Coaches and Personnel (2021)
John Johnson brings extensive experience coaching football from both high school and semiprofessional levels, including more than a decade of experience working with women’s semipro teams. From 2010 to 2013, Johnson was the Defensive Coordinator and Head Coach of the New England Intensity, and in 2018 he lead the Renegades to a national title in his third year as head coach. Johnson repeated that feat in 2019. He also held the positions of Defensive Coordinator and Offensive Coordinator with the Boston Bandits men’s semiprofessional football team, of which he was a member for nine years, winning four New England Football League (NEFL) championships during his tenure. Johnson currently coaches at Framingham (Mass.) High School as a Varsity Assistant Coach.
Vernon Crawford is a former linebacker and special teams player for the New England Patriots. After attending Florida State where he was a standout on special teams, Crawford was drafted by the Patriots in 1997. He was named to the NFL All Rookie Special Teams Honorable Mention list that season. Vernon spent three seasons with New England and finished his playing career as a member of the Green Bay Packers. He resides in Attleboro, Mass., with his wife Tuere Crawford and their 3 kids. Since retiring as a player, Vern has amassed extensive experience coaching all phases of the game at the high school and college levels. He is currently head coach of the Seekonk (Mass.) High School football team. He was Defensive Coordinator for the Boston Militia (2008-2014) before joining the Renegades coaching staff in 2016.
Coach Cliff Ashley joined the Renegades for their inaugural 2015 season as the team’s kicking coach before being promoted to the position of Special Teams Coordinator at the start of the 2016 season. Coach Ashley began his career in women’s football as the athletic trainer and kicking coach for the New England Intensity for eight seasons, accompanying them through seven trips to the playoffs and a national championship berth in 2012. He was the first staff member and the first male to be selected to that team’s Hall of Fame. A collegiate soccer and lacrosse player, he earned a degree in athletic training and has been working with athletes ever since. Cliff has worked in minor-league baseball for the Marlins, in minor-league hockey for the Bruins, and for the US Women’s Rugby team. He was Head Athletic Trainer at Berkshire School (Sheffield, Mass.), and taught in the Athletic Training Program at Northeastern University while pursuing his graduate studies in exercise physiology.
Coach Brown played receiver at Seekonk (Mass.) High School and the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth where he studied Criminal Justice and Psychology. He joined the Seekonk High coaching staff in 2018 and the Renegades coaching staff in 2019.
Coach Cabrera has over 21 years of football playing experience. She played with the New England Storm, Boston Warriors, Boston Rampage, and Boston Militia before playing for the Boston Renegades until 2018. She is a three-time National Champion (2010, 2011, 2018). Coach Cabrera joined the Renegades staff in 2018, bringing significant experience having played both on the defensive and offensive lines. Off the field, she is a graduate of Emmanuel College and a Lieutenant for the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department. Cabrera hails from Brooklyn, N.Y., and is a proud New York Giants fan. She plays flag football and basketball for fun, and coaches basketball in addition to her role with the Renegades.
Coach Callahan was a captain of the Concord-Carlisle (Mass.) High School football team, and played for the Boston Bandits (NEFL) men’s semipro football team. He has coached Division 1 high school football at Catholic Memorial (West Roxbury, Mass.) as well as Pop Warner. Callahan also coached running backs, linemen, special teams, and defense over a five year period with the New England Intensity (2009-2013). Callahan joined the Renegades staff in 2016.
Coach Chau brings over 20 years of coaching experience. Before becoming Head Coach for the Chelsea High School Red Devils in 2018, Rasi coached in several capacities at the high school level at St. Mary’s (Lynn, Mass.), Trinity Catholic (Newton, Mass.), Pope John (Everett, Mass.), and Lynn Tech. Chau has also held several coaching positions within the New England Football League (NEFL), including head coach of the New Hampshire Beavers and defensive coordinator of the North Shore Generals. Before coaching, Rasi played football at Lynn Classical High School, UMASS Boston, and in the semipro ranks.Jennifer “Coco” Edwards played offensive line and defensive line with the New England Intensity (2006-2013), finishing her career with the Boston Militia (2014). She began her football coaching career in 2015 with the Renegades as an assistant coach. Off the field, she is a fitness instructor and manager at Partners Healthcare. She graduated from University of Massachusetts at Amherst majoring in legal studies. A proud Dallas Cowboys fan, Coach Edwards also plays flag football and basketball for fun.
Coach Goodwin played middle linebacker for the Massachusetts Mutiny (2006-2007), the Boston Militia (2008-2013), and the first U.S. Women’s National Football Team (2010). She attended the University of California at Berkeley, where she played on the women’s soccer and ultimate teams. After college, Goodwin continued playing ultimate for eleven years, going on to win a total of 11 Ultimate Frisbee National and three World Championships. She is a member of the USA Ultimate Hall of Fame. Goodwin grew up in Denver, Colorado, as an avid football fan with a particular fondness for middle linebacker Tom Jackson and the Denver Broncos. She is a cofounder and the Chief Financial Officer for the Boston Women’s Football organization. She is the proud aunt to 6 nieces and 3 nephews.
Alan Lockhart is a veteran coach of both men’s and women’s football. His prior coaching experience includes two seasons with the New England Intensity, three seasons with the New England Storm, and thirteen with the Randolph Oilers, a men’s team in the Eastern Football League. Lockhart played for the Oilers himself until an injury cut his playing career short, after which he turned to coaching to stay involved with the game he loves. Coach Lockhart first joined the Renegades’ coaching staff in 2015.Wellness Personnel
Dr. Nascimento is well known in the Boston athletics community. In addition to being the Renegades’ team doctor, he is currently the Assistant Chief of Sports Medicine at Newton-Wellesley Hospital and team physician for Boston College Athletics. Previously, he was the Head Team Physician for the Boston Cannons professional lacrosse team and the Boston Breakers professional soccer team.
Benjamin Brown is an NSCA Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (currently re-certified with distinction) and is a USA Track and Field and USA Weightlifting Coach. He is also the Renegades’ General Manager. In 2014, he served as the strength and conditioning coach for the Boston Militia and the Boston Bandits, a men’s semipro football team. Both teams were highly successful: the Bandits went 8-2, advancing to their conference finals, and the Boston Militia were undefeated, earning a national championship title. Previous to that, Brown was the general manager and strength and conditioning coach for the New England Intensity (2005-2013), helping them improve from a 1-9 record to playing in three consecutive conference championship games from 2011 to 2013. A Georgia Tech graduate and current Marine Captain who served in Iraq, Brown lives in Dedham, Mass., and enjoys spending time with those close to him, shooting, golfing, skiing, and making obscure song and movie references. He has been with the Renegades since its inception in 2015.
Dawn has nearly two decades of experience as an athletic trainer, providing her expertise to collegiate athletic programs at Fordham University and Seton Hall, professional sports teams like the Boston Breakers and the Renegades, as well as medical facilities like St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center and Newton-Wellesley Hospital where she now works. She also attends to the sports medicine needs of Boston College Club Athletics.