Coaching
Academy
Specific
Purposes
The
NFL/NFF Coaching Academy is designed to achieve the following:
-
Promote
participation through better coaching.
-
Teach
coaches how to make the game an enjoyable experience for players.
-
Enhance
football skills and strategy competencies of coaches.
-
Maximize
the physical and psychological health and safety of participants through
better coaching.
-
Help unify
the football coaching community.
-
Create
the awareness and motivation for continued coaching education.
Program
Description
Working
with a nationally recognized team of educators in life-skill development,
sports psychology, athletic/academic counseling, coaching health and safety,
the National Football Foundation and National Football League have created
an educational curriculum that is second to none.
The
Coaching Academy curriculum covers seven essential areas needed to properly
train coaches to most effectively teach the game to young people and run
a successful and safe program in a positive learning environment. These
areas include:
-
Coaching
philosophy
-
Player
communication and feedback
-
Football
skills and strategy (offense, defense, special teams)
-
Life skills
development
-
Health/nutrition/safety
-
Risk management
-
Program
and team management
Program
Delivery
The
coaching Academy Program is coordinated by the National Football Foundation
and implemented through the Foundation's strong network of chapters.
The
program's curriculum is conveyed through three primary means.
First,
participants take part in a two-day (12-hour) Coaching Academy clinic.
The clinic consists of a series of both classroom and on-the field sessions
where coaches receive the latest information in the areas of: coaching
philosophy; player communication and feedback; football skills and strategies;
player life skill development; health/safety/nutrition; risk management;
and program and team management.
Second,
each coach receives a computer CD that contains graphic illustrations of
proper football skills and summarizes key teaching points. The CD may be
used for additional self-study by the coaches and can also be shown to
players.
Finally,
all participants receive a coach's playbook that contains clinic notes
and additional written information relative to the five clinic content
areas. The playbook is not only designed for further self-study, but as
a post clinic reference source.
The
WNY Chapter 135 held its first Coaching Academy in June of 2002. The two
day event was held at the Buffalo Bills Practice Facility in Orchard Park.
Nearly 100 area coaches participated in classroom and field sessions.
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Play
It Smart
As
part of its Youth Football Initiatives, the NFL granted $1 million to the
National Football Foundation to bring the Play It Smart program to each
of the 32 NFL cities. Kensington High School was selected as the Play It
Smart school in Buffalo. The primary goals of the Play It Smart program
are to: redirect school football programs that are on the decline and increase
participation, strengthen classroom skills of student athletes, and use
the game to build leadership qualities in young athletes and positively
affect their personal development.
In
brief, the academic coach brings the kind of extra attention to the player's
off-the-field development that most head coaches would like to provide
if they had the time and training and resources. The academic coach assists
the head coach in establishing policies and procedures that will enable
student-athletes to achieve their individual goals as well as to meet the
goals of the program. The academic coaches, working directly with student
athletes, school personnel, parents, and coaches, are trained to carry
out multiple responsibilities within Play It Smart school.
Rashidi
Greene
Former
Academic Coach
Rashidi
was the first "Play It Smart" Academic Coach for Buffalo's program at Kensington
High School. Rashidi started the position in August, the start of the high
school football season, until mid-January. Rashidi recently had to resign
from the position to further his career and accept a full-time position
at Buffalo State College. Rashidi was selected as the academic coach for
his work experience as grad assistant at the UB Athletic-Compliance Department.
Rashidi had extensive knowledge and experience when it came to working
with student athletes. In Rashidi's short tenure as the academic coach
at Kensington High School, he showed everything and more of what the academic
coach should be in the Play It Smart program. He helped the athletes with
academics and even set-up an SAT preparation workshops. The principal and
head football coaches have both seen a noticeable increase academic productivity
in student-athletes that may have been ineligible if it weren't for Rashidi's
mentoring. Rashidi's relationship with Kensington High School has grown
so strong that even though he is leaving the program he is still going
to volunteer his time to assist Timothy Fann and the team.
Timothy
Fann
New
Academic Coach
Timothy
Fann was recently selected as the new academic coach for the Play It Smart
program at Kensington High School and will pick up where Rashidi left off.
Timothy's current work experience as an Academic Advisor for Football at
Buffalo State University allows the program to make a smooth transition
to a new academic coach. Timothy has the difficult responsibility of now
keeping the student athletes on the football team to maintain their academic
standings and maintain eligibility for next football season. Timothy's
work experience and desire to work with student-athletes like those at
Kensington makes him a perfect replacement for Rashidi.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Scholar
Athlete of the Year Awards
Each
year the WNY Chapter of the National Football Foundation and College Hall
of Fame will recognize local area student athletes for their achievements
on and off the football field. Local football players from our three local
colleges, as well as three high school leagues, will be recognized.
Academic
achievement, football ability, leadership, citizenship and school and community
involvement are the criteria used for selecting the honorees. The top scholar-athlete
from both the high school division and the college division will be nominated
by the chapter to compete for scholarship money with the National Foundation.
These winners will be announced at a yearly banquet.
Three
local college football players have been named as the 2004 WNY College
Football Scholar-Athlete of the Year by the Western New York Chapter of
the National Football Foundation. They were honored at the Foundation's
annual off-season awards banquet on December 8th at Ilio DiPaolo's Restaurant
in Blasdell.
This
is the fourth year in a row that the WNY Chapter of the NFF has honored
top collegiate scholar-athletes who played football at Buffalo-area colleges.
This year the group honors the top nominee from each of the three colleges
with one of them to earn the WNY top scholar-athlete award which automatically
qualifies him for the final selections for the National Football Foundation
Post-Graduate scholarships ($25,000 each) which will be presented later
in the year.
Buffalo
State senior WR "HT" Williams, Erie Community College senior DL Labinot Hakanjin
and University of Buffalo RB Erik Zeppuhar are the winners of the 2004 awards.
Each of the winners is a senior who has completed his collegiate eligibility
and has been nominated by their college.
Canisius'
WR Jake Coppola was the winner of the NFF's initial college award in 2000
and Canisius WR Tom Zabawa was the selection in 2001.
