coaching

contents issue 11 • fall 2009

12 Art of the short-yardage run
By Steve Alic
13 Equipment shed for coach’s head
By Alex Fink

features 14 Takeaway-Giveaway with Larry & David

Do I need to use the conventional safety position in youth
football?
4 Team USA paves road to 11 Family Affair
15 USA Football & NFL Players Association to name
gold in Canton NFL players’ moms look back on their
NFL “All-Fundamentals Team”
Football’s first Junior World sons’ transition to high school football
Championship set standard for By Nicole Lukosius
health & Fitness
excellence
By Micah Simon 29 Chairman Chat 16 Keeping players cool: Proper Hydration
Get to know Carl Peterson, USA By Rose DiPaula
10 USA Football accepts Football’s new chairman 17 When in doubt, sit them out: Concussion Awareness
By Nicole Lukosius By Nicole Lukosius
leadership role
The NFL, its 32 teams and NFL Players 18 Equipment from Head to Toe
Association name USA Football their 19 What Football Taught My Son: Raul Lora
official youth football development partner By Micah Simon
By Micah Simon
commissioners

20 Technology lifts youth football: USA Football’s CCEP

By Micah Simon
inside slants 21 USA Football Regional Managers
9 Meet a USA Football Staff Member: 30 USA Football Playbooks ready
22 Fundraising to meet financial goals
Anthony Edwards, marketing for action
By Steve Alic
coordinator By Micah Simon
23 Meet a USA Football Member: Lou Bonnanzio
26 Athletic Training Innovations and The 32 What Football Taught Me: By Micah Simon
Andrews Institute join USA Football Bob Goodrich, Emmy Award-winning
officiating
By Rose DiPaula television producer
By Tim Polzer 24 USA Football Officiating Member serves sport in Japan
28 Meet a USA Football Board By Micah Simon
Member: Carl Francis
25 Quick-Hitter Grid: Officiating Members
By Rose DiPaula USA Football Junior National Team Captains RB David
26 USA Football tackles questions for officiating members
Wilson (#22), LB Storm Klein (#32), QB Bryce Petty By Rose DiPaula
(#10), and S Jordan Lynch (#5) led Team USA to a gold
27 High school, college and NFL minds team to create football’s
medal in Canton’s Fawcett Stadium (pg. 4).
No. 1 Officiating Training DVD
Photo by Shawn Hubbard By Dave McMahon

Front Cover
photos by shawn hubbard
Kickoff
Dear Readers,

The 2009 football season is underway and USA Football shares in your excitement for autumn
as our country’s favorite sport returns to unite us in lawn chairs, bleachers and stadiums.
You – the people who fuel this great sport – prepared yourself for the season through USA
Football’s 44 coaching schools, three dozen state leadership forums, 14 officiating clinics and usafootball.com
seminars and 12 player academies for youngsters aged 7-14. Tens of thousands of coaches
successfully completed USA Football’s Certified Coaching Education Program (CCEP) at Executive Director
usafootball.com this year and thousands of league Scott Hallenbeck
volunteers earned a green light through USA Football’s
background check subsidy program that protects our
children. USA Football remains the only national Usa football
governing body of a sport that subsidizes background editorial staff
checks to the tune of $500,000 to safeguard the well-being
of America’s children.
Managing Editor
Amateur football lifted the sport to an exciting new
Steve Alic
level this summer as eight countries representing four
Contributors:
continents competed in Canton, Ohio, for the International
Larry Canard, Rose DiPaula,
Federation of American Football (IFAF) Junior World alex fink, Nicole Lukosius,
Championship – the first junior world championship in David Marco, dave mcMahon,
football’s history. USA Football’s Junior National Team, Tim polzer, Micah Simon
led by legendary head coach Chuck Kyle of Cleveland
St. Ignatius High School, won the gold medal with class. To contact USA Football: 
Beyond the scoreboard, 360 high school-aged athletes (703) 918-0007
and 80 coaches from all corners of the globe became friends through their passion for the sport,
superseding their diversity in culture and language. It was a celebration of the world’s greatest
game that already has made a significant impact in football’s burgeoning global popularity.
USA Football is proud to award $1 million in equipment grants to youth leagues and high traction media staff
school programs this fall based on merit and need. The grant application is open at usafootball.com
through Oct. 15. The $1 million represents a USA Football record-figure in helping deliver a Publisher
positive football experience for players and players’ families. Rudy J. Klancnik
Within the next 30 pages, check out other exciting news, including insight from USA Football Editorial Director
members and experts, mothers of NFL players, a Q&A with new USA Football Chairman Carl Tim Polzer
Peterson, and more. In addition, USA Football was recently named the official youth football Designer
development partner of the NFL, its 32 teams and the NFL Players Association (pg. 10) – this is a william Bridgeforth
responsibility and designation never given before in the league’s 89-year history.
USA Football is driven to serve you, led by our experienced regional managers and office Traction Media
staff. Refer to your USA Football regional map on pg. 21 and ask your regional manager how Editorial Offices
7115 Tartan Trl.
he can help you gain an edge or strengthen your league. In addition, you’re only a toll-free call
Garland, TX 75044
(1-877-5-FOOTBALL) or a couple of mouse clicks away (usafootball.com) from our non-profit office.
Tractionmedia@aol.com
USA Football continues to work for you as your schedule rolls through October, culminating
in memorable end-of-season banquets and important equipment inventory. We salute you – the Editorial Department Phone
men and women who power America’s favorite sport and instill its fundamentals and values in (972) 896-8006
our youngsters. Custom Publishing
Best wishes throughout the rest of the season! (972) 898-8585

USA Football Magazine is published by Traction

Sincerely, Media, LLC©. All rights reserved. Traction Media
does not accept unsolicited manuscripts. Publisher
assumes no responsibility for return of unsolicited
manuscripts or art. No part of this magazine may
We want to hear your thoughts be reprinted or otherwise duplicated without the
about USA Football Magazine. Write to written permission of the editor.
Scott Hallenbeck us at magazine@usafootball.com today.
USA Football Executive Director

2 USA Football Magazine

Team USA Paves

road
to gold
in Canton, Ohio
Football’s first Junior World RIGHT: Canton Mayor William Healy,
Team USA captains, IFAF President
Championship set standard for Tommy Wiking and USA Football
Executive Director Scott Hallenbeck
excellence acknowledge the Fawcett Stadium
crowd during closing ceremonies.
By Micah Simon
BELOW: The Cleveland Browns hosted
photos by shawn hubbard
Team Mexico and all eight IFAF Junior

F
ootball’s roots grew wider and moved deeper World Championship teams with a
stadium tour on June 30.
on four continents this summer when
Canton, Ohio, hosted the International
Federation of American Football (IFAF) Junior
World Championship.
High school-aged national teams from eight
countries competed for the first junior world
championship in the sport’s proud history.
USA Football’s Junior National Team (3-0) was
honored with the gold medal, but each of the eight
participating nations in the world’s ultimate team
sport were winners with immense support from
the host city.
Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Mexico, New
Zealand, Sweden and the United States competed in
the birthplace of the NFL to have gold draped over
their jerseys.
“From our perspective,” IFAF President Tommy
Wiking said, “Canton was perfect.” A total of
40,043 fans filled Canton’s Fawcett Stadium across
four game days from June 27-July 5. This set a
tournament attendance record for IFAF, which was
Mexico, Ohio
established in 1998. Marta Gonzalez and Alejandro Rodriguez traveled from Toluca, Mexico, to see their son play
The journey started on June 14 when Team in the IFAF Junior World Championship and quickly became smitten with Northeast Ohio.
USA arrived at Walsh University in North “This was a very important trip for us,” said Rodriguez, whose son, Cesar Alejandro
Canton for what would begin four weeks of Rodriguez, played tight end for Team Mexico. “This stadium is the history of American football.
football and friendships. Walsh University It’s beautiful here. We’ve met many people here, and they are all very nice people.”
housed all eight national teams, serving as the Alejandro Rodriguez played three years of football when he was younger and watched his son
event’s “Athletes’ Village.” play for 11 years, culminating in his participation in football’s first junior world championship.
“I can’t even put into words what this experience The family toured Cleveland Browns Stadium with the Mexican team on June 30, and though
was like,” said USA Football Junior National Team the Dallas Cowboys are big where he is from, he has picked up a new group to follow.
Continued on page 6 “We are now Browns fans,” he said.

4 USA Football Magazine

 “We are all
Cantonians”
Prior to Team Germany’s 14-0 victory against
Team Sweden on July 4 to earn fifth place in the
IFAF Junior World Championship, the Germans
charged out of their locker room carrying both their
country’s flag and the official flag of Canton, Ohio.
Team Germany head coach Peter Springwald
said it was the least his team could do for all
the people they had met over the course of their
nine-day stay.
“It was a thanks for all the hosts and local
community,” Springwald said. “Everywhere we
went, we had a great, great time.”

Seven new nations join football family

A record number of 35 countries were represented at the 12th annual International Federation of American Football (IFAF) Congress held in Canton, Ohio, in
conjunction with the IFAF Junior World Championship.
Seven countries – Bulgaria, Chile, Colombia, Croatia, Nicaragua, Paraguay and Venezuela – were granted full IFAF membership.
“We are delighted to welcome these new and
emerging federations of American football from Pan
America and Europe into the IFAF family,” said IFAF
President Tommy Wiking. “The sport continues to
push its borders internationally and by becoming
IFAF members, these countries can benefit from a
wealth of resources available through IFAF and also by
communicating with fellow federations.”
In addition to its newest member countries, IFAF
announced the following during its multi-national
football forum in Canton:
• Stockholm, Sweden, will host the 2010 IFAF
Women’s World Championship
• Ottawa, Canada, will host the 2010 IFAF Flag
Football Senior World Championship
• Austria will host the 2011 IFAF Senior World
Championship; three Austrian cities will host
games, the Gold Medal Game will be held in
Representatives from an IFAF-record 35 nations spanning five continents took part in the
the nation’s capital of Vienna.
2009 IFAF Congress in Canton.
• Sydney, Australia, will host the 2010 IFAF
Congress in April.
The previous high of participating nations at an IFAF Congress was 28, set in 2008 in Barcelona, Spain. USA Football is the United States’ exclusive IFAF delegate.

5
quarterback Bryce Petty (Midlothian,
Texas), who is continuing his football
career at Baylor University. “I am extremely
blessed.”
Team USA’s roster featured high school
seniors who are now enrolled in football
programs at 33 universities throughout the
United States. Chuck Kyle, head coach of
Cleveland St. Ignatius High School, led the
coaching staff along with nine other high
school head coaches from around the country. LB Chris Norman
“It was 10 head coaches coaching
together,” Kyle said of his staff in Canton.
“We had a lot of fun together and I learned
some new things I will be doing this season.”
From USA Football to
Kyle’s St. Ignatius Wildcats are presently
defending their 10th Ohio large-school state
College Football Saturdays
championship. Eleven players from USA Football’s gold medal-winning junior national team in Canton, Ohio, were
A prepared and talented Team USA won named to opening day depth charts for their respective colleges.
its three games to set a lofty standard for “We’re proud of all of our players and wish the best to those on the field this season as true
the sport’s international junior level. The college freshmen,” said USA Football Executive Director Scott Hallenbeck. “The fact that nearly
Americans defeated France (78-0), Mexico one-quarter of our roster is already contributing to college programs – some of which are nationally-
(55-0) and Canada (41-3), respectively. Team ranked – is a testament to the important head-start that those players received from head coach
USA employed a standard, no-frills offense Chuck Kyle and his staff in Canton.
once a game was in hand, but the team was “This also speaks volumes for the strength of our national team program.”
still able to break open holes to daylight. Players from the 2009 USA Football Junior National Team on college football opening day depth
USA Football running back David charts are true freshmen:
Wilson (Virginia Tech) earned tournament
MVP honors and continually put the Oday Aboushi, T, Virginia Brandon Sharpe, DE, Syracuse
Fawcett Stadium crowd on its feet with Robert Bell, LB/LS, Toledo Phillip Thomas, S, Syracuse
425 rushing yards and eight touchdowns Pat Hinkel, S, Miami (Ohio) Shamarko Thomas, S, Syracuse
on 33 carries (12.9-yard average). Wilson Erik Lora, WR, Eastern Illinois David Wilson, RB, Virginia Tech
is presently sharing time in the backfield Jack Mewhort, C, Ohio State Brian Winters, T, Kent State
for head coach Frank Beamer’s nationally Chris Norman, LB, Michigan State
ranked Hokies.

Wilson, one of the country’s top triple-

jumpers in track, qualified to attend a
national meet that was going to occur during
the IFAF Junior World Championship.
However, once he received a call from Coach
Kyle, he gave up the triple-jump for a ticket
to Canton.
“This was much bigger,” Wilson
said. “Instead of competing inside your
country, you get to compete for your
country. I couldn’t let this opportunity
pass.”
Continued on page 8

Members of Team Japan met Cleveland

Browns rookies when all eight IFAF Junior
World Championship teams toured Cleveland
Browns Stadium on June 30.

6 USA Football Magazine

IFAF Junior World Championship
All-Tournament Teams span
three continents
By Steve Alic

T
hroughout the 12 games played
during the International Federation
of American Football Junior World
Championship in Canton, Ohio, this summer,
players from six countries spanning three
continents were named to all-tournament teams.
Players were selected by the eight national team
head coaches. Coaches were prohibited from
voting for their own players.
Team Japan head coach Takao Yamazaki was
named the All-Tournament Team head coach
by guiding the Japanese a bronze medal and a
2-1 record. Japan defeated Germany (10-7) and
Mexico (42-27) and dropped a 38-35 decision to
Canada in the game’s final minutes.
USA Football Junior National Team running
back David Wilson (Virginia Tech), who rushed
for 425 yards and eight touchdowns in America’s
three victories, was named the tournament’s Most
Valuable Player.
Team USA led the way with 14 first team all-
tournament selections, followed by Germany
with five, Canada with three and Japan with two,
including quarterback Yuichiro Arakai, who threw
Takao Yamazaki for 686 yards and nine touchdowns and only one
Head Coach, Japan interception in three games.

Byron Perez-Archambault Lukas Muller Yuichiro Araki Juan Carlos Maya Hampus Hellemark David Wilson
LB, Canada DL, Germany QB, Japan WR, Mexico RB, Sweden RB, United States

FIRST-TEAM WR Juan Carlos Maya, Mexico

IFAF JUNIOR WORLD
CHAMPIONSHIP
QB Yuichiro Araki, Japan
RB David Wilson, USA
RB Steven Lumbala, Canada
TE John Plasencia, USA
WR Jumpei Yoshimoto, Japan
WR Julian Bailey, Canada
OL Oday Abushi, USA
OL Jack Mewhort, USA
OL Evan Swindall, USA
OL Aaron Price, USA
OL Kirby Fabien, Canada
DL Lukas Muller, Germany
DL Pestin Brown, USA
DL Chris Henderson, USA
DL Björn Werner, Germany
LB Storm Klein, USA WR Shoma Endo, Japan
LB Chris Norman, USA
LB Alexander Borgs, Germany OL Carson Rockhill, Canada
OL Danny Groulx, Canada
DB Shamarko Thomas, USA OL Brian Winters, USA
DB Mark Nzecho, Germany OL Alexander Oderberger, Germany
DB Corey Lillard, USA OL Hiroshi Ito, Japan
DB Jordan Poyer, USA
DL Jake Thomas, Canada
K/P Mike Loftus, USA DL Tyler Dippel, USA
PR/KR Niko Lester, Germany DL Yoshiaki Fujii, Japan
DL Martin Sohlberg, Sweden
SECOND-TEAM
LB Mehdi Abdesmad, Canada
IFAF JUNIOR WORLD LB Tariq Edwards, USA
CHAMPIONSHIP LB Byron Perez-Archambault, Canada
QB Bryce Petty, USA DB Doctor Cassama, Sweden
DB Yudai Marumara, Japan
RB Randall Payne, Germany DB Chris Payne, USA
RB Hampus Hellemark, Sweden DB Jean-Philippe Bolduc, Canada
TE Loan Temming, Germany K/P Lirim Hajrullahu, Canada
PR/KR Erik Lora, USA
7
 “Awesome,” Mexico head coach Ernesto
Alfaro del Villar said of Wilson. “I
remember a couple of touchdowns where
half our team touched him. He’s a very
talented player – a great player.”
Throughout Team USA’s training camp
at Walsh University, players were pushed
through strong competition from their
teammates.
“We were going against some of the
best players in the nation – everyday,”
said John Plasencia, Team USA’s tight
end from Tampa (Fla.) Jesuit High School
now enrolled at Northwestern University.
“That makes you a better player. In high
school you can get away with going
through the motions sometimes and
relying on God-given talent, but here
if you did that, you were going to get
embarrassed.”
“Medals and trophies, where do you
put them?” said Storm Klein, Team USA
linebacker now attending Ohio State.
“They put them in a trophy case and
you hang a medal up somewhere, right?
What stays are the memories and the Team New Zealand members led a spirited multi-national demonstration of the country’s
friendships.” famous “Haka” dance during IFAF Junior World Championship closing ceremonies. A New
As Klein stated, USA Football’s Junior Zealand icon, the Haka is performed by its national teams prior to a game or match. Team
National Team departed from Canton New Zealand performed the Haka in Fawcett Stadium prior to each of its three games.
with much more than a championship.
Northwestern-bound Team USA “It was so much more than that. It’s like Go to jwcfootball.com for more IFAF
offensive lineman Brian Smith reinforced winning the Super Bowl to me. I made Junior World Championship coverage and
that message. friends from around the country, and I visit usafootball.com to read more about
“This wasn’t just fun,” Smith said. played for great coaches.” USA Football’s Junior National Team.

Florida welcomes “World” on Jan. 30

The world’s football passion takes center-stage again in January.
USA Football is assembling its 2010 Junior National Team to face a “World” team composed of top high school-
aged players from at least six countries on three continents on Saturday, Jan. 30, in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. The “Team
USA vs. The World” game is recognized as an official Pro Bowl Week event by the NFL. The NFL’s Pro Bowl will be
played in South Florida the following day.
Both teams will feature 45 players. High school seniors tall on talent and character will fill Team USA’s roster.
USA Football has selected Chris Merritt of Miami Christopher Columbus High School to be its head coach. Merritt,
who began his coaching career in European American football leagues in the 1990s, served as Team USA’s
defensive backs coach this past summer in Canton. During his eight seasons at Columbus H.S., more than 30 of
Merritt’s players have earned college football scholarships.
Jan Jenmert, head coach of Team Sweden at the 2009 IFAF Junior World Championship, will lead the World
team. Jenmert’s staff includes nationally-renown coaches from Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, and
Mexico.
Stay tuned to usafootball.com as top high school players from across the United States are named to America’s
Team later this winter.
Chris Merritt, Head Coach
2010 USA Football Junior National Team
8 USA Football Magazine
 Meet a USA Football staffer

Anthony Edwards Marketing coordinator

When did you join USA
Football and what are your Anthony Edwards
responsibilities?
I’ve been with USA Football
for about a year. I assist in the
marketing of most of USA
Football’s assets. This includes
our resources for coaches,
commissioners and game
officials as well as our more
than 100 annual events.
What is your favorite aspect of
the job?
Everything USA Football
has in place helps grow and
strengthen the sport. It’s more
than rewarding to serve kids and I’ve always
had a passion for football. Working to
support both is very exciting. The fact that the
things I work on impact the youth football
community makes my job very enjoyable.
Pa.), I’ve realized how much it has taught
me. I am grateful for this game. You can
easily take what you learn from playing
football and apply it to real life, which is
my favorite part about the sport. The skills
you learn through playing football help
What is the most rewarding
part of the job?
My work is directly
connected with supporting
a cause I truly believe in.
The goals USA Football
strives to accomplish are
also important to me. Being
able to say that I work for an
organization that is helping
the sport to grow the right
way is extremely rewarding.
I help others have a great
football experience – that
makes me feel good about
what I do.
What do you like to do in your free time
away from the office?
After playing football, I’ve tried to
stay as active as possible. I spend a lot of
my time out of the office at the gym and
working with others on their fitness. I’m

photo by Brian Feener

What does football mean to you? you deal with so many different aspects also coaching youth football this season
After playing football through college of life and help you to be a successful and – it’s a good excuse for me to be around
(Susquehanna University in Selinsgrove, strong person. football just a little more.

sites selected for 2010 coaching schools

Sign-ups open at usafootball.com in November By Nicole Lukosius

U
SA Football Coaching Great Lakes Region St. Louis (Rams) South Region
Schools hosted Ann Arbor, Mich. West Des Moines, Iowa Dallas (Cowboys)
nearly 6,000 youth Chicago (Bears) Houston (Texans)
coaches in 2009 spanning Cleveland (Browns) Northeast Region New Orleans (Saints)
Columbus, Ohio East Rutherford, N.J. (N.Y. Giants)
from Hawaii to Massachusetts.
In the past three years, USA Green Bay (Packers) Florham Park, N.J. (N.Y. Jets) Southeast Region
Indianapolis (Colts) Foxboro, Mass. (Patriots) Atlanta (Falcons)
Football Coaching Schools
Hempstead, N.Y. Charlotte (Carolina Panthers)
have impacted roughly 371,300
Mid-Atlantic Region Philadelphia (Eagles) Orlando, Fla.
young athletes. Baltimore (Ravens) Pittsburgh (Steelers) Raleigh, N.C.
Following is a list of 2010 Nashville (Tennessee Titans) Tampa (Buccaneers)
USA Football Coaching School Washington, D.C. (Redskins) Northwest Region
locations with partnering NFL Granite Bay, Calif. West Region
teams in parentheses. Central Region San Francisco (49ers) Denver (Broncos)
Go to usafootball.com in Eden Prairie, Minn. (Vikings) Seattle (Seahawks) Los Angeles
November to claim a seat at the Kansas City, Mo. (Chiefs) Oakland (Raiders) Phoenix (Arizona Cardinals)
coaching school nearest you. Omaha, Neb. San Diego (2 Schools)

9
USA Football accepts
leadership role
The NFL, its 32 teams and NFL Players Association name USA Football
official youth football development partner
By Micah Simon
T
he NFL was created in downtown Canton, Ohio, in 1920.
Eighty-nine years later, the league named its first youth
football development partner. And USA Football is proud to
carry that mantle for the sport’s betterment.
As the official youth football development
partner of the NFL, its 32 teams and the NFL Players
Association, USA Football will continue to lead
the game’s development through state-of-the-art
resources and events for coaches, commissioners,
players and game officials in all 50 states.
To highlight the historic partnership, the NFL,
NFLPA and all NFL teams recognized August as “USA
Football Month,” which held exciting elements that
will last long into the 2009 NFL season, including:
• Twenty (20) weekly USA Football-produced instructional
video clips for NFL team sites illustrating football tips and
fundamentals.
• Free NFL team-branded USA Football “Captain’s Packs,”
which reward youth players for exemplary character and
teamwork. Each pack includes 25 “C” Captain jersey patches,
200 helmet recognition decals, and 25 “Captain’s Pledges”
which a player signs as a commitment to good sportsmanship.
• USA Football public service announcements throughout
network telecasts of NFL games promoting youth football
and its dedicated volunteers.
Throughout August, NFL teams and USA Football also invited more
than 100,000 youth football players to NFL games across the country.
10 USA Football Magazine
Tony Neumann is the commissioner of the Mid-State (Wis.)
Youth Football & Cheerleading Conference. He and his league
attended the Bills-Packers game in Lambeau Field on Aug. 22.
Neumann’s conference consists of more than 1,000
kids ages 8-12.
“For some it was the first time they’d ever been to
Lambeau Field,” Neumann said. “And a lot of them
have only experienced Packer Family Night, which is
Cleveland photo: Courtesy of Wyandot County (Ohio) Midget Football League
a scrimmage, so that was fantastic.”
Neumann has also been to Packer Family Night,
but never a preseason or regular season game. He
said he and the kids had a memorable experience,
and were treated well from beginning to end.
“I thought everything was fantastic,” Neumann
said. “From the moment we got there to the moment we left it was a
blast. The whole experience was great.”
Titans photo: Courtesy of the Tennessee Titans
“USA Football Month encourages young people to be active
and provides them with the necessary structure to enjoy our sport
through thousands of youth leagues,” said NFL Executive Vice
President and USA Football Board Member Joe Browne. “We in the
NFL strongly support USA Football.”
“The NFLPA and its 1,800 players are proud to join USA Football
and the NFL in showing a unified commitment to youth football,” said
NFLPA Senior Regional Director and USA Football Board Member
Jason Belser, an 11-year NFL safety (1992-2002) with 134 career starts.
“USA Football stands for teaching the game the right way and we salute
the young people and selfless volunteers who power youth football.”
 Family Affair
NFL players’ moms look back on their sons’ transition to high school football
Just in
McCareins
A
s youngsters grow to become
high school students, they’ll
gain independence at home, but
motherly bonds remain as strong as ever.
Making the jump from youth to high
school football is a big step for any athlete,
photos: Justin McCarenis: Courtesy Tennessee Titans, Alicia McCareins:
but with support from mom and the rest
Courtesy Alicia McCareins, Donte’ Whitner: Courtesy Buffalo Bills
of the family, the transition can be made
much smoother.
“Research has shown that students who
juggle academics and arts and sports in
school tend to do better academically and
have fewer behavioral problems than their
counterparts,” said Alicia McCareins, mother
of free agent receiver Justin McCareins. Alicia
is one of nearly 100 mothers of NFL players
who form the Professional Football Players
Mothers’ Association (PFPMA), chaired by
Wilma McNabb (Donovan’s mother).
Justin McCareins participated in several
youth sports besides football growing up in
Illinois. His mother notes that playing multiple
By Nicole Lukosius
“Research has shown that students
who juggle academics and arts
and sports in school tend to do
better academically and have fewer
behavioral problems than their
counterparts.”
– Alicia McCareins
sports during his school years strengthened
Justin’s time management and helped him to
handle ups (wins) and downs (losses) with grace.
“The anxiety he felt (in moving on to high
school) was healthy because it revolved around
his desire and drive to excel,” Alicia said.
Also playing multiple sports was starting
Buffalo Bills safety Donte’ Whitner. His mother,
Deborah Whitner, never worried about her
Donte’
Whitner
“He knew that to play
football he had to make
it in the classroom,
and this is something I
stressed in all my kids.”
– Deborah Whitner
son’s busy schedule as a boy in Cleveland.
“When he transitioned from elementary
school to high school, he knew that to
play football that he had to make it in the
classroom, and this is something I stressed in
all my kids,” Deborah said of her son, who was
the eighth overall pick in the 2006 NFL Draft
after suiting up for the Ohio State Buckeyes.
Deborah was so thankful to have her five
sons involved with sports because it gave them
an opportunity to realize that good things can
come from hard work and determination.
Chicago Bears defensive tackle Tommie
Harris always wanted to make sure that two
people in particular were in attendance for
his games at Ellison High School in Killeen,
Texas – his parents.
“He used to call and make sure his dad
and I were on our way to the games,” said
mother Janie Harris.
A first round draft pick by the Bears in
2004, Tommie grew up in a military family
and spent his childhood living on an Army
base in Killeen.
“You have to be focused on what you’re
doing,” Janie said, reflecting on her son’s
determination to outwork his opposition and
tackle challenges. “You have to try hard to
achieve what you’re trying to do.”
USA Football is proud
to partner with
the Professional
Football Players
Mothers’
Association
(PFPMA) to
highlight football
values. Learn
more about these
extraordinary
“Football Moms” at
PFPMA.org.
11
 Coaching center

Art of the short-yardage run

How to gain inches on the ground when they matter most
By Steve Alic

R
eal estate on a football field is no
NFL’s best short-yardage rushers.
Coaching

different than anywhere else. It’s all

Entering this season, since 2007,
about location. Addai owns the highest 3rd down
And the closer you are to a first-down
conversion percentage on rushing
marker or goal line, attempts with two or fewer yards to
the more it’s like go (26 of 33, 78.8 pct.).
acquiring ocean- “It’s essential to keep your pad
front property. level down,” said Addai. “You need
It increases in to make one cut and go forward.
Health & fitness

value and is tough “And you have to understand how

to obtain. the blocking is designed so you know
This makes it the blocking schemes. It makes things
essential for ball a lot easier in those tight situations. I
Mark Aho
carriers to know look at the tackles and guards to see
the fundamentals of how to run the ball in
how the blocks are forming.”
short-yardage situations. USA Football coaching member
Indianapolis Colts running back and Mark Aho is now in his 26th year
NFL all-star Joseph Addai is among the of coaching youth football in the
commissioner

Minneapolis area. In addition

to coaching, Aho is the
president of the Titan’s Youth
Football League and the St.
Francis Youth Football League
Team USA running backs coach Tom Bainter of
Bothell (Wash.) H.S. runs a drill with Brian Fields
of Western Michigan University.
“Protect the football, create

joseph addai photo courtesy of indianapolis colts, tom bainter by Craig James Photography
in suburban Minneapolis.
“We have a mantra that contact with your shoulder pads
says, ‘Low man wins,’” said so they can’t hit your ribs or legs
Aho. “And ball protection is
and find the crease.”
officiating

huge, so we emphasize that

along with keeping the feet – Tom Bainter, Bothell (Wash.) H.S. head coach
moving.”
Tom Bainter, head coach at
Bothell (Wash.) High School near
Seattle and the running backs coach
of USA Football’s gold medal-
winning junior national team this
summer, adds further insight.
“A low pad level helps you to fall
forward,” said Bainter, who has led
his Bothell H.S. Cougars to a 97-35
“It’s essential to keep your pad (.735) record in his 12 seasons as
head coach. “Keep your shoulders
level down. You need to make one square to get positive yards.
cut and go forward.” “In these situations, you’ll also
– Joseph Addai, Indianapolis Colts see eight or nine in the box, so
protect the football, create contact
with your shoulder pads so they can’t hit
your ribs or legs and find the crease.”
All three men acknowledge that the
action happens fast. Aho especially keeps
this in mind as he instructs youth players.
“Keep it simple,” said Aho. “Keep
counts simple – I rarely try to draw a
team offside. Go on the first sound or on
‘One.’ I stay away from weird counts or
motion, too.”
USA Football Coaching Members: help
your running backs move the chains and go to
the Drills Library at usafootball.com. Eighteen
of the more 100 computer-animated drills
found here are dedicated to ball carriers.

12 USA Football Magazine

Equipment shed for coach’s head
By Alex Fink

C
oaches constantly search
for an extra edge to gain an
advantage over opponents.
USA Football’s coaching membership
offers just that.
Innovative resources from top
football minds provide guidance and
instruction on how to reach your
coaching potential. USA Football
helps coaches improve practice
efficiency, player fundamentals,
organizational skills, teaching
methods and communication with
players and parents.
A coaching membership earns
you access to certified coaching
courses, a practice planner, a drills
library, a digital playbook to create
and computer-animate your plays,
and a virtual film room that allows
you to watch hours of training video
streamed at usafootball.com.
As the great Vince Lombardi once
said, “Practice does not make perfect.
Only perfect practice makes perfect.”
Become a USA Football Coaching
Member today at usafootball.com.
USA Football’s Click ’N Create Playbook allows
members to build their playbook online. Craft
and animate plays, print out your playbook and
email it to players and assistant coaches. See
the video at usafootball.com/playbook.
Coaching Membership Resources:
Certified Coaching
Education Course (CCEP)
• 11 chapter quizzes to help retain
information
• Flexibility to take course at your own
pace
• 3-D and 2-D computer-animation and
audio
Practice Planner
• Develop daily practice schedules
• Print and e-mail to coaches and parents
• Save plans from year to year
• Improve practice efficiency
Drills Library
• 150 drills to teach fundamentals
• 3-D & 2-D animations for visual
comprehension
• Warm-up, speed, tackling, offense,
defense, and special teams
Click ’N Create Playbook
• Create your team’s playbook
• Includes animated and print play
functionality (Watch your plays!)
• Great organizational resource for
coaching staffs
Film Room
• Instructional video covering offense,
defense, speed and strength
• Instruction provided by NFL High
School Coaches of the Year
• Hours of insight with three camera
angles give your players an advantage

Usa Football Member Mailbag

USA Football’s non-profit office reached more than 1,000 of you – our valued members who power America’s favorite sport
– during a recent survey. We learned what’s most important to you and how we can best continue to provide resources and
services to help you advance football’s bright future.
We offered an open-ended question about being a part of the USA Football family and here’s what you told us:

“The best part of being a USA Football member is …”

“Being able to have access to vital
information for teaching football
fundamentals to our youth.”
– Phillip Banque; Lihue, Hawaii
“It has taught me how to be a better
coach.”
– George Dresch, Jr.; Belleview, Fla.
“Being a part of an organization
that is passionate about building
a positive experience for
everyone, while helping young
athletes and coaches alike, to
learn and grow with this great
sport we call ‘football.’”
– Eaton Gums; Boise, Idaho
“Being a part of something that has a positive
effect on children while learning important
information to allow me to be a better coach.”
– Lee Mullican; Sayerville, N.J.
“It is a great idea to create a unified body for
youth football. Keep up the hard work!”
– Jack Gregory; Allen, Texas

13
 Coaching center
Takeaway-Giveaway with larry & david

Do I need to use the conventional

safety position in youth football?
Coaching

Deep defender is an advantage Traditional safety isn’t

By coach Larry Canard necessary
There are a few key reasons I believe it is best to employ a free By coach David Marco
safety in a youth football defensive scheme. A traditional free safety is the last line of defense and
Health & fitness

A safety can act as the quarterback for the defense. By
alignment, the safety has the best vantage point to see what the
offense is doing with formations and motions that may require
adjustments to the defensive formation and
assignments. Finding a player that is smart
with leadership skills to play safety can
provide an extension of the
coaching staff in the huddle
and on the field.
commissioner
protects against the deep pass. NFL quarterbacks can throw
the ball 40 yards with velocity and accuracy. However, until
age 12, most youth quarterbacks cannot consistently drive
the ball downfield on their throws.
This is why the youth game is all about
stopping the run. I only use one safety,
but he is far from a traditional safety in
my 5-3 Flex (flexible) defense. My free
safety acts as the quarterback for the

The width of a football defense. He aligns 8-yards deep so he can

field in relationship to the size of the players see the offense’s formation and call out
in youth football makes defending the field from sideline to adjustments. He could line up in different places depending
sideling a challenge. Using a on the formation, but against a
safety that may be 8-10 yards classic “strong left” alignment
away from the ball at the snap he would line up over the tight
helps shrink the field and he end and key him. If the tight
will have favorable pursuit end run-blocks, he aggressively
angles for tackling the football. attacks the run.
officiating

Good speed and solid tackling The only time I align my

skills are important for all free safety deep and have
defensive players and the safety him play a “Zone 1” is when
is clearly no exception. it is fourth and long or only
Finally with the advent of seconds remain in the half or
new offenses that attempt to a game. I want teams to pass
spread the field with receivers, against our defense. I would
maintaining a safety in the rather have one less deep
middle of the field who can see defender and have an extra
pass routes develop or the point defender on the line pressuring
of attack on running plays will provide an advantage. The safety the quarterback. This same pressure also makes it very
position is very important to any defensive scheme and finding difficult to run the ball. I would much rather have a strong
the right player to fill those shoes is just as important as finding pass rush and powerful run defense than an additional deep
your quarterback on offense. defender.

Larry Canard and David Marco combine for more than 40 seasons of coaching on the youth levels and illustrate that there’s more than
one way to teach America’s favorite sport. Both contribute to the innovative benefits included in USA Football’s Coaching Membership. Go to
usafootball.com and click the “Membership” button in the upper right of your screen to join the USA Football Family.

14 USA Football Magazine

 USA Football & NFL Players
Association partner for
“All-Fundamentals Team”
By Alex Fink

A
sk a coach what the most important
attribute to building a successful
team is and you’ll likely get a three-
word answer: “Fundamentals, fundamentals,
fundamentals.”
USA Football, the Official Youth
Football Development Partner of the NFL
Players Association, is partnering with the
NFLPA to recognize NFL players who show
textbook technique and character through
the 2009 USA Football-NFLPA “All-
Fundamentals Team.”
The 26-man roster, to be determined
near the end of the NFL’s regular season,
will salute the league’s most fundamentally-
sound players exhibiting football values of
teamwork and responsibility. Representing
11 offensive positions, 11 defensive positions
and four special teams positions (long-
snapper, kicker, punter, and kick returner), Tom Carter, an NFLPA Regional Director, was a standout NFL cornerback (1993-2001),
the “All-Fundamentals Team” will be recording 27 career interceptions following a successful college career at Notre Dame.
selected by a six-person committee with
representatives from both USA Football and The “All-Fundamentals Team” matches
the NFLPA. All six have either played or USA Football’s passion to best teach Xs and
coached in the NFL: Os while instilling timeless lessons and
values gained through America’s favorite
• Jason Belser, USA Football board sport.
member and NFLPA senior regional Each player selected will receive a $1,500
herm edwards Photo courtesy of hank young

director equipment grant from USA Football to

• Tom Carter, NFLPA regional
director
• Herman Edwards, former NFL head
coach and player
• Scottie Graham, NFLPA regional
director
• Larry Kennan, NFL Coaches
Association executive director
• Carl Peterson, USA Football
chairman
donate to the youth or high school football
program of his choice. USA Football
also will present selected players with a
custom-made helmet trophy produced by
Riddell, USA Football’s official helmet and
equipment partner.
Check out usafootball.com near the
season’s end to learn if your favorite NFL
players make the team.
Herman Edwards

15
 Health & fitness

Keeping players cool

Hydration key to optimum performance
By Rose DiPaula

K
imberly White, Ph.D., a principal
Coaching

scientist at the Gatorade Sport

and Science Institute, gave some
Hydration
advice on hydration issues at the 2009 Strategies
NFL-USA Football Youth Football Summit
• Weigh in and out at
in Canton, Ohio, which hosted more than
practice
100 youth football league commissioners
• Drink regularly during
and high school coaches from all 50 states
exercise
from July 28-31. White gave her audience
Health & fitness

• Begin replacing lost

advice toward ensuring player safety.
weight early
“First, one of the biggest things is that
• Salt your food
players really need to acclimate to the
• Don’t over-consume
heat,” White said. “They need to get used
caffeine
to exercising in the heat, so it’s really
• Drink with meals
important for them to give their players
• Drink 16-32 oz. in
time to do that in the first five days of
the evening or before
their practices.
sleeping
“It’s a good time for coaches to make
commissioner

sure they are giving their teams plenty

of water breaks, and it’s also important
to practice those first few days without
officiating
much equipment as players
get used to a grueling
summer practice
schedule.”
Jeromy Fritz of
Arnold, Mo., is the vice president before and after practice. If a player is
of the Jefferson County Youth properly hydrated, he should weigh the
Association (JCYA) that serves same before practice and after practice.

more than 500 St. Louis- “If they lose weight during
area youngsters. He practice, it means they’re not
attended the Summit drinking enough and they’re going

top: photo by shawn hubbard; bottom: craig james photography

and gained helpful
tips from White’s
presentation. He said
White suggested
implementing a “buddy
system” for players to
help keep an eye on each other,
especially when a coach is
responsible for multiple players.
White advises coaches to
monitor their players’ weight
to be dehydrated,” White said.
“You don’t want them to over-
drink. You don’t want them
to gain weight, so have them
weigh-in before and after and
then use that information to help
figure out how much players should be
drinking during practice.”
For more on hydration and other athlete
health topics, go to usafootball.com and click
“Health & Safety” on any homepage tab.

Kimberly White, Ph.D., of the Gatorade Sports Science Institute addressed youth
football leaders and high school coaches from all 50 states about hydration during
the 2009 NFL-USA Football Youth Football Summit in Canton, Ohio, in late July.

16 USA Football Magazine

 When in doubt, sit them out
Medical experts share insight on concussions
By Nicole Lukosius
D
etermination
and a love for
competition drive
athletes to compete. So
when an injury occurs, it
can be difficult to watch
your teammates performing
while you’re recovering on
the sidelines. Returning to
the field too quickly can
make a situation worse.
This is especially true
when an athlete has suffered
a concussion. Unlike a
broken finger or a sprained
ankle, a concussion can be
Dr. Stan Herring, team physician of the Seattle Seahawks, speaks at the
a challenge to diagnose.
2009 NFL-USA Football Youth Football Summit about concussion awareness.
A concussion is a brain
injury caused by a blow or jolt to the head
that disrupts the brain’s function. Signs and
symptoms can be hard to detect, so making
sure a youth player receives medical attention
– and then a follow-up clearing the athlete to
play after an evaluation – are needed
to ensure that an athlete is ready to
play again.
“Kids shouldn’t be returned to
any strenuous physical activity
or even strenuous mental
activities and emotionally
difficult situations until they’ve
been evaluated,” said Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention expert Vik
Kapil, an osteopathic physician and Fellow
of the American College of Emergency
Physicians (FACEP).
Some signs and symptoms to be aware
of indicating that a player has suffered a
possible concussion can include appearing
craig james photography
dazed or stunned, moving clumsily,
answering questions slowly, losing
consciousness (even briefly) and overall
confusion. An athlete can also experience
headaches, nausea, balance problems and
blurred vision.
to athletes with concussions.”
And Herring’s most
important message to the group
was simple:
“When in doubt, sit them
out,” he said. “Let this be a
medical decision.”
Under guidelines set by the
American Academy of Neurology,
a study found that in 100 high
schools across the country
nearly 41 percent of athletes who
suffered a concussion returned
to action too soon from 2005
to 2008. A lot of pressure is put
on athletes to perform – even at
youth and high school levels – and
some of this has to do with the
“Some symptoms and after-effects may not demands kids face from their peers.
be seen at the game,” said Centers for Disease “Sometimes kids feel pressure (to play) so
Control and Prevention expert Marlena Wald, it’s very important that they’re-educated on the
Master of Public Health. “When mom and dad potentially very serious consequences of these
sit down for breakfast the next morning with types of injuries,” Kapil said. “Kids should be
their son or daughter, some of this may educated in advance so they know to watch out
show up then in the quiet of the home.” for these signs in their fellow teammates, and
Dr. Stan Herring, a team it’s important to make sure coaches, assistant
physician for the Seattle Seahawks coaches and trainers are also aware.”
and the Co-Medical Director for For more information on athlete health, go
the Seattle Sports Concussion to usafootball.com and click “Health & Safety”
Program, spent a day in Canton, on any homepage tab.
Ohio, to address youth
league commissioners Percentage of high school athletes who endure
and high school coaches about concussions and miss more than three weeks of
concussion awareness at the sports participation:
NFL-USA Football Youth
Football Summit held from 11.8% 11.2%
July 28-31.
“This is where the culture
8.9% 7.5%
7.7%
change must start,” Herring 6.6%
said of today’s youth parents 5.9% 3.7%
and coaches following his July Boys
29 presentation. “It’s important Soccer Girls Girls
Volleyball Girls
Soccer Boys
to understand that sometimes Basketball
Football
you can play with a cast or a Source: National High School Sports-Related Injury Surveillance, 2005-07
splint, but that does not apply
17
 Health & fitness

Equipment from Head to Toe

As millions of youngsters in all 50 states suit up for football,
it’s important to know how each piece of equipment serves to protect them
Coaching

Face Mask Helmet

Shields the face from contact Adjusts to fit snug on each player’s head to protect
and protects the nose. various parts of the head, neck and jaw.

Mouth Piece
Mandatory piece of equipment
Health & fitness

fitted to each player’s mouth to Shoulder Pads

protect the teeth as well as to help Used to protect the shoulders,
eliminate concussions. chest and back.

Chin Strap
Standard equipment for all
helmets which works in tandem
with the helmet to provide
maximum protection for the
commissioner

chin and jaw.

Thigh Pads
Protect the quadriceps muscles
and the femur bone.
officiating

The official football Knee Pads

protective partner of Tucked inside the lower part of the
USA Football pants, help to protect the knees.

Shoes
Cleats or turf-soled
shoes provide better
traction and help The official athletic apparel
to protect the foot accessory and footwear
photo: shawn hubbard

during play. supplier of USA Football.

18 USA Football Magazine

 What Football Taught My Son:
Raul Lora
By Micah Simon
E
rik Lora earned the opportunity of
a lifetime to represent the United
States at the IFAF Junior World
Championship (see page 4) in Canton,
Ohio, this summer. Erik is the son of Raul
Lora, who came to the United States from
Cuba when he was just 3 years old. Raul
has been
supportive of
Erik’s football
career,
coaching him
from ages 6-14
before Erik
developed as a
wide receiver
at Miami
Christopher
Columbus
High School.
After
winning Erik and Raul Lora
the gold
medal with USA Football’s Junior
National Team in Canton, Erik
has continued his football career
at Eastern Illinois University.
For Raul, it has been an exciting
Family photo: courtesy of raul Lora, action photo: shawn hubbard
experience to watch his son
become a man and embrace
football’s values along the way.
USA Football Magazine recently
spoke with Raul Lora to learn what
football has taught his son.
When did Erik start playing football?
At age 6 for a 65-pound team.
Your family emigrated from Cuba to Miami
when you were a toddler. What American
values are reflected in football?
To put it into words – hard work,
pride, teamwork, working with others and
camaraderie.
How have you been involved in Erik’s
football experiences, starting back to when
he first started playing?
I was always his coach up until high
school. I coached him for seven or eight
years until he went to (Miami) Columbus
High School and that’s when I let go.
How have other aspects of Erik’s life been
positively affected by football?
All the camaraderie he has with his
friends ... football is a fantastic game
for a kid’s self-esteem. There’s a sense of
achievement that no other game creates.
And trust me, I’ve played other sports.
I played collegiate soccer and I even
played a little pro soccer. But there’s no
other sport that gives you such a sense of
accomplishment. It does so much for kids.
What do you enjoy most about watching
Erik play?
He’s a great performer. I just enjoy
watching him play and
watching him have a good
time and the sense of
accomplishment that he has.
What has football taught Erik?
It’s helped teach him how to
get along with others, how to
work with others and achieve
something. Through hard work
you can achieve something.
There are a lot of things the
game has taught him, for sure.
One of them is how to work with
others and be selfless.
How does it make you feel to
see the success your son is
having, both on the field and
off?
It’s an incredible sense of
pride, especially his play for
our national team (in Canton).
Again, it’s a lot of years of hard
work that have paid off. It’s an
unbelievable feeling. You know
how a gorilla beats his chest?
It’s like that to see him. He’s got
the scholarship and he’s worked
hard at it and he deserves it. So I’m very,
very, very proud.
USA Football is the official youth football
development partner of the NFL, its 32 teams
and the NFL Players Association. Learn more
about football fundamentals and values at
usafootball.com.
19
 commissioner

Technology lifts
youth football
USA Football’s coaching course melds innovation
Coaching

with football know-how

By Micah Simon

U
SA Football’s innovative Certified Coaching Education
Program (CCEP) was first kicked off in 2007 and stands
as the most widely employed football-specific coach
training program in youth football today.
Health & fitness
to complete and is free for USA Football Coaching Members ($10
per non-member).
Dr. Jody Brylinsky, professor at Western Michigan
University, and USA Football Consultant Tom Bass were

The growth and development of the CCEP – already among those who helped bring the CCEP to life. Dr. Brylinsky
implemented in all 50 states authored the course
– was shaped by youth structure while Bass and
football commissioners USA Football’s Coaches
who wanted a unified Committee authored the
standard for measuring curriculum.
their coaches. In the fall of 2006,
“USA Football is Fairfax County (Va.)
committed to helping Youth Football League
commissioner

youth organizations by coaches were the first to

establishing coaching try the CCEP before it was
education, so we asked launched. After testing
league commissioners and final tweaks, the first
at our state leadership edition was put into play
forums, ‘What are the in spring 2007. The Fairfax
biggest issues you face?” County league quickly
said Nick Inzerello, adopted USA Football’s
USA Football director CCEP as its own official
officiating

of football development. coaching education

“Coaching education kept
coming back as the No. 1
issue.”
USA Football employed
state-of-the-art technology
with youth football’s
top coaching minds to
create the CCEP and
teach coaches how to best
communicate with athletes
and instill strong football
fundamentals. Bolstered
with 3-D and 2-D
computer animation and
narration, the 11-chapter
course with quizzes takes
approximately two hours
program.
“We have a lot of
positive feedback from our
CCEP completion surveys,”
said USA Football
Membership Director
Gary Del Vecchio. “New
coaches tell us that the
course helps them get up
to speed and have a better
understanding of how to
teach the game.”
Learn more about
USA Football’s Certified Coaching Education Program helps youth leagues the most advanced coach
standardize their level of coaching. Coursework covers the fundamentals of training program in youth
blocking, tackling and techniques for coaching every position on the field football at usafootball.com/
using 3-D and 2-D animation. cepcoaches.

20 USA Football Magazine

USA Football Regional Managers
A merica’s favorite sport is powered by you – dedicated youth league commissioners, coaches, game
officials and volunteers. For each of you, there is a face and name to place in your football Rolodex:
your USA Football Regional Manager.
USA Football Regional Managers are current and former coaches, players and administrators working for you. Each has the experience
needed to help you make your league or team even stronger with USA Football’s resources.
Contact your USA Football Regional Manager to learn how you can kick off your free commissioner membership or to ask about coaching
certification, the nearest USA Football Coaching School, Player Academy or Officiating School. Stay in touch with your regional manager,
whether it’s to share news about your league or team or to ask about member resources.
In addition, you may always contact our office, based outside of Washington, D.C., through usafootball.com or by phone at
1-877-5-FOOTBALL. Let us know how we can serve you better.
Together we’ll ensure that teamwork and leadership continue to serve as the laces binding our favorite game.

Northeast Region
Ed Passino
Northwest Region Great Lakes Region (703) 992-8246
Bassel Faltas Central Region Scott LeVeque epassino@usafootball.com
(571) 730-4816 Joe Owens (571) 730-4815
bfaltas@usafootball.com (571) 730-4822 sleveque@usafootball.com
jowens@usafootball.com

West Region Southeast Region

Bucky Brooks Rick Peacock
(818) 921-7616 (703) 992-8107
South & Mid-Atlantic rpeacock@usafootball.com
bbrooks@usafootball.com
Deno Campbell
(703) 992-8653
dcampbell@usafootball.com

21
 commissioner
In the “Spirit” of fundraising
Leagues continue to employ BRAX Spirit Cups to help meet financial goals
By Steve Alic
T
here are some things in football
Coaching
that are “must-haves.”
Every player needs a helmet.
Each team needs a coach.
And every league needs a go-to
fundraising partner to keep it strong.
USA Football understands the
importance of fundraising. In searching
for the optimal fundraising partner, USA
Health & fitness
Football selected BRAX Spirit Cups for
its long-standing dedication to customer
service, support, and high-quality goods.
BRAX Spirit Cups have proven to be
successful for helping many organizations
raise critical revenue for maintenance,
improvements and growth. The cups
are sold in quantities of four and feature
designs and logos of National Football
commissioner
League teams and NCAA colleges and
universities.
At the 2009 NFL-USA Football Youth
Football Summit in Canton, Ohio, BRAX
donated 100 NFL Spirit Cups to each of the
32 USA Football State Forum delegates for
fundraising purposes. BRAX also awarded
a $1,000 grant to Jim Burke, president and
commissioner of the Livermore Youth
officiating
Football and Cheer in northern California.
BRAX’s Pete Hexter, Todd Elgart and
Joel Reader met with youth league officials
in Canton and discussed the aspects of
successful fundraising.
“I had talked with many leagues about
their experience raising money with
BRAX, and they were all happy with the
results,” said Geoff Meyer, co-founder
and president of The Chicagoland Youth
Football League (TCYFL), who attended
the Youth Summit in Canton as a USA
Football State Forum delegate. “We also
had great success raising money selling
their cups, so I’ve been raving about BRAX
cups for years.
“We will sell BRAX cups forever
because it’s a great fundraiser. It helps us
22 USA Football Magazine
alleviate some of our league costs and helps “Our Fundraiser with BRAX Spirit
generate excitement in our fundraising Cups last year was our most
programs.”
successful fundraiser to date.
Spirit Cups feature fans’ favorite
teams and are heavy plastic cups, 18-oz, We made approximately $8,000
dishwasher safe featuring a 3-D lens and and people are already asking
made in the USA. They are recyclable and if we are selling cups again this
packed four cups to a set of the same team. year. A great fundraising idea that
Leagues earn a $4 profit on every sleeve of
everyone enjoyed!”
four cups sold. Among the cups featured are
all 32 NFL teams, more than 70 colleges and
– Helen Kilburg, Boone Grove-
five U.S. military designs. Winfield (Ind.) Pop Warner
How to ensure a
successful fundraiser:
• Hold a meeting with all parents who are participating in the fundraiser.
• Clearly explain the goals of your fundraising and expectations of each
participant.
• Emphasize to parents the amount of money you will raise if each parent
reaches the team goal.
• Remind parents that 80 percent of all sales come through the parents from
friends, co-workers and family.
• Work environments are the perfect place to bring a sample cup and sign-up
brochure. Encourage those who buy to tell a friend.
• Suggest a team of parents approach a large retailer (department stores,
grocery stores, etc.) to set up a table and small display of cups outside of
these locations on a weekend to take orders. You could have some players
present in uniforms to see the youngsters their benefiting.
• Request a group of parents to volunteer to sell in small office buildings. They
may even leave a sample cup and order form in an office for a day or two.
• Limit the length of the fundraising effort to three weeks or less. This allows
your efforts to be focused and maintain enthusiasm.
• At the halfway point of the fundraiser request a midpoint meeting to see how
progress is being made.
• You may want to offer a prize to the best-selling family. A $25 gift certificate
works; remember it’s more about recognition so everyone else knows of
their success. This can be promoted on your team website.
 Meet a USA Football Member
Lou Bonnanzio By Micah Simon

B
igger doesn’t always mean better, but USA Football organization like USA Football. In the past, we didn’t have the
commissioner member Lou Bonnanzio is using his capabilities of doing what USA Football has done and what you
membership to ensure the size of his offer to the coaches. Being probably one of the
league (approximately 10,000 players) doesn’t largest youth football leagues in the country, big
overshadow the importance of educated isn’t always a good thing. We’re trying to find
coaches. By requiring new and current coaches a way to educate the coaches so they can be the
to have a USA Football coaching membership, best possible coach for the kids.
Bonnanzio’s league receives the best possible
resources to succeed. Bonnanzio recently How have you benefited from your USA
spoke with USA Football Magazine to discuss Football commissioner membership?
the impact USA Football has had on his league. All of our coaches go through their USA
Football certification before the season
What is your favorite football memory? starts. We plan on using USA Football for a
When I was a sophomore in high school lot of other things. We’re in for the long term
I was told I would be the starting as far as the league is concerned.
quarterback, and my high school Name: Lou Bonnanzio All the new coaches will go
won 57 games in a row which Resides: Huntington, New York through the certification in the
started about when I was in eighth USA Football Membership: Commissioner future as well.
grade. Position: Chairman
League: Suffolk County Police Athletic League What do you enjoy most about
What led you to become involved (P.A.L.) being a league commissioner?
with youth football? Number of Players: More than 9,000 Striving to be the best youth
I just love the game and wanted Number of Coaches: More than 1,600 football league there is. Also, to
to stay in it. keep what the Police Athletic
League is all about: keeping kids
What inspired you to join USA Football? occupied, keeping them busy and getting them involved in the
With all of the programs USA Football offers, it was a no- greatest sport on Earth.
brainer. All our coaches go through the certification course. Learn more about USA Football’s free Commissioner resources
That’s a great tool and we enjoy being associated with an at usafootball.com/register/benefits/admin.

Equipment grant application open

at usafootball.com
USA Football will award $1 million in equipment grants to youth and high school programs
across America this fall based on merit and need.
Youth leagues are eligible for a $1,000 package that includes equipment and apparel from
Riddell and Under Armour. High schools can earn similar packages valued at $1,500.
Leagues and high schools may apply for grants on usafootball.com through Thursday, Oct.
15, at 5 p.m. ET. Leagues need to be a 501(c)(3) non-profit in order to be eligible.
USA Football’s grant program has assisted more than 700 youth and high school football
programs throughout the country since 2006. USA Football will have distributed more than $2
million in equipment and apparel to deserving programs through 2009.
Visit usafootball.com and select “Equipment Grants” under the Commissioners toolbar to apply now.

23
 Officiating

One game, one world

USA Football Officiating Member serves sport in Japan
By Micah Simon

W
orking in the military 11th season as a game official.
Coaching

gives servicemen “I love being around sports, and

and women a chance there comes a time when your body
to travel the world. Though the just won’t let you play anymore at the
opportunity is not for leisure, some level you would like to play,” he said.
maximize their free time during “Officiating gives me a way to stay
their service. close to the sport and actually have a
Bill Passwaters isn’t living in part in the game.
America, but he’s doing the next- “In a football game there are
Health & fitness

best thing: officiating America’s really three teams on the field: the
favorite sport … in Japan. home team, the visiting team and
Passwaters served the Navy for the officials’ team,” he said. “We
24 years, 16 of them spent overseas. USA Football Officiating Member Bill Passwaters (right) have to trust each other to do our
During his time in the Navy, worked a game this past March between a team of U.S. individual responsibilities and
most of which was spent based in high school players and Japan’s junior national team. communicate with one another to
Japan, he led teams in analyzing Team Japan, which earned a bronze medal at the 2009 ensure we apply the rules as they are
underwater acoustic data in IFAF Junior World Championship in Canton, Ohio, this written to let the teams determine
support of anti-submarine warfare summer, defeated the Americans, 38-21. the outcome of a game.”
operations. Passwaters, his wife, USA Football’s Bill LeMonnier, a
league

and their two teenaged sons continue to and take nothing lightly,” he said. “When Big Ten referee, conducted a USA Football
live in Japan today. they commit to being officials they give Officiating School in Japan in 2008, which
Passwaters, who has called about 75 everything they have to be good officials. is where Passwaters first learned about
football games in Japan on the collegiate They know the history of the game and the independent non-profit. Passwaters
and semi-pro levels, is impressed by what he study the rules and mechanics year-round.” values his USA Football officiating member
sees. Japan has played football since 1934. A USA Football officiating member for resources.
“The Japanese are very methodical nearly two years, Passwaters is entering his “The membership offers outstanding
articles and tips to elevate your game,”
officiating

he said. “You can go through the online

Bill Passwaters courses at your own pace and pick

up valuable tips to help improve your
knowledge. I use USA Football materials,
Having officiated football in Japan for nearly one including the officiating training DVD that
dozen years, USA Football Officiating Member Bill Bill provided to officials here in Japan who
Passwaters has seen the game up-close like few work games on our Naval base.”
other Americans. His appraisal of the sport in the Passwaters can understand the Japanese
world’s 10th-most populated nation (127.5 million): language better than he speaks it, but this
photos courtesy of bill passwaters

represents an easily surpassed obstacle.

“The quality of football in Japan is excellent. Of “Regardless of nationality, officials
all the coaches, players, officials and fans I have met while working games in have a common interest and bond,” he
Japan, they all seem to share a love and passion for the sport. The coaches said. “Being an official makes you part of
strive to learn new systems and attend coaching clinics, the players work hard a fraternity or brotherhood that knows no
at becoming the best at their positions, and the officials are always in training barriers.”
to stay on top of the rules and mechanics. The approach to the game is very Whether you live in Tokyo or Topeka,
professional from all standpoints.” experience USA Football’s state-of-the-art
officiating resources at usafootball.com/register.

24 USA Football Magazine

 quick-hitter grid
With members in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, USA Football recently caught up with four Officiating members from coast to
coast. Below are their straight-ahead thoughts on topics covering football memories, tough calls, and dinner guests.
Official: Pat Kelley
Location: Ontario, Calif.
Level: High School
Years Officiating: 6 5
Hardest call to Holding – you have to decide
make how much impact it had on the
play and how egregious it was
Favorite football After the
memory game with
the guys – the
camaraderie
Favorite USA
Football Officiating
member resource Bill LeMonnier and Tony
Michalek’s instruction,
techniques and breakdowns
Advice for a new Slow down and get involved
official in youth football
Your pre-game meal Peanuts, pretzels …
or snack something small
Three people you’d Rob Vernatchi (NFL Official);
like to have dinner Jerry Markbreit (retired
with NFL Official); John Travolta
What you love most It’s my hobby – the
about officiating exercise, being outside,
football atmosphere, Friday night
lights … what’s better?
Football official you Al Cory (Umpire, Mountain
respect the most West Conference)
USA Football offers resource-packed memberships to give coaches, officials and youth league commissioners an edge.
Learn more at www.usafootball.com/register.
Richard Jackson
Peoria, Ariz.
Youth/high school
Holding
I kicked a
25-yard field goal in
high school to beat our
rival in OT who we hadn’t
beaten in 18 seasons. It
was a pretty big deal!
Really like where you see
the signals in 3-D and the
voiceover announces the
call – love that resource.
Great visual learning.
Study the rules, ask a lot
of questions for feedback
and work as many games
as schedule allows
Peanut butter and
chocolate Clif bar
Jerry Markbreit,
Roger Goodell,
President Obama
I still get to be part of the
game
Mike Carey (Referee, NFL)
Heath Roberts Jason Soistman
Van Buren, Ark. Glen Burnie, Md.
High school/Jr. high youth, H.s., College, pro
4 15
Most any Pass interference
judgment call
The end of the Working
game during an NCAA
the last game of my senior quarterfinal
year in high school. Just the playoff game
emotions that were there
and the fear of the unknown.
The monthly e-newsletter The education
course (COEP). It’s great for
new officials; demonstrates
the basics in an easy-to-
understand format
Learn the definitions of football
Continue to ask questions first. Learn Rule #2 in the
even when you think you NFHS rule book and the rest
know the answers will be easier to understand.
King-size Snickers and Snickers bar
Mountain Dew (always have
one extra at halftime, too)
Brian Bosworth, Lou Holtz, Tiger Woods, Bill
Bobby Petrino Gates & Jimmy
Buffett
Camaraderie with the crew, The camaraderie
traveling to and from the between fellow
game and getting to know officials and being able to
the guys give back to the game
Ed Hochuli (Referee, NFL); Jerry Miranda
he admitted making a (Referee, NCAA)
mistake last year
25
 Officiating
The expert is in
USA Football tackles questions for officiating members
by Rose DiPaula
W
hen you’re hungry, you call for pizza.
Under the weather? Call the doctor.
Coaching
Have a question about a flag you didn’t throw
in Saturday’s game? Ask the expert …
USA Football’s officiating “Ask the Expert”
membership resource, that is.
USA Football officiating members submit
questions at usafootball.com’s “Ask the Expert”
page to gain insight into rule interpretations or
techniques. Among those ready to address your questions is 16-year
Health & fitness
Big Ten referee Bill LeMonnier, a veteran of 12 college bowl games
who has served USA Football members for four seasons.
William Bailey is a crew chief in the Amarillo, Texas, area for
the Texas Association of Sport Officials. An official for eight years,
he uses the feature to learn more about specific situations and
enjoys USA Football’s personal response.
“It gives us an avenue and a place to go to when we need an
answer to a question,” Bailey said.
league
Growing football family
Athletic Training Innovations and The Andrews Institute join USA Football
By Rose DiPaula
USA Football’s partner roster has grown even stronger in recent
months.
officiating
Athletic Training Innovations (ATI), which specializes in athletic
training products, and the Andrews Institute, a Florida-
based leader in sports medicine, have forged new
partnerships with USA Football which will benefit the
non-profit’s members in all 50 states.
Over the next year, ATI will provide USA Football
members discounts on its products and will display
them at USA Football events in 2010. Based in
Louisiana, ATI’s athletic training products help athletes
reach their potential.
“USA Football is a terrific fit for ATI with its large
and dedicated membership attending first-class football
training events nationwide,” said ATI CEO Kevin Bouza.
“This partnership holds an immediate positive impact
for us within football’s passionate grassroots community
– a tremendously vast audience that makes football
America’s favorite sport.”
A world leader in sports health, the Andrews
Institute’s partnership with USA Football marks its first
with a national governing body and represents its most significant foray
into the grassroots sports community, composed of more than 4 million
26 USA Football Magazine
Visitors to the site can easily type questions regarding
information on training, specific rules and different officiating
scenarios. Even officiating veterans can find “Ask the Expert”
useful as they stay atop their game. Answers
are posted on usafootball.com, so members
can gain insight even without submitting
a question. An “Ask the Expert” feature is
also included in USA Football’s coach and
commissioner memberships.
And you don’t necessarily have to be an official to ask a
question. Jeff Block, a coaching member from the Tampa, Fla. area
decided to “Ask the Expert” for an officiating question he had been
wondering about.
“Honestly, I probably like just hearing the input from others,”
he said. “It’s just one more tool to help coaches do the best for
their kids.”
Capitalize on all of USA Football’s officiating member resources
found at usafootball.com/register.
youth and high school football players. More than 1.1 million high
school boys play football, more than doubling the next most-played
sport by that group, according to the National Federation of State High
School Associations.
Dr. Lonnie Paulos of the Andrews Institute is a
contributing member of USA Football’s “Football &
Wellness Committee,” sharing his insight with USA
Football members through committee meetings,
usafootball.com, and other communication
vehicles.
“I am pleased to represent the Andrews Institute
through our partnership with USA Football,” said Dr.
Paulos, a former University of Utah football player.
“Our mission compliments the efforts of USA Football
to educate coaches, parents and athletes on safety
and injury prevention. I look forward to developing and
implementing medical protocols and safety standards
that may help further youth athletics.”
“Welcoming ATI and the Andrews Institute into the
USA Football family is exciting for us and strengthens
our membership offering,” said USA Football Executive
Director Scott Hallenbeck. “There’s never been a better time than right
now to be part of the youth football community.”
Football minds create the sport’s
No. 1 Officiating Training DVD
USA Football brings officiating instruction to new plateau
By Dave McMahon
W
hat began as an
attempt to help
high school football
players secure college scholarships
has turned into something much
more for Jamie Nicholson.
A video editor by training,
the Grand Blanc, Mich., native
began filming games for the
local high school football
coaches as a hobby.
“I went and did the videotape,
and a coach from Flint Beecher
High School asked if I could help
them get their players on film.
They had some players who had
the talent to get scholarships,
but they needed to get the guys
on video,” Nicholson said. “I did
their games and it worked out
pretty well. They started having
three or four kids a year get
scholarships through game film.”
In the meantime, Nicholson’s
passion for America’s favorite
sport became even more prevalent
when he decided to become an
official. His seven-year high
school officiating career came to
an end last November with the
Jamie Nicholson, college official and instant
conclusion of the Michigan state
replay technician for the NFL’s Detroit Lions, helped produce
playoffs, but his role as a college
USA Football’s Officiating Training DVD.
official is on the rise.
Suffice to say, his career on
the video side is gaining steam, too. In
addition to working as an on-field official
for the Division I-AA Pioneer League,
Nicholson has spent the last 11 years – since that would benefit thousands of officials
the return of instant replay to the NFL – as
the head instant replay technician for the
Detroit Lions.
Nicholson recently steered the
production of USA Football’s Officials
Training DVD (81 minutes, $25). A meeting
with Tony Michalek, an NFL umpire
leading USA Football’s officiating program,
didn’t take long to evolve into a relationship deciphering how to make it beneficial for the
nationwide.
“I told Tony that I had years of high
school football games on my video shelves,”
Nicholson said. “They took those and picked
out the positive aspects of what the officials reach their potential.
are doing – look how well this
guy squares off, or look at this
great pass interference call. Tony
and [USA Football Officiating
Consultant] Bill LeMonnier
did the voiceover, and I did the
production.”
Nicholson estimates that he’s
watched thousands of hours of
game film. He produces training
films for officials like Dick Honig,
the supervisor of replay officials
for the Atlantic Coast Conference,
and Carl
Paganelli, who
spent 10 years
as the Mid-
American
Conference
coordinator of
officials before
becoming the
supervisor of
instant replay
for the MAC
and Big Ten.
“The USA
Football
Officials
Training DVD
is as good
as you’re going to find,” Nicholson
said. “There’s nothing better than
the training DVD you’ll find at USA
Football. Tony and Bill spent countless hours
looking at game film, breaking it down, and
official who wants to become better.”
Visit store.usafootball.com to learn more
about USA Football’s Officiating Training
DVD and more than one dozen other DVD
titles to help every game official and coach
27
Meet a USA Football board Member

Carl Francis
Director of Communications, NFL Players Association
By Rose DiPaula

H
elping steer USA Football’s mission as the sport’s national governing body on youth
and amateur levels is its 18-member Board of Directors. The board is composed
of leaders throughout the football community who share a deep appreciation for
America’s favorite sport. This issue of USA Football Magazine introduces you to USA Football
Board Member Carl Francis, communications director for the NFL Players Association.
After playing football on youth, high school and college levels, Francis remains part
of the youth football community as a volunteer coach. He also serves youngsters as
the founder of the Hampton Roads (Va.) Youth Foundation. The foundation provides
educational, social and economic programs for Hampton Roads children.
USA Football Magazine caught up with Francis just as the NFL preseason kicked off
in August.
From your perspective as a youth football
What impact did your football coaches have on you and how do you think you affect the coach, what makes USA Football so
players you coach today? valuable?
My youth coaches were extended fathers and uncles. They taught me life lessons That’s easy – USA Football gives youth
through football – I learned that success comes through leadership, hard work and coaches tremendous resources to help
discipline. I coach youth football because I enjoy making young people feel good about them perform at their best. Coaching
themselves through the world’s greatest sport. The kids that I like working with the most youth football is more than just X’s and
are those who may not be the most talented, but really love to play the game. O’s; it’s about empowering young athletes
to reach their potential. Utilizing the USA
Why is it important for the NFLPA to be committed to youth football? Football resources helps every coach to
The NFLPA believes in the importance of supporting youth football – and especially do this. Many of our former players who
USA Football – because our players are products of the youth football experience. Many coach youth football use USA Football’s
NFL players conduct free football clinics during the off-season, so they understand the tools to teach the game’s fundamentals. I
importance of supporting an organization that helps kids learn the game and teaches speak with NFL players who are sincerely
them the right way. It is paramount for the NFLPA to continue to support youth football, impressed with the sophistication of USA
particularly through USA Football. Football’s coaching resources.

USA Football’s board of directors

Ray Anderson Tom Cove Scott Hallenbeck Frank Sanchez
Exec. V.P., Football Operations President & CEO Executive Director Vice President
National Football League SGMA International USA Football Boys & Girls Clubs of America

Jason Belser Carl Francis Mark Meana DeMaurice Smith

Senior Regional Director
NFL Players Association
Joe Browne
Exec. V.P., Communications
& Public Affairs
National Football League
Jon Butler
Executive Director
Pop Warner Little Scholars, Inc.
Director of Communications Chairman Executive Director
NFL Players Association Fairfax County (Va.) NFL Players Association
Youth Football League
Alexia Gallagher Grant Teaff
Director, NFL Youth Football Dept. Brian Mitchell Executive Director
National Football League Former NFL All-Star American Football
NFL Alumni Coaches Association
Bob Gardner
Chief Operating Officer Carl Peterson Deborah Yow
National Federation of State Chairman Athletic Director
High School Associations USA Football University of Maryland

Roger Goodell Keith Rucker

Commissioner Football Coach
National Football League NFL Alumni
28 USA Football Magazine
 Chairman Chat
Get to know Carl Peterson, USA Football’s new chairman
By Nicole Lukosius
9
A
merica’s favorite sport has made a strong impression on
USA Football’s new chairman – and vice versa.
A respected scout, coach and NFL team executive
for more than 40 years, Carl Peterson has been around football
for nearly his entire life. Best known
for his success as president and general
manager of the Kansas City Chiefs
(1989-2008), Peterson accepted USA
Football’s chairman position on June 16
following the death of former chairman
Jack Kemp in early May.
Peterson has forged a brilliant and
ongoing career in a sport that has
captured his imagination for decades. In
his leadership position with USA Football,
he will help shape the sport’s future and
share his passion with coaches, game
officials and league commissioners to
foster positive football experiences for the
millions of youngsters playing this game.
How did you get your start as a high school football coach?
I was majoring in kinesiology at UCLA, and Coach Skip Rowland
at Long Beach Woodrow Wilson High School knew I had an interest
in coaching and asked if I’d work with the junior varsity and varsity
teams. He’s a great, great mentor and a good friend.
So he’s the one that started me in it and I was there a year, and
when I was working on my masters at UCLA, I got a full-time job
coaching and teaching at Loyola High School in Los Angeles. I had
two years there, so my first three years of coaching football were all
at the high school level, and they were all enjoyable experiences.
What is it about football that captures your attention and led you
to pursue a career in this game?
I think it’s the essence of a team sport, and I always liked that
as a young athlete. I wasn’t a great athlete, but I played football,
basketball and baseball in high school. I made the decision that I
wanted to go into coaching and athletics, and the thing that I had
learned from football on high school and intercollegiate levels
was the importance of teamwork.
It was a great experience to have players and coaches all
pushing for the same goal – winning a game – but you can’t do
it by yourself. It takes everyone doing their share. It might be
that I grew up in a family of four boys, and we had to show some
teamwork. Whether it was mowing the lawn and doing the yard
work on the weekends or dishes at night, we always accomplished
more collectively than individually.
photo: Courtesy of the Kansas City Chiefs
What kind of appreciation do you have for youth and high school
football coaches?
They are doing something that truly will affect a youth’s life.
The lessons that they teach and the relationships that they make
are unforgettable.
I think anyone who’s ever
played high school football will
never forget their high school
football coach, and I’m sure it’s the
same for their first youth coach.
The time and the hours and the
effort they put into it is certainly
not for financial compensation
– it’s for a real labor of love and a
devotion to the game.
In your 20 seasons with the
Kansas City Chiefs, what were
some of your greatest challenges
and accomplishments?
You’re never completely satisfied with what you do. When I came
to this city and this franchise, they had earned one playoff berth in
the previous 15 years. It was very much a beaten-down organization.
It wasn’t a situation where people disliked like the Chiefs, they just
didn’t care. My challenge was to try to resurrect a sincere interest in
the Kansas City Chiefs and the organization and win back the fans,
and that was my goal. [Editor’s note: under Peterson’s leadership,
the Chiefs earned nine playoff appearances, won the AFC West
four times and reached an AFC Championship Game.]
It was a great challenge, but we were able to do it because I was
fortunate to hire some very good people and some fine coaches in
Marty Schottenheimer, Bill Cowher, and Gunther Cunningham.
We had some great success and that resulted in resurrecting the
interest and a passion for the Chiefs. The players obviously were
essential as well. Those challenges were there, but they were fun
and exciting to attack and try to solve.
What are you most excited about your new role as chairman of
USA Football?
It’s an opportunity for me to really get to know the youth
coaches around this country, to give as much counsel or wisdom
that I can for the good of the game and to do what we can to
continue to grow it. That’s what the emphasis is for USA Football,
the NFL and the NFLPA.
It’s important to grow the game because of the values that
young players learn and all the aspects of teamwork, discipline,
accountability, and humility.
29
USA Football Playbooks USA Foot
Shop
ba ll

ready for action

shop.usafo
otball.com

open
By Micah Simon
24/7

H
elping more coaches
achieve success,
USA Football
Playbooks are now available
to teach scheme and illustrate
plays that youth players can
easily understand.
For new and seasoned
coaches, the USA Football
Playbook offers the best
foundation for implementing
the right scheme for any
youth football team.
Playbooks ($25) are available
in three exciting youth
football-relevant titles at
shop.usafootball.com:
• Offensive Football – A
great place to start
[Split Backfield & I-Formation]
• Spread Offense
• 4-4 Defense
offense, he or she will be
USA Football Playbooks at able to do so with comfort,”
Inzerello said.
shop.usafootball.com Scheme isn’t the most
important aspect of youth
• Every play is
football, but USA Football
broken down with
formations, position Playbooks do make preparing
assignments and for a game easier. Canard said
coaching points if the game is simplified, kids
• Diagrams for inside- have more desire to play.
& outside-running “Cleary it’s a benefit in terms
game with high- of simplifying the game enough
percentage pass plays so the kids don’t struggle with
• Offensive line run-blocking and pass-protection schemes it,” he said. “It’s a benefit to
• Diagrams of all formations used within a scheme coaches in that at the end of the
• Play sheet for making diagrams day it benefits kids and that’s
• Full glossary of terms what it’s all about.”
• High-gloss 8.5” X 11’’ page size with spiral binding

“Part of the youth football coach’s responsibility is to

teach the proper fundamentals, execute quality drills, and
setup practice plans – all of which can be learned through
USA Football’s coaching education program,” Nick Inzerello,
director of Football Development and veteran youth football
coach said. “But there’s another component and that’s
implementing the proper scheme.”
USA Football Playbooks make it easier for coaches to
clearly share information with their young athletes.
Larry Canard, USA Football Youth Football Coordinator,
helped write the Playbooks, filled with individual position
assignments and easy-to follow diagrams on glossy 8.5” by
11” pages.
“Football is played differently than it was 15 to 20 years
ago,” Canard said. “The game has evolved and changed and
those things are reflected in our playbooks.”
USA Football Playbook diagrams are displayed in the same
fashion as those in usafootball.com’s Click ’N Create Playbook
which is available to all USA Football coaching members.
Diagrams clearly illustrate where players should line up and
where they should be when the ball is snapped.
“These new playbooks offer detailed instruction, written
in a way so that if a coach has never taught the spread

30 USA Football Magazine

 What Football Taught Me
Bob Goodrich, Emmy Award-winning television producer
As Told To tim polzer

From the gridiron to the television
production truck, football has been the
predominant passion of Bob
Goodrich’s life. The 15-time
Emmy-award winning producer
is best known for his landmark
work with ABC’s Monday Night
Football, Wide World of Sports
and the network’s first Super
Bowl telecast in 1985, though
folks in Dallas, Texas, may beg Bob Goodrich
to differ. Goodrich first became
a local and national name as a sure-handed,
play-making split end at Dallas’ Woodrow
Wilson High School – the alma mater of
Heisman Trophy winners Davey
O’Brien and Tim Brown. A high school
All-American and All-State player in
football, Goodrich was elected to the
Texas High School Football Hall of
Fame earlier this year.
He went on to the collegiate level to
star at Southern Methodist University
as a tight end.
When Goodrich decided to pursue
medical school rather than a National Football
League career, psychiatry eventually lost out
to the glamour of another profession. When
the telecast of his father’s Sunday sermons
showed him the light, Goodrich turned his love
of football and sports into a prestigious 40-year
career that’s still in progress.
Today, Goodrich and his wife, Annie, provide
media training to commentators as well as athletes
and coaches through their company, Sportscast
Stars Training (sportscaststarstraining.com). He
has helped a wide range of athletes, schools and
even professional leagues, such as the WNBA,
make the best of their media coverage.

I
always loved football when I was growing up. We started
playing tackle football at Lakewood Elementary School in the
sixth grade. I was excited when I got to start playing.
It’s a team sport. Everyone depends on everyone else, yet
individuals can make a difference. Football is a nice combination of
everything that I love about sports.
And it also started teaching me things about
life. You can’t accomplish everything yourself. That
may be a cliché, but it’s true. I played football for 12
years of my life and football taught me so much.
My first heroes were college football players.
I remember Don Meredith playing at SMU and
other Mustangs players. I made a habit of watching
or following the Mustangs every chance I could. I
identified with football more than anything else.
Cotton Miles was my high school coach, but he
also taught me something about life. Early in my
sophomore year, we suffered a tough loss and I just
thought the world was about to come to an end. He
came over to me on the bus and he said, “I know it
Woodrow Wilson H.S.
was a tough loss, but you can’t worry about it now.
What we have to do this week is start working harder
to overcome this loss and figure out what it will take to win next
week.” And we did win the next week. I have always remembered that in my years of producing football games: dealing with the media is
Hayden Fry. I liked his attitude and his offense. He said he was
going to win a Southwest Conference championship at SMU and
guess what, we did. If I would have gone to Texas, I would not have
won a championship, so I was lucky I made the right choice.
While preparing to graduate from SMU, I did not consider a
professional football career because, as a psychiatry
major, there was nothing on my mind other than
going to medical school. Why did I love psychiatry?
Subconsciously, because I was able to play for coaches
who were part philosopher, motivator and psychiatrist.
I wanted to be a psychiatrist who helped people solve
their problems, and that is what coaches do.
Two months before I was to enroll in medical
school, that plan changed. I found another love.
I began working for ABC Sports as a gofer,
following the crews around the country at my own
expense. About a year and a half later, I was hired
and have never looked back. I was lucky to be with
ABC Sports for so long and to have television, sports
Bob Goodrich and football be a part of my life for so many years.
Dallas, Texas Now my wife and I go to teams and universities
to instruct players and coaches on dealing with the
media. One of the first things we tell them is something I learned
Photos courtesy of Bob Goodrich

because it taught me how to respond when things don’t go your way,
rather than feel sorry for yourself for a long period of time.
I loved playing for Coach Miles and made friends at Woodrow
that are still friends today.
I was recruited by 50 schools across the country, but, to me,
football was all about Texas. I figured I was always going to live
in Dallas, so I was interested in Texas schools. But I chose SMU
because I had lived in Dallas all my life and because of Coach
just like dealing with life. When you’re done playing football, what
are you going to do? You need to take the lessons you’ve learned
from football and apply them to your life away from sports.
Football taught me to give 110% to my job in television. When I
produce a telecast, I have a team of people working around me. It’s a
team effort, but I always want to win. I always want my broadcasts to
be the best. I still want to be the best producer. I learned all of those
principles from loving and playing the game of football.

32 USA Football Magazine