Projo Sports Blog

Cranston East head football coach Tom Centore is one of 51 high school coaches selected by the NFL to participate in a youth football summitt Hall of Fame weekend. Here's the NFL's full press release.

Fifty-one top high school football coaches, one from each state and Washington, DC, have been selected by the NFL to participate in the eighth annual NFL Youth Football Summit July 22-25 during the lead up to August's 2008 Hall of Fame Weekend in Canton.

In addition to these coaches, more than 100 high school coaches and other supporters of youth and high school football, including 22 former NFL players now coaching at the youth and high school level and youth football coaches from Canada, Japan, Mexico and the United Kingdom, will attend the educational seminars held at Kent State Stark Professional Education & Conference Center in Canton, which are designed to support the youth coaching community.

ED THOMAS of Aplington-Parkersburg High School will be a special guest at this year's summit. Thomas, the 2005 N.F.L. High School Coach of the Year, coached Lions DE JARED DEVRIES, Packers DE AARON KAMPMAN, Jaguars C BRAD MEESTER, and Broncos C CASEY WIEGMANN during their high school playing careers. He will speak with the assembled coaches about building character in his players and the challenges of keeping team and community together following a natural disaster. On May 25, a tornado touched down in Parkersburg and destroyed much of the town, including the high school. So far, the NFL has matched approximately $50,000 in player donations to Aplington-Parkersburg High School through the NFL Youth Football Fund.

Several football experts and NFL greats, including three-time Super Bowl champion RIKI ELLISON of San Francisco 49ers and former Dallas Cowboys personnel chief GIL BRANDT, will be on hand to discuss topics vital to the continued success of youth and high school football. In addition, Cleveland Browns Senior Vice President and General Manager PHIL SAVAGE will address Summit participants on the role of the youth and high school football coach and the impact they have on players.

Leaders in the fields of sports medicine and sports psychology will also address the group. DR. LINN GOLDBERG of Oregon Health & Science University will lead a steroid and supplement education session, and discuss the NFL's ATLAS & ATHENA Anti-Steroid Education program, while LINDSAY BAKER, Ph.D., of the Gatorade Sports Science Institute, will address the important issues of heat and hydration. Motivational speaker and sports psychologist DR. KEVIN ELKO will teach coaches how to achieve emotional balance and remain focused on the game situation, while life skills coach ZACHARY MINOR will address the audience regarding character and life skills development. Coaches also will participate in a session on performance training by BILL PARISI of the Parisi Speed School, and will gain insight on the establishment of high school football rules from BOB COLGATE of the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS).

Other topics at the Summit include first aid and injury prevention for youth and high school football players, recognizing talent, discussions on leadership and helping youth players to achieve their greatest potential, and role-playing demonstrations on handling coach-player-parent relationships.

USA Football, the sport's national governing body on youth and amateur levels, will lend expertise in a variety of areas for Summit participants. USA Football Executive Director SCOTT HALLENBECK will share the organization's on-going work and accomplishments in serving the football community. Leading the Summit's officiating segment will be TONY MICHALEK and BILL LEMONNIER of USA Football's officiating department. Michalek, who worked Super Bowl XLII this past February, has served the NFL as an umpire since 2002, and LeMonnier has 15 years of officiating experience on the Big Ten and Arena Football League levels.

Also addressing Summit participants will be CHUCK KYLE of Cleveland St. Ignatius High School, who USA Football recently named as the head coach of America's first Junior National Team in the sport. Kyle will lead Team USA, a team composed of the country's top high school student-athletes, in the 2009 International Federation of American Football (IFAF) Junior World Championship. The tournament will be held in Canton's Fawcett Stadium next summer, encompassing eight national teams from four continents.

USA Football also will host a National Leadership Forum during the Summit, sharing insight and best practices on a multitude of topics, including coaching education and youth league development.

The NFL and the NFL Players Association, which have made a major commitment to investing in the game with the establishment of the NFL Youth Football Fund and other programs, will fund the Summit.

High school football coaches registered for an opportunity to attend the Summit by entering a nomination and essay contest conducted by the NFL. Coaches submitted online essays in which they wrote about their coaching careers, commitment to youth and coaching philosophies. A blue-ribbon panel, consisting of local state representatives, reviewed the essays, and 51 coaches were chosen to serve as their state's delegate at the Summit. (See below for complete list of delegates)

--NFL

 Tags  High School

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