Coach Andrew Lanier

Coach Andrew Lanier is a husband and proud father of four kids. Andy was born and raised in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. A retired Lieutenant Colonel with 25 years of service in the United States Army, Andy is the founder of the KC Riverdawgs.

Andy, the son of a high school baseball and football coach and later sports radio personality, grew up in his High School athletic department. He lettered four years in baseball and three years in football, earning various school, county, and conference accolades and an honorable mention to the Toast of the Coast. His collegiate aspirations ended swiftly after an injury and subsequent ACL reconstructive surgery. This experience was a blessing, freeing him to accept an ROTC scholarship and enabling him to complete his studies and receive a commission with the United States Army.

Andy’s involvement with youth athletics grew as his military career was coming to an end. Working with disadvantaged youth, Andy noticed the correlation between the quality of coaching and pay-to-play organizations. This sports architecture does not expose kids to solid coaching and development of fundamentals needed in their formative years of play. This experience led Andy to conceptualize the creation of a non-profit sports organization. Since 2014, Andy has coached various sports teams with the Child Youth Services at Fort Leavenworth, City of Leavenworth Parks and Recreation, Northland Sports Alliance Kansas City, and Platte County Youth Football League. He has completed background checks and certification through USA Softball, USA Baseball, USA Football, and National Youth Sports Association.

Andy earned a Master of Business Administration from Liberty University, Lynchburg, Virginia, and a Bachelor of Arts in Business Economics from Wofford College, Spartanburg, South Carolina. Andy is also a United States Army Command and General Staff College graduate. Andy recently retired as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Tactics and later, the Department of Distance Education at the Army Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth Kansas. Andy and his family reside in Platte County.