November 23rd, 2020 | Josh Adelman
The NFL rolls out a thoughtful campaign to support the military in November called Salute To Service. Each NFL team chooses how they want to honor service members and Veterans during this month-long campaign which peaks on Veterans Day. The New York Jets have pledged their ongoing support to Soldiers To Sidelines to develop service members and veterans to become excellent coaches and connect them to teams in their communities. The NY Jets provided funds and coaching expertise to a class of 53 Soldier Coaches from 18 states for the Soldiers to Sidelines NY Jets Virtual Football Coaching Certification Seminar.
This virtual coaching seminar was rigorous, yet entertaining and educating. It began on Monday, November 2, and finished on Saturday, November 7th leading up to the NY Jets Monday Night Football game versus the New England Patriots. Each weekday evening participants logged on to their computers for 2 hours, and then 3 hours on Saturday morning to learn and discuss the most important aspects of superior football coaching. In addition to the live virtual training, participants completed 4 online supplemental classes. Topics discussed throughout the seminar included: The Inverted Pyramid for Coaching Success, Football Strategic Theory, Six components of Effective Coaching, Positional Drill Work, Film Break Down, Proper Play Drawing, Mindset, Learning Teaching, and Biomechanics of Football.
Soldier Coaches give a round of applause to the New York Jets for their support.
NY Jets General Manager Joe Douglas set the tone for the seminar with a wonderful message and Q&A for our Soldier Coaches. His message was clear, “You were meant to be great coaches!” Douglas says, “…the discipline, the work ethic, and everything that you’ve been able to take from the military will serve you well in terms of preparing young football players and developing them both on and off the football field.”
Joe Douglas knows about the values of the military and how impactful they can be on a young person’s life. His father and his uncles both served our country which profoundly affected him. Douglas says, My father was drafted into the Army out of high school and was fortunate enough to take an aptitude test and score highly which gave him the opportunity to go to OCS (Officer Candidate School)….by the time he got to Vietnam he was a Lieutenant in Kilo Company 75th Airborne Ranger running five-man recon teams in north Vietnam.”
One of Joe’s uncles enlisted in the US Marines and the other enlisted in the US Coast Guard. Douglas comments on how they influenced his life, “The discipline, the work ethic that they taught me as a young boy growing up before I even stepped foot on the football field has carried through my entire life.”
Joe Douglas wasn’t the only name in football that wanted to share stories of the impact the military has had on their coaching career. Mack Brown, Head Football Coach of the University of North Carolina, gave a keynote speech to this class of Soldiers Coaches on November 4th. Coach Brown told stories of his experience traveling to the Middle East in support of active-duty troops fighting in combat. He also left the class with a powerful message, “If you’re going to coach, coach because you want to help people. Coach to be a mentor. Coach to help people have a better life. You know what it means to be accountable to the people on your right and on your left, so take that experience and instill it in others.”
Other contributing coaches to the seminar included, John Garrett (Head Football Coach Lafayette College), Jason Houghtaling (Offensive Line Coach Colgate University), Judd Garrett (Former NFL Director of Pro Player Personnel Dallas Cowboys), DeWayne Walker (Former NFL Defensive Backs Coach Cleveland Browns, Jacksonville Jaguars, NY Giants, Washington Redskins), Kurt Van Bargen (Defensive Line Coach University of Maine), Mike Alberque (Athletic Director and Head Football Coach St. John Vianney High School, NJ) Rick Trickett (Offensive Line Coach Glenville State University), Tom Masella (Head Football Coach Wagner College), and Tony Coaxum (Head Football Coach Bluefield State University)
The experience was one-of-kind and received rave reviews. Sebastian Harris of the US Army said, “Inspirational, welcoming, professional, first rate (presenters, information, tools, etc.,) truly the total package and fun. I learned so much, made some great connections, and can’t thank the NY Jets enough for their support/this opportunity! Keep up the great work S2S Team!”
Jerrod Pralle US Army Veteran remarked, “This was my first experience with Soldiers to Sidelines. The football coaching seminar was beyond my expectations. The in-depth material on football theory, biomechanics and building trust on a team (as well as all other topics) was presented in a clear, precise manner. Whether you’re a grizzled, lifelong coach or just starting out in the profession, coaching your first youth team or already established at the collegiate level, Coach Harrison, Coach Brady and the rest of Soldiers to Sidelines has something for you. And you never know what celebrity coach will show up each day to share their knowledge and experience. I can’t recommend these guys enough.”
The commitment to learn and grow from these Soldier Coaches was astounding. We are excited to see how everyone evolves in their coaching journey. One thing is for sure, Soldiers To Sidelines will be next to them every step of the way.
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