Engagement Insider
2/24/13
DAVIE, FL February 24, 2013 – Florida’s top high school football players willingly went to school this weekend, and walked away with an education for life.
To be sure, the NFL PREP 100 Series presented by Under Armour went beyond Xs and Os by not only teaching safe and effective football techniques, but the select group also sat in class to learn transferable life skills they can apply today and in the future.
By setting up shop at the Miami Dolphins headquarters, the Series gave these student-athletes a rare look inside a league facility. Of greater consequence, the NFL Player Engagement (NFLPE) group delivered its distinctive character development insights to the eager audience. Student athletes heard from coaches and former NFL players the art and craft of success found in goal setting, decision making, proper use of social media, social etiquette, and academic achievement.
Such as getting a healthy dose of reality that not all 100 of them are making the NFL, while also being given clues to career opportunities in football that aren’t on the field,
“This is how we introduce The Third Team – the officials – this is an additional career path that could keep them on the field for life in the game they know and love,” according to NFLPE Senior Vice President Troy Vincent speaking from the Sunshine State. “Additionally, this is an opportunity for these young men to learn from the NFL’s Officiating Academy how to honor and respect their commitment and allegiance to football.”
It is that passion turning to dedication that can become a career, added League Officiating Program Manager Terell Canton, and “is why officiating is a lucrative way to stay connected to the game.”
Vincent’s and Canton's viewpoint hit home with the players, said Odis Lloyd, Senior Vice President of VTO Sports, who helps stage the Series.
“The one that surprisingly stood out was the referee piece,” said Lloyd. “You got kids saying, ‘I didn’t realize there was a path to becoming a referee and making a good living.’ So you have them talking about something other than football, which makes this unlike any camp I have ever attended.”
What also makes this Series different is its focus on the future, the real reason the NFLPE and its partners hold this event in other NFL cities as well.
“I see our investment in the NFL PREP 100 Series as one in the future of this sport by bringing this platform to aspiring football players,” elaborated Leon Duncan, Director of Sponsorship-Sports Marketing at Under Armour. “The goal here is to make a positive impact on the rate of success realized by these young men both on the field, and more importantly, when their playing days are done.”
But even when those days are done, the relationships endure as told by former NFL player and current Coach Antonio Brown, who brought players from his Miami Jackson High School to see a slice of his NFL life.
“My kids are seeing me greet my former teammates and how receptive we are to each other,” pronounced Brown, “and they learn that you can build a family atmosphere for life through your team. They see us pick up right where we left off.”
Perspective you just can’t get from a chalk talk, and why Brown’s former teammate Vincent has a special spot for this Series, which is just one of many varied NFLPE programs. “Our retiring players becoming high school coaches at preeminent programs is what the NFL is all about,” Vincent believes, “and why this PREP 100 Series is something special that we’re doing from the bottom up.”
Teaching the athlete is one thing, and what you teach the student-athlete is another.
“We teach the importance of knowing how to carry yourself in life through communication, by presenting and branding yourself not just as a football player, but as a young man, student-athlete and your own person,” explained Eddie Mason, former NFL player and Director of On-Field Football Operations for the PREP 100 Series. “What we value most is giving these young men transferable skills for life.”
Skills that can best be determined by how you teach them, and the innovative APTUS Discovery approach administered in Florida is yet another revolutionary example of what sets this Series apart.
“We give them iPads with headphones to use so we can determine dozens of attributes, while measuring how learning is occurring while it is occurring,” said Craig Flowers, Vice President of APTUS and a Retired U.S. Army Colonel. “It’s exactly what’s needed for this generation given all their distractions.”
This learning will be put to good use in college, but first they need to hear first-hand how to get there.
For that, NCAA Assistant Director of Leadership Development Ron Brewer, was there to deliver the message.
“The kids are very receptive to our information such as what our eligibility requirements are and what areas they need to be prepared for as they transition to being a college athlete,” observed Brewer. “I wish I had something like this when I was coming up.”
A wish that’s now a reality for some, and as Under Armour’s Duncan anticipates, may soon include even more in this evolving prep landscape.
“We hope that the athletes go back to their respective schools and share the knowledge learned at this camp."
FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT PREP 100 SERIES, CLICK HERE.
CHECK OUT THE NFL PREP 100 MIAMI RECAP ON 24/7 SPORTS.