Promotion
NFL names Chatham coach 'Coach of the Year'

NFL names Chatham coach 'Coach of the Year'

The National Football League today named JEFF GREEN The Home Depot NFL Youth Coach of the Year.

The football program at Chatham-Kent Secondary (where Green is coach) will receive $5,000 in new football equipment as well as a $1,000 The Home Depot gift card.

“We are proud to recognize Coach Jeff Green as The Home Depot NFL Youth Coach of the Year,” said JAY SWEENEY, Director, Events and Fan Development, NFL Canada.

“His dedication to his team and the sport of football deserves recognition. He has taught his team the importance of working together and respecting one another. He has positively impacted the lives of the players on his teams as well as the lives of young people in his community.”

Green was selected from a shortlist of 10 community and high school coaches from across Canada to receive the honour. The award, run in conjunction with the Vanier Cup and now in its ninth year, is not based on wins and losses, but rather on recognizing coaches who have positively impacted the lives of their players and share a passion for football in their communities.

Only graduates who are currently playing CIS or CEGEP football can nominate coaches for this award.

GERRY KWAPISZ of Philemon Wright High School in Gatineau and CURTIS MACNEIL of Sacred Heart Catholic High School in Stittsville, ON were named runners-up and will each receive $2,000 in equipment for their football programs as well as a $500 The Home Depot gift card.

Green will be invited to attend this year’s Vanier Cup festivities, including the Friday, November 23 Vanier Cup final in Toronto, ON. He will also be formally honoured at a coach’s luncheon on Thursday November 22, with the Home Depot NFL Youth Coach of the Year award.

Derek Easter, a Chatham-Kent Secondary School grad and currently a wide receiver at The University of Western Ontario, nominated Green. For drafting the winning nomination, Easter has earned an additional $1,000 in funding for the University of Western Ontario football program. A panel including Hall of Fame running back Thurman Thomas, as well as Canadian football journalists, selected the winner.

“As a coach, Jeff Green made everyone on the team get involved. He would never rank players or refer to anyone as first or second string, which bonded the team and promoted mutual respect,” said Easter in his submission essay.

To nominate a coach, CIS football players from across Canada were asked to submit a short essay recognizing the positive impact their former community or high school coach has had on players, both on and off the field. Players were asked to explain how their coach taught respect, player safety, motivation, leadership and appreciation for the sport. Nominations were judged on how well these criteria were expressed.

“Coach Green is not only respected by his players, he is also admired in the community for encouraging the development of young football players,” said Easter.

Over the past nine years the program has recognized more than 20 coaches and donated more than $80,000 worth of new equipment to grassroots football programs.

The NFL works to support the game of football at the grassroots level in Canada.