FOR USE AS DESIRED
           NFL- 63              9/23/02

 SIX HIGH SCHOOLS TIE FOR MOST PLAYERS IN NFL; CALIFORNIA LEADS ALL STATES; HOUSTON & MIAMI TIE FOR MOST HOMETOWNS

Six high schools, with five players each, top the list of schools with the most 2002 NFL players, the NFL announced today. 

The high schools are Ely in Pompano Beach, Florida; Glades Central in Belle Glade, Florida; Long Beach Poly in Long Beach, California; Thornton Township in Harvey, Illinois; Torrey Pines in San Diego, California; and William M. Raines in Jacksonville, Florida. 

The totals are based on the 1,696-man 2002 NFL opening-day rosters.

NFL players from opening day rosters hail from 1,372 high schools in 48 states and the District of Columbia, plus 12 high schools in five foreign countries.

 The NFL players from the six most-productive schools have fond memories of their high school days: 

• MINNESOTA VIKINGS S TYRONE CARTER (Ely):  “I think the main thing is that playing at Ely gave us the chance to go to college, to get a scholarship.  Guys just work harder to get a scholarship.  We’d go to summer leagues, we’d go to camps.  That’s why a lot of athletes come out of Pompano and Florida.  I had a lot of fun.  It was a great experience for me.  All of my teammates there, the closeness we have there, it’s for a lifetime.  It’s a small place, so you know everybody in that area.  It was great for me.”
   
• MINNESOTA VIKINGS LB HENRI CROCKETT (Ely):  “All of the guys who are in the NFL now played together.  We’ve always been friends.  Most of us come from underprivileged homes, so we always played street ball together.  We genuinely love playing the game.  We started playing when we were real young and just kept at it, through Pop Warner, high school and on the weekends, just playing.  I think that had a lot to do with it.”
   
• HOUSTON TEXANS WR JABAR GAFFNEY (William M. Raines):  “One of the reasons why Raines has been so successful in producing athletes year after year is due to the fact that the guys who make it in the pros always come back and work out with the younger guys.  The guys show the kids how to be successful and it is a continuing process each year."
   
• CLEVELAND BROWNS RB JAMES JACKSON (Glades Central):  “We had a great coaching staff, and they built a winning tradition based on hard work and dedication by the whole team.  We grew up in a small town where the nearest mall or movie theater was almost 40 minutes away.  So in high school, all we did was play football.  We didn't have any distractions.”
   
• TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS S JOHN LYNCH (Torrey Pines):  “The odds that one high school athlete makes it to the NFL, much less five athletes from your high school, really speaks volumes about the type of program that Torrey Pines has become.  It is certainly quite an accomplishment.  I would like to thank my high school coach, RIK HAINES, who played an integral part in my development as a football player and a person.”
   
• PHILADELPHIA EAGLES DT COREY SIMON (Ely):  “There must be something good in the water at that school.  It’s a football factory.  And we have another player on the way, JEROME MC DOUGLE, who is doing well at the University of Miami.” 
   
• NEW YORK GIANTS S OMAR STOUTMIRE (Long Beach Poly):  “There’s a coach who has been there for years,  DON NORFORD, who’s the track coach and an assistant football coach.  All the great players who have been there go back and work out with him.  He’s the reason all these great players have come out of there.  It’s great for the kids that are there now, because they get a chance to work out with us.  That keeps the tradition going and gives them a standard to live up to.  When they’re working out with us, they can see how far they have to go.”
   
• SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS WR TAI STREETS (Thornton Township):  “Our coach (BILL MOSEL) does a great job with the kids in the area.  His teams have talent, but he knows how to make it work.  He makes sure everyone is in school and he genuinely cares about the players.  Growing up to play professionally is everyone's dream, but I never knew we would have as many players succeed on this level."
   

HIGH SCHOOLS WITH MOST NFL PLAYERS 

 Thirteen high schools have four players each in the NFL this year.  Forty-two high schools boast three NFLers, while 177 schools have two players:

 HOME STATES:  California topped the list of states with most NFL players in 2002 (198) followed by Florida (182) and Texas (181):

STATES WITH MOST NFL PLAYERS 

HOMETOWNS WITH MOST NFL PLAYERS 

FIVE FOREIGN COUNTRIES REPRESENTED

 NOTE:  To obtain a complete list of NFL players’ high schools, hometowns and states, plus rankings both alphabetically and numerically, contact the NFL Communications Department (212/450-2000) or log on to www.nflmedia.com.

 * * *

 FINALISTS NAMED FOR 2002 NFL HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL
COACH OF THE YEAR AWARD

 Five finalists have been named for the 2002 NFL High School Football Coach of the Year Award, the NFL has announced.

The 2002 finalists and the NFL players who nominated them are:

The NFL High School Football Coach of the Year Award was initiated in 1995 by NFL Commissioner PAUL TAGLIABUE and the NFL clubs to honor coaches who profoundly affected the athletic and personal development of NFL players.

"We have more than 1,600 players on our 32 teams," said Commissioner Tagliabue, "and they all have at least one thing in common -- they all received outstanding guidance from high school coaches.  These men have dedicated their lives to teaching young players how to become leaders both on and off the field.  I congratulate our finalists and all high school coaches for the integral roles they play in developing the game of football and guiding the youngsters who play the game."

Each finalist will receive a $2,500 cash award, and a youth/high school football program selected by the coach/nominating player will be presented with $5,000 from the NFL Youth Football Fund, a $150 million fund established by the NFL and NFL Players Association to support youth football initiatives.

The 2002 NFL High School Football Coach of the Year will be announced at the end of the NFL regular season.  The winner will be invited to attend Super Bowl XXXVII in San Diego, California as a guest of the NFL and will receive a total of $5,000 in cash awards.  In addition, his designated youth/high school football program will be awarded a $10,000 grant.