Hall of Fame Resort & Entertainment Company Announces Official Coaches Roster for NFL Alumni Academy Development Program
September 24 2020 - 8:00AM
Business Wire
Program to provide best-in-class training to
prepare players for professional football
Hall of Fame Resort & Entertainment Company (“HOFV” or the
“Company”) (NASDAQ: HOFV, HOFVW), the only resort, entertainment
and media company centered around the power of professional
football and owner of the Hall of Fame Village powered by Johnson
Controls in Canton, Ohio, today announced the coaches roster for
the inaugural NFL Alumni Academy (the “Academy”), the NFL Alumni
Association’s player development program that kicks off at the Hall
of Fame Village Powered by Johnson Controls this week. Eight former
NFL coaches and players – Mike Tice, Jay Hayes, Steve Smith,
Anthony Munoz, Chuck Smith, Moe Williams, Jermon Bushrod and Dean
Dalton – are committing their time and talents toward building the
next generation of professional football players.
The Academy is an unprecedented, invitation-only in-season
training program designed to prepare the top available free agent
player-prospects for opportunities at the next level. Participants,
which include the top-graded players that were released from NFL
training camps, will have the opportunity to work on improving
their strength and conditioning under the tutelage of elite former
NFL personnel, with the end goal of being promoted to an NFL roster
and enjoying a career at the game’s highest level of
competition.
“We are honored to have some of the greatest minds and coaches
in professional football join us for this program at the Hall of
Fame Village powered by Johnson Controls,” said Michael Crawford,
President and CEO of HOFV. “The Academy is truly innovative and
there’s nothing like it anywhere else in the world, providing us
with the unique opportunity to create original media programing. We
plan to produce content that will give fans and younger players a
‘behind-the-scenes’ look of what it takes to make it to the
NFL.”
The eight coaches for the Academy staff were deliberately chosen
given their extensive and successful careers in professional
football as coaches or players. These coaches have either been
involved in or devoted large portions of their lives to the game of
football and understand what it takes to not only make it to the
NFL, but also become an integral part of an NFL franchise for the
long term.
“The NFL Alumni Academy is designed to develop NFL-ready talent
to become complete professionals, giving them exposure to all 32
NFL teams to generate the best opportunities to successfully sign
with an NFL franchise,” said NFL Alumni Academy Executive Director
Dean Dalton. “Players will have the ultimate opportunity to improve
on the field and compete on NFL rosters because they will work
every day with some of the best in the business. It goes without
saying that all the coaches engaged with the Academy bring
tremendous knowledge based off of their past NFL successes.”
The credentials of the coaches leading the Academy can be found
below:
- Mike Tice – A former tight end for the Seattle Seahawks,
Washington Redskins and Minnesota Vikings, Mr. Tice followed his
11-year playing career with 17 years as an offensive line coach and
offensive coordinator along with four years as the head coach of
the Minnesota Vikings, leading them to the playoffs.
- Jay Hayes – An NFL coach for over 20 years for the
Pittsburgh Steelers, Minnesota Vikings, Cincinnati Bengals and the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Mr. Hayes recently joined his NFL-veteran
brother Jonathon as an XFL defensive coordinator. Additionally,
Coach Hayes spent 11 seasons at top NCAA Division football programs
including Cal and Notre Dame.
- Steve Smith – As an NFL coach with the Kansas City
Chiefs plus a two-year tenure in NFL Europe, Smith also
participated in training camp coaching fellowship programs with
five NFL teams. Throughout his career, he has also been a
collegiate head coach and has had stints in the Arena League and
the XFL.
- Anthony Munoz – Coach Munoz is a Pro Football Hall of
Fame inductee celebrating his enshrinement as a member of the Class
of 1998. He is one of the absolute best ever to play offensive
tackle in the NFL and was the first-round draft pick of the
Cincinnati Bengals as the third player selected overall in the 1980
NFL Draft. During his 13 seasons of play, Mr. Munoz was elected to
11 Pro Bowls, named All-Pro 11 consecutive times, and was named the
NFL Offensive Lineman of the Year in 1981, 1987, and 1988.
- Chuck Smith – A pass rush specialist, Coach Smith played
eight seasons for the Atlanta Falcons, leading them to the Super
Bowl and also playing a season with the Carolina Panthers. Mr.
Smith was a standout at the University of Tennessee where he played
in both the Sugar and Fiesta Bowls, and earned the Most Valuable
Player (MVP) honor at the Senior Bowl.
- Moe Williams – The University of Kentucky running back
was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in 1996. A team leader with
the Vikings, Mr. Williams spent over nine years in Minnesota on
some of the top offenses in NFL history. Mr. Williams went on to
play for the Baltimore Ravens before spending time coaching at his
alma mater, in the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl and with the Oakland
Raiders in its training camp fellowship program.
- Jermon Bushrod – The Towson University product was
drafted in the 4th round by the New Orleans Saints and played seven
of his 12 NFL seasons there. Overcoming the odds as a small-school
product, Bushrod’s 12-year NFL career also included starting for
the Chicago Bears and Miami Dolphins. Mr. Bushrod was a two-time
Pro Bowl player and a Super Bowl Champion.
- Dean Dalton – The Executive Director of the NFL Alumni
Academy also enjoyed a long and successful NFL coaching career with
the Minnesota Vikings. As an offensive coach with one of the
highest-powered offensive teams in NFL history, and one with record
setting successes, Dalton also was the running backs coach for the
number one rushing team in the National Football League.
Additionally, Dalton coached collegiately at Western Illinois,
Purdue, Texas Southern University and Wisconsin.
Diversity will always be a key component of the Academy program,
and its composition will directly reflect the wide range of
individuals that it serves. The Academy includes a Football
Diversity Development program which works to advance minority
former NFL players that are transitioning to coaching and other
professional football positions. This initiative will create a
variety of professional opportunities for many NFL Alumni
Association members.
The Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium at the Hall of Fame Village
powered by Johnson Controls will initially serve as the NFL Alumni
Association and NFL Alumni Academy’s headquarters and training
facility. The Academy will then move to the Center for Performance,
which will be located on the Village’s campus and is anticipated to
be completed in 2022. The Center for Performance will feature an
80,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art indoor field house and
training facility, among other amenities.
More details about the players who will be involved in the
Academy and opportunities for fans to engage with Academy players
and coaches will be announced in the near future.
About the Hall of Fame Resort & Entertainment
Company
The Hall of Fame Resort & Entertainment Company (NASDAQ:
HOFV, HOFVW) is a resort and entertainment company leveraging the
power and popularity of professional football and its legendary
players in partnership with the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Headquartered in Canton, Ohio, the Hall of Fame Resort &
Entertainment Company is the owner of the Hall of Fame Village
powered by Johnson Controls, a multi-use sports, entertainment and
media destination centered around the Pro Football Hall of Fame's
campus. Additional information on the Company can be found at
www.HOFREco.com.
About the NFL Alumni Association
The NFL Alumni Association is a nationwide group of former
National Football League players, coaches and other employees whose
mission is to serve, assist and inform former players and their
families. The association offers a variety of medical, financial
and social programs to help members lead healthy, productive and
connected lives, as well as community initiatives under the NFL
Alumni’s “Caring for Kids” programs. The NFL Alumni Association
hosts the NFL Alumni Academy Player Development Program each
football season at the Hall of Fame Village powered by Johnson
Controls in Canton, Ohio. The NFL Alumni Academy provides a pathway
for the top graded players that were released from NFL training
camps to return to the NFL by giving them the opportunity to
further develop their skills and realize their potential by
training under the tutelage of elite former NFL coaches, players
and performance coaches.
View source
version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200924005126/en/
Media/Investors: Media Inquiries
Public.Relations@hofreco.com
Investor Inquiries Investor.Relations@hofreco.com
Hall of Fame Resort and ... (NASDAQ:HOFV)
Historical Stock Chart
From Aug 2024 to Sep 2024
Hall of Fame Resort and ... (NASDAQ:HOFV)
Historical Stock Chart
From Sep 2023 to Sep 2024