New Board Elected; Gravelle Named President & General Manager
The St. Louis Blues Australian Football Club has named a new board and president.
From left to right, Vice President Mark Politz, Secretary Pete Nagel, Member at Large Rhiannon Duryea, President/General Manager Robert Gravelle, and Treasurer/Social Media Mogul Stephen Zenishek.
Gravelle moved to St. Louis from Chicago and together with long-time member Dave Zitko and others helped breathe new life into the club.
Gravelle takes over as president after Zitko stepped down after a decade of outstanding leadership.
Lozano Takes Coaching Reins
Former player and assistant Richard Lozano takes over as senior coach of the St. Louis Australian Football Club for the 2024 season.
Coach Lozano began his career with Aussie Rules in 1998 as one of the earlier members of The Blues. Lozano was slated to join the coaching staff of the U23 Revolution for the Arafura Games in Australia in 2003, but the international games were canceled due to concerns over SARS.
As a player, Lozano played full forward and was selected for team of the decade in 2007 as well as the 25th anniversary team in 2023.
Lozano was the recipient of the USAFL’s Club Heritage Award in 2022 and was made a Life Member of the St. Louis Australian Football Club in 2023.
“I am looking forward to continuing the work of bringing Aussie Rules back to St. Louis and growing it to new levels in our city,” said Lozano. “This is an exceptional sport that even the most serious athlete will find fun and very challenging. We don’t play a modified version. This is the real sport.”
Lozano is joined by his former teammate and current USAFL secretary Jim Martin and Australian Troy Kirk.