operations and General Manager Martin Mayhew and oversees<br />
the team’s football operations, including the coordination of the<br />
year-round football calendar. Among his football operations duties,<br />
Saunders oversees the <strong>Lions</strong>’ player development department, video<br />
department, equipment operations, team travel, athletic training<br />
staff, strength and conditioning, cafeteria operations, security<br />
department and human resources. Along with the coordination of those<br />
departments, he handles the annual budgets for the coaching staff,<br />
coaching support staff and player personnel department.<br />
He also assists with player personnel, including the development<br />
of the team’s roster, college scouting and on-campus visits and pro<br />
talent evaluation. Saunders plays a role in the coordination of the<br />
team’s free agency and draft agenda, including free agent and draft<br />
eligible visits.<br />
Each season, Saunders is responsible for interviewing and hiring<br />
coaching interns as part of the NFL Minority Coaching Program.<br />
In addition to his various football operations responsibilities, he<br />
also assists with contract negotiation.<br />
While directing the player development department in Tampa<br />
Bay, Saunders helped get players involved in continuing education<br />
programs, off-season internships and jobs to prepare for possible<br />
post-NFL careers. He was also the main contact between the players<br />
and the club’s community relations department and encouraged player<br />
involvement in charities and community activities.<br />
Prior to joining the Buccaneers, Saunders spent the previous<br />
two seasons as an area scout for the Kansas City Chiefs, evaluating<br />
college talent in the Midwest. A native of Sarasota, Fla., Saunders<br />
was in training camp for three seasons with Tampa Bay (1994-96), and<br />
saw action on both the practice squad and active roster in 1995 as a<br />
tight end and special teams player. He also played with the Scottish<br />
Claymores of NFL Europe in 1997.<br />
A four-year starter at Ohio State, Saunders posted 68 career<br />
receptions for 853 yards for the Buckeyes. He recorded 27 catches<br />
and earned second-team All-Big 10 honors as a senior in 1993 and<br />
was an honorable mention selection as a junior.<br />
Saunders and his wife, Bashi, have two daughters, Reegan and<br />
Charlie Bleu, and two sons, Cayden and Kai.