FOR USE AS DESIRED
NFL-47              8/19/04

NFL MINORITY COACHING FELLOWSHIP ATTRACTS 78 PARTICIPANTS

-- CARDINALS’ WOOD LATEST FELLOWSHIP GRAD NAMED TO HIGH NFL COACHING POSITION --

Seventy-eight African-American coaches are taking part in this summer’s NFL Minority Coaching Fellowship Program.

In three of the past four years, graduates of the program have been appointed to NFL coordinator or head-coaching positions. 

This year, ALEX WOOD – who participated in the program in 1998 under DENNIS GREEN with the Minnesota Vikings when Wood was head coach at James Madison University – was appointed offensive coordinator of the Arizona Cardinals by Green, the team’s new head coach. 

Wood follows NFL head coaches HERMAN EDWARDS of the New York Jets (2001) and MARVIN LEWIS of the Cincinnati Bengals (2003) as graduates of the Minority Coaching Fellowship Program to reach high NFL coaching positions in the past four years.

The program, begun in 1987, annually provides NFL training-camp positions to minority coaches.  Many current NFL coaches have participated in the program.  Woods was one.

"Perhaps the most valuable aspect of the program was the access to the professional level of a football team and the networking which accompanies the program,” says Woods.

"After working in the college arena, the experience at the professional level can answer questions coaches may have, and at the same time confirm much of what we were already doing in practice preparation, game management, communication with the players, and how to maximize the amount of work accomplished during the week.”

Woods also believes that the Fellowship offers great off-the-field tangibles.

"It definitely allows coaches to receive first-hand experience in the meeting room and on the practice field,” he says.  “But you also learn how to work with people from diverse backgrounds, and better evaluate your plans for a future in football, whether it be to remain at the college level or become part of a professional organization."

As part of training camp coaching staffs, the fellowship coaches perform duties that mirror those of full-time NFL assistant coaches.  They become working members of NFL staffs for the summer and are responsible for specific assignments, including planning and directing workouts, formulating scrimmage and preseason-game strategies, breaking down videotape, and evaluating players.  

Nearly 1,000 coaches have worked in the training camps of NFL teams since the program’s inception. 

Following is a list of some NFL coaches who have participated in the NFL Minority Coaching Fellowship Program:
 

NFL GRADUATES OF NFL MINORITY COACHING FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM

CLUB

COACH

POSITION

Arizona

Robert Ford

Wide receivers

 

Alex Wood

Offensive coordinator

Atlanta

Ollie Wilson

Running backs

Baltimore

Johnnie Lynn

Defensive backs

 

Dennis Thurman

Defensive backs

Buffalo

Eric Studesville

Running backs
  Tyke Tolbert Wide receivers

Cincinnati

Leslie Frazier

Defensive coordinator

 

Jay Hayes

Defensive line

 

Ricky Hunley

Linebackers

 

Hue Jackson

Wide receivers

 

Marvin Lewis

Head coach

Cleveland

Taver Johnson

Ass’t. special teams

Green Bay

Jethro Franklin

Defensive line

Houston

Tony Oden

Ass’t. defensive backs

Indianapolis

Gene Huey

Running backs

Jacksonville

Todd Howard

Defensive assistant

Kansas City

Vernon Dean

Ass’t. defensive backs

 

James Saxon

Running backs

Miami

Keith Armstrong

Special teams

 

Clarence Brooks

Defensive line

Minnesota

Kevin Ross

Ass’t. secondary

New England

Pepper Johnson

Defensive line

New Orleans

Ty Knott

Def. quality control ass’t.

NY Jets

Herman Edwards

Head Coach

 

Bishop Harris

Running backs
Oakland Martin Bayless Special teams ass't.

 

Sam Clancy

Defensive line

Philadelphia

Mike Reed

Def. ass’t. quality control

Pittsburgh

James Daniel

Tight ends

San Diego

Wayne Nunnely

Defensive line

 

Brian Stewart

Defensive backs

San Francisco

Al Simmons

Defensive backs

 

Eric Yarber

Receivers

Tampa Bay

Raheem Morris

Asst. defensive backs

 

Art Valero

Running backs

Tennessee

Sherman Smith

Running backs

Washington

Dewayne Walker

Defensive backs

 

2004 NFL MINORITY COACHING FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM

Arizona

 

Granville Eastman (Austin Peay State); D’Marco Farr (NFLEL coaching intern- Berlin); Marshun Middleton (Edward Waters College); Orlando Thomas (Former NFL player)

Atlanta

 

Darren Arbet (Arena); Reggie McElroy (NFLEL coaching intern-Berlin); Eric Washington (Northwestern)

Baltimore

 

Ron Lee (Wisconsin-Madison); Willie Tillman (Bethel)

Buffalo

 

Joe Bowden (NFLEL coaching intern-Scotland); Tim Lester (NFLEL coaching intern-Scotland)

Carolina

 

Robert Harris (NFLEL coaching intern-Cologne); Odell Jones (Graceland);  Steve Little (Illinois)

Chicago

 

Derrick LaBlanc (Henderson State); Hardy Nickerson (Former NFL player)

Cincinnati

 

Vantz Singletary (Hawaii)

Cleveland

 

Thomas Everett (Former NFL player); Vernon Hargreaves (Miami)

Dallas

 

Ben Coates (NFLEL coaching intern-Frankfurt); Maurice Hurst (Former NFL player); Steve Smith (Unaffiliated)

Denver

 

Askari Adams (Mercyhurst); Kevin Sherman (Wake Forest)

Detroit

 

David Brown II (Cal Poly); Antonio Gross (University of Buffalo)

Green Bay

 

Ramon Flanigan (North Texas State)

Indianapolis

 

Wendell Avery (Unaffiliated); Dwight Hollier (NFLEL coaching intern-Frankfurt; Rayna Stewart (Former NFL player); Henry Thomas (Former NFL player); Brett Timmons (Auburn);

Jacksonville

 

Charles Bankins (Hampton); Jon Embree (UCLA)

Kansas City

 

Willie Davis (NFLEL coaching intern-Amsterdam); Tom Sims (Minnesota); Jimmy Williams (Nebraska)

Miami

 

Andrew Dees, Jr. (University of Buffalo); Tim Harris (Unaffiliated); Bubba McDowell (Texas Southern); Jeff Ogden (NFLEL coaching intern-Rhein)

Minnesota

 

Antonio Banks (NFLEL coaching intern-Amsterdam); Rufus Bess (Former NFL Player); Carlester Crumpler (Former NFL player); Will Reed (Unaffiliated)

New England

 

James Fuller (Unaffiliated)

New Orleans

 

Junior IIi (Arena); Kevin Porter (Former NFL player)

NY Giants

 

David Meggett (American International); Robert Talley (Dartmouth)

NY Jets

 

George McDonald (Stanford); Tracy Simien (NFLEL coaching intern-Frankfurt)

Oakland

 

Joe Jefferson (Bethel); Darryl Sims (NFLEL coaching intern-Berlin)

Philadelphia

 

Eric Bieniemy (UCLA); Louis Joseph West (Toledo); Paul Williams (Delaware)

Pittsburgh

 

Frederick Farrier (Shaw); Jason Nichols (Appalachian State)

St. Louis

 

Pat Carter (Former NFL player); Kerry Cooks (Western Illinois); Ronnie Harmon (Western Illinois)

San Diego

 

Cedric Calhoun (Alabama A&M); Shawn Gregory (Samford); Albert Lewis (NFLEL coaching intern-Frankfurt); Keith Wagner (Trinity Community)

San Francisco

 

Jay Boulware (Stanford); DeChon Burns (Former NFL coach); Charlie Collins (Santa Monica JC); Donald Paysinger (San Jose State)

Seattle

 

Grady Brown (Alabama State); Joe Wade (Eastern Washington)

Tampa Bay

 

Carlton Hall (Columbia); Tim Walton (Miami)

Tennessee

 

Robert Lyles (San Bernardino Valley); Darryl Williams (Alabama State)

Washington

 

Joe Howard Johnson (Unaffiliated); Mike Pelton (Troy State)