Greg Gaskins Named New Head Coach of the D.C. Divas

D.C. Divas Football added 2 new photos.

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Greg Gaskins Named New Head Coach of the D.C. Divas
Alison Fischer Resigns Post to Join D.C. Divas Front Office

Washington, DC – Alison Fischer, who guided the D.C. Divas to back-to-back national championships the past two years, stepped down today after five seasons as the team’s head coach. With Fischer’s departure, Divas co-offensive coordinator Greg Gaskins has been promoted as the head coach of the D.C. Divas for the 2017 season. Both announcements were made today by Divas owner and team president Paul Hamlin.

“As a player, I knew when it was time for me to step away from the field, and now I feel the time is right for me to relinquish the reins as the head coach of the D.C. Divas,” Fischer said. “With a strong core of players and coaches in place, I have no doubt this team will continue to be very successful in the years to come.”

“The Divas have been such a large part of my life for the past 16 years,” Fischer continued. “I’ve met some amazing people in my years with the team and have formed lifelong friendships along the way. I’ve played with and coached some incredible players, was surrounded by the best coaches in the sport, and was supported by a very hardworking and dedicated front office. I feel very fortunate and blessed to have been a part of such a quality organization for so many years.”

Alison Fischer has been a fixture on the Divas sidelines since the team’s founding in 2001. She began her football career as a defensive back on the original Divas team in 2001 and played ten seasons from 2001-2009 and 2011. Fischer was a respected team leader who was elected as a team captain by her teammates in 2002, 2007, and 2011.

Fischer retired from playing after the 2011 season, and despite a thin coaching resume, Hamlin immediately hired her as the head coach of the D.C. Divas in 2012. “Alison Fischer was a coach on the field for us when she played, and I knew she had all the ingredients to be a great coach when I hired her,” Hamlin said. “She didn’t have much coaching experience, but she knew women’s football. She knew our team, and she knew the game.”

Alison Fischer experienced remarkable success in her five seasons as the head coach of the D.C. Divas, guiding the team to five straight division championships and a 39-13 record. Her 39 victories as a head coach rank second in franchise history behind the Divas’ beloved former coach, Ezra Cooper, under whom Fischer played for eight seasons.

Fischer was named the Women’s Football Alliance (WFA) Coach of the Year in 2015, when she led the Divas to a perfect 12-0 record and the second national championship in franchise history. The Divas repeated that performance this past season, winning the 2016 national title as well. Fischer became the first head coach to guide her team to consecutive WFA national championships.

“A solid foundation for this team was put in place by Coach Cooper, and we’ve continued to build on what he and the players before us started,” Fischer declared. “Prior to my being hired and through my first couple of years as head coach, there were some particularly challenging circumstances we endured, coming up short of a championship time and time again.”

“The past two seasons have really been a culmination of the efforts and sacrifices that so many players, coaches, and staff have made over our 16-year history,” Fischer added. “I don’t know that there’s any better feeling than pouring your collective hearts and souls into working towards a common goal and then accomplishing that mission together. I’m extremely proud of what this team has been able to achieve and honored to be a part of it.”

“We had always been a good team, but Fisch took the Divas to another level,” Hamlin stated. “You don’t change a team overnight, and it took a few seasons for her to get the right assistant coaches in the right positions. But she methodically did that and, in conjunction with our coordinators, eventually developed offensive and defensive schemes that helped the Divas become one of the most dominant teams women’s football has ever seen.”

“Alison Fischer has done a remarkable job the past five years as our head coach,” Hamlin concluded. “In my opinion, she has undoubtedly been the best head coach in women’s football the past five years. Fisch assembled a staff of tremendous assistants, and to lead the team to back-to-back national championships is a fantastic record.”

“Mr. Hamlin has been incredibly supportive my entire career, and I can’t thank him enough,” Fischer said. “He had the vision and determination to hire a female head coach and take a chance on someone with very little coaching experience. He truly loves this team and leads the organization with incredible integrity. It has been a privilege to coach for him.”

While Fischer is stepping down as the team’s head coach, she will remain with the organization as a member of the Divas’ front office, with Hamlin today naming Fischer the team’s Vice President of Football Administration. “We are going to be working out her exact role over the next few months, discussing how she can be the most effective helping our team,” Hamlin remarked. “Fisch has superior organizational skills and will be a great addition to our front office. We are very fortunate that she will remain an integral part of this organization.”

“Although I am stepping down as head coach, I will not be leaving the team,” Fischer noted. “I am very happy to say that I will still be involved with the Divas. I look forward to my new role as Vice President of Football Administration and will continue to support this team any way that I can.”

Paul Hamlin wasted no time selecting Fischer’s replacement as head coach. Hamlin announced today that Greg Gaskins, the Divas’ co-offensive coordinator the last two seasons under Fischer, will take over as the head coach of the Divas for the 2017 season.

“Greg Gaskins is the perfect choice to build upon the success we have had the past couple of years,” Hamlin said. “He began as our offensive line coach, and he was so good that he quickly became the co-offensive coordinator. Coach Gaskins has played a major role in our coaching staff the past two years, and I see in him many of the same qualities that made Coach Fischer so successful. He has really won the support of the players and is a natural fit to step into the role as our new head coach.”

“It’s still setting in, but I’m extremely excited,” Gaskins said. “Coaching the D.C. Divas is an incredible opportunity. I know I’m inheriting a championship team and a team with a lot of tradition, and I just hope to continue that tradition.”

“I am so thankful to Mr. Hamlin for giving me this opportunity,” Gaskins continued. “If it weren’t for Mr. Hamlin, I wouldn’t be here in the first place. He was the one who approached me four years ago, when I was fresh out of college and had only one year of experience coaching freshman high school football. Mr. Hamlin came to me and said that I was the right person to lead this offensive line. I’ll always remember the faith he had in me as a coach.”

Greg Gaskins attended William Penn High School in York, Pennsylvania, and was rated as the #15 center prospect in the nation by Rivals.com

 coming out of high school. He earned a scholarship to play offensive line at the University of Pittsburgh for Coach Dave Wannstedt.

As a sophomore in 2009, he saw action for a Panthers team that went 10-3 and finished the year ranked #15 in the nation in the AP poll after defeating North Carolina in a bowl game. The following year, Gaskins started four games at right guard as Pitt went on to win the Big East Conference championship and defeat Kentucky in the Compass Bowl.

Gaskins was again a constant in the Pitt lineup as a college senior, leading the team back to their second straight appearance in the Compass Bowl. In his four seasons at Pitt, the Panthers had tremendous success, compiling a 33-19 record and playing in four straight bowl games. After his college career, Greg Gaskins moved to Washington, DC, in 2012 and started coaching at Gonzaga High School before joining the Divas the following year.

In 2015, Alison Fischer promoted Gaskins to co-offensive coordinator, and he was a key member of the coaching staff that helped the Divas secure back-to-back national titles. “I’m very happy and excited for Greg to become the new head coach,” Fischer said. “In addition to having a very sharp football mind, he is well-respected by both coaches and players. He’s also an excellent teacher and has done an amazing job coaching what has been an outstanding offensive line. I look forward to watching this team continue to grow under his leadership.”

“Without Coach Fischer, I would never have been in this position,” Greg Gaskins said. “Coach Fischer is one of the people who allowed me to grow into my role here. She showed me how to let the people under you know what you expect but still not micromanage them, letting them do what they do best. She allowed me to become the best coach I could be, and I will always be grateful to her for all she has taught me.”

Now in his fifth season with the team, Coach Greg Gaskins will become the fifth head coach in the 17-year history of the D.C. Divas. “From my first year here to now, the D.C. Divas have grown tremendously as an organization,” Coach Gaskins said. “I see the D.C. Divas as the standard in women’s football. You can’t talk about women’s football without mentioning the D.C. Divas. The Divas are one of the premier teams in the sport, and having won back-to-back national championships just makes us that much more prominent.”

“With all that said, I know that means I have a lot to uphold to lead this team,” Gaskins continued. “I intend to hold our players to that same high standard. They have to understand what they’re a part of. They’re not just playing for any old team; they’re joining a team with over 15 years of tradition and winning at a high level. We have to uphold the standard of those who have come before us.”

In his first act as head coach, Greg Gaskins will oversee the first D.C. Divas tryouts for the upcoming 2017 season, scheduled for Saturday, October 1, at the Prince George’s Sports Complex in Landover beginning at 10 AM. “Coming off of back-to-back national titles, I know there are a lot of women who want to be a part of this,” Gaskins said. “This will be our first opportunity to see all of the talent out there that we can bring in. Rookies are a big part of any team, and everyone will be starting with a clean slate next year. October 1 is our first chance to start building this team for next year, and I couldn’t be more excited.”