Engagement Insider
2/19/13
CHARLOTTE, NC February 19, 2013 – Being a football coach these days involves a lot more than just coaching.
Whether it be branding or budget, management or media, today’s coaches -- particularly head coaches – have their hands full far beyond the white lines.
It’s a big job at any level, and one the NFL-NCAA Coaching Academy tackled head-on the past three days.
“We open coaches’ eyes to the world beyond Xs and Os since today they have become CEOs running their own subsidiaries,” explained Curtis Hollomon, NCAA Director of Leadership Development,
Which is exactly why a select cross-section of 60 current coaches and coaching hopefuls, including current and former NFL players, gathered in Charlotte, NC -- to learn the total spectrum of the coaching game from seasoned professionals.
For Jacksonville Jaguars’ Fullback Greg Jones, the Academy was an off-season opportunity to partake in an NFL Player Engagement (NFLPE) program with his 10th year in the league looming.
“This is my first taste of it, and gave me an insight into things you don’t see as a player, such as what goes on behind the doors at coaches meetings, budget planning, talking with ADs (Athletic Directors) and the like, so this opened my eyes to that aspect of coaching,” Jones explained. “It also helps to build my resume, so maybe I can do an internship that will later create a smooth transition with no down time, since as Coach Ron Rivera (Keynote Speaker) said, ‘you have to have a plan.’”
Commenting on a current player preparing for his future by participating in the program, NFL Player Engagement (NFLPE) Manager James Thrash remarked, “We applaud players like Greg for attending our Academy since he already recognizes that he might like to coach after his on-field career ends, and now will be better prepared for that inevitability.”
That reality recently arrived after 19 years for Quarterback Mark Brunell, who was hired only a month ago as Head Coach at a Jacksonville-area prep school, so the Academy came at the perfect time.
“At the high school level where I am now a rookie coach, it’s about developing young men and preparing them for the next stage of their lives,” Brunell believes. “This Academy featured many great players who transitioned into great coaches, so their stories gave me the tools and strategies to hopefully be a good high school coach and help my student-athletes.”
Brunell also recognized the value of the contacts he was meeting, adding, “It’s been great to network here with others in this profession, because many in that room will eventually be NFL and Division 1 coaches, and of course it will have all started here for some.”
Some attendees are further along in their coaching career, such as former Pittsburgh Steelers star Willie Parker, fresh off a one-year internship as Tight Ends Coach at West Virginia Wesleyan.
“The Academy format and speakers are great for up-and-coming coaches transitioning from playing the game, and I definitely learned here that football is what I want do in life,” exclaimed Parker. “I love the sport, have a penchant for it, and want to be as close as possible to it, and my main goal here is to learn everything from classroom skills to teaching techniques.
Terrell Buckley, another former player coaching in college, called the networking opportunity a “once in a lifetime situation where you can take your time having a conversation and ask the questions and get the answers you really want.”
And the University of Akron Assistant Coach/Cornerbacks Coach termed as “priceless” the chance to hear former Washington Redskins General Manager Charley Casserly discuss drafting and Atlanta Falcons Defensive Coordinator Mike Nolan verbalize game plans.
“It was like having a whole bunch of mentors teach me how to improve my coaching and myself,” he conveyed, “while also walking away with valuable paperwork outlining organizational skills and other important information.”
Imperative materials indeed, given that coaching at any institution involves education.
“The Academy helps coaches see different disciplines they must master so they can come to administrators with solutions, not just questions and concerns,” Holloman theorized in reference to diverse school topics ranging from academics and recruiting to contracts and conduct.
But the end result is worth the wait, Holloman concluded.
“When I see coaches at the Academy intrigued by areas they are not experts in, then as competitors they start exploring these subjects, that’s when the process truly begins for them to become a complete coach.”