Fifty-one top high school football coaches, one from each state and Washington, D.C., have been selected by the NFL to participate in the eleventh annual NFL-USA Football Youth Football Summit July 21-23 during the lead up to the 2010 Hall of Fame Weekend in Canton.
In addition to these coaches, more than 50 other supporters of youth and high school football, including former NFL players now coaching, will attend the Summit, which is held at Kent State Stark Professional Education & Conference Center.
Former Pittsburgh Steeler great Merril Hoge will address Summit participants on the importance of coaching, while two-time Super Bowl winning Dallas Cowboy Darrin Smith will speak about the importance of education.Â
Pro Football Hall of Famer Mike Haynes; former Green Bay Packer all-pro and Vince Lombardi protégé, Dave Robinson; and Canton native and former Chiefs quarterback Todd Blackledge will also address the group.
Leaders in the fields of sports medicine and sports psychology will present on various topics facing youth sports. Dr. Stan Herring of the NFL's Head, Neck and Spine Committee will discuss the importance of concussion education and awareness in youth sports while 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. Dr. Andrew Gregory of the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine also will present on injury prevention in youth sports and Dr. Lindsay Baker of the Gatorade Sports Science Institute will address the important issues of heat and hydration. Professional sports consultant and life skills coach Zachary Minor and his acting troupe will lead attendees through interactive role-playing sessions addressing character development issues. Coaches will participate in a session on performance training by Bill Parisi of the Parisi Speed School, 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.
Other topics at the Summit include an NCAA session on eligibility and recruiting, interactive demonstrations by Riddell on proper equipment fitting, an overview of the NFL's High School Player Development program, the importance of a feeder system, helping youth players to achieve their potential and 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 non-profit organization's on-going work and accomplishments in leading the game's grassroots development as well as USA Football's concussion education resources. USA Football also will host a National Leadership Forum as part of the Summit to discuss best practices on coaching education and successful youth league operations.
USA Football conducted 37 State Leadership Forums involving hundreds of youth league commissioners throughout the United States this winter and spring. One delegate from each of the 37 state forums was selected to take part in the NFL-USA Football Youth Summit to contribute to football's continued innovation and USA Football's educational resources. More than 3.0 million youngsters aged 6-14 play tackle football and more than 1.1 million boys play high school football.
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 and USA Football. 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 coaches were chosen to serve as their state's delegate at the Summit.
State delegates for 2010 NFL Youth Football Coaching Summit
State/Name/High School
Alabama/Tim Carter/Auburn High School
Alaska/John Jessen/Bartlett High School
Arizona/Ronald Jacobson/Dobson High School
Arkansas/Mike Banning/Clarksville High School
California/Ken Peralta/Marin Catholic High School
Colorado/Wayne Voorhees/Legacy High School
Connecticut/Duane Maranda/Bacon High School
Delaware/Dan Ritter/Howard High School
District of Columbia/Horace Fleming/Wilson High School
Florida/Reggie Roberts/Zephyrhills High School
Georgia/Brian Smith/Hebron Christian Academy
Hawaii/Randall Okimoto/Farrington High School
Idaho/Jason Warr/Rocky Mountain High School
Illinois/Elton Harris/Hubbard High School
Indiana/Geneo Riley/Pike High School
Iowa/Jason Mehrhoff/Interstate 35 School
Kansas/TBD
Kentucky/John Davis/North Hardin Christian School
Louisiana/Jabbar Juluke/Edna Karr High School
Maine/Rick Marcella/Bridgton Academy
Maryland/Tommy Green/Eleanor Roosevelt High School
Massachusetts/John Aloisi/Nantucket High School
Michigan/Jeremy Gold/Pioneer High School
Minnesota/Rufus Bess/Park Center High School
Mississippi/Perry Wheat/Purvis High School
Missouri/Greg Reynolds/Park Hill High School
Montana/Jim Oberweiser/Drummond High School
Nebraska/Jeff Bellar/Norfolk Catholic High School
Nevada/John Elwell/Valley High School
New Hampshire/Mike Beliveau/Souhegan High School
New Jersey/Leonard Marshall/Hudson Catholic High School
New Mexico/Jared Howell/Piedra Vista High School
New York/Joe Vito/Roosevelt High School
North Carolina/Scott Braswell/John T. Hoggard High School
North Dakota/Barry Holmen/Minot High School
Ohio/Dennis Fowlkes/Columbus East High School
Oklahoma/Kenny Blair/Northeast Academy
Oregon/Terry Summerfield/Barlow High School
Pennsylvania/Kevin Vaughn/Norwood Academy
Rhode Island/Geoff Marcone/LaSalle Academy
South Carolina/Jimmy Woods/Timmonsville High School
South Dakota/Terry Dosch/Aberdeen Roncalli Catholic High School
Tennessee/Tony Brunetti/Pearl-Cohn High School
Texas/Ray Seals/Madison High School
Utah/Les Hamilton/Alta High School
Vermont/Charlie Burnett/Essex High School
Virginia/Jim Poythress/Lake Braddock Secondary School
Washington/Steve Valach/Liberty High School
West Virginia/John Bowers/Morgantown High School
Wisconsin/Duane Rogatzki/Oconto Falls High School
Wyoming/Chris Williams/Cody High School
