Leadership Lessons

The NFL High School Player Development Program presented by the National Guard goes off the field to help mold the leaders of tomorrow.

On so many levels, the NFL High School Player Development program presented by the National Guard is unique. There are many football camps around the country for high school athletes, but only one program – HSPD – includes character development sessions to help athletes be successful in the classroom, in the community, and at home. Only one program – HSPD – uses a practice plan developed by a leading collegiate staff every year. Only one program – HSPD – provides participants at over 200 camp locations with a professionally prepared planner that serves as a calendar datebook and has page after page of useful information. There are many 7-on-7 tournaments, but only one – HSPD – brings high school athletes representing their local NFL teams from all over the country together to an NFL facility for spirited competition, camaraderie, special guests, and character building sessions.

Together, the NFL and the National Guard have built a program that annually impacts thousands of high school athletes – many of them underserved – with positive messages about becoming better football players and better individuals. HSPD is a model program that gives back to the game and improves every community it serves.

The HSPD program also embraces change – growing and innovating to increase its impact with high school athletes. This year, in addition to hosting a record number of camps and seeing a record number of teams compete in the National 7-on-7 Tournament, the HSPD team created a pilot program that will help identify and mold tomorrow’s leaders. The NFL Leadership Program presented by the National Guard is a new element of the HSPD program that invites qualified players to participate in a one-day event designed to build leadership skills through instruction, community service, and competition.

The one-day events, which this year were conducted in Pittsburgh, Kansas City, and Green Bay, included activities in three areas. In the classroom, athletes were coached in intensive character development and life skills training through collaboration with the NFL Player Engagement’s Prep program. In the community, participants gave back by providing volunteer service to community organizations. For leadership skills development, athletes participated in a series of competitive events via the leadership reaction course organized by the National Guard.

To build the list of participants in these events, the NFL reached out to high school coaches in surrounding areas to refer players from their teams. To ensure that the program attracted football players with the greatest leadership potential, the HSPD team established criteria for participants including a minimum 2.5 GPA and 80% minimum school attendance. Athletes must have also demonstrated leadership qualities such as teamwork, integrity, dedication, and commitment.

The 2012 one-day events were considered a success by the participants, the NFL, and the National Guard. According to Sergeant First Class Dannie Thompson of the Missouri National Guard, who participated in the Kansas City event, “I think the Leadership Program is great. I especially like the character building aspect. Character determines who they are and how they make decisions. The consequences of their decisions will eventually shape their destiny both on and off the field of play.”

The NFL Leadership Program took on a different look during the National 7-on-7 Tournament conducted in Indianapolis in July. Since the 7-on-7 competition is for skill position players, the NFL and the National Guard felt that, to be fair to all players, the event should include linemen as well. So, while they weren’t able to compete on the field with the 7-on-7 athletes, six teams of high school linemen representing six NFL cities participated in the inaugural Linemen Leadership Program.

Like the one-day events, the Linemen Leadership Program featured advanced leadership training through a character development session in a classroom setting. Volunteer community service involved working with special needs individuals in the Dream Season football program at the Colts facility. Participants also went off site for a competition between teams on the National Guard’s Leadership Reaction Course. Linemen were also treated to the same off-field special events that were part of the National 7-on-7 Tournament including dinners, a visit to the NCAA Hall of Champions, and a tour of Lucas Oil Stadium.

From all accounts, the inaugural Linemen Leadership Program had a very positive impact on the participating athletes. “It was a great program,” said defensive tackle Kenton Gibbs from Cass Tech High School in Detroit. “We learned a lot about both on and off the field performance and about not just being a great football player but being a great man.” Ethan McKenzie, a nose guard from Heritage Christian High School (IN) echoed Gibbs’ sentiment. “The whole operation was pretty impressive,” he said. “This experience was an opportunity for me to branch out and do things I had not done before.”

The National Guard takes an active role in all aspects of the NFL HSPD program and participates in every event – from the local camps to the National 7-on-7 Tournament. The Linemen Leadership Program is no different. For the Guard, the event gave them the unique opportunity to host athletes at an actual Guard facility, Camp Atterbury, where linemen competed on the camp’s permanent Leadership Reaction Course. According to Sergeant Major Timothy Day, having the high school athletes on base had a positive impact. “I think it provided them with a unique physical and mental challenge while at the same time teaching them the importance of teamwork and leadership,” said Day. “The young men displayed a high level of energy and enthusiasm, which ultimately led to their success on our course.”

In 2013, look for the Leadership Program to expand. Based on its success this year, with both the one-day events and the Linemen Leadership Program in Indianapolis, the NFL will be taking steps to make the program available to more high school athletes in the future. “We anticipate growing the program in both the number of events and the number of participants,” said the NFL’s Director of HSPD Jerry Horowitz. “The 2012 pilot programs proved to be very beneficial to both the participants and the National Guard and we’re looking forward to making it bigger and better in future years.”

The NFL Leadership Program presented by the National Guard helps identify and develop the leaders of tomorrow. It’s another element that makes the High School Player Development program unique and the most beneficial program available to high school athletes anywhere.

GET INVOLVED

Getting involved in the NFL HSPD program lets you give back to the game, gives your players a chance to participate in the HSPD camps, compete in 7-on-7 or be part of the Leadership Program. It provides athletes with a great opportunity to become better
football players and better individuals.

Visit www.NFLHSPD.com
and enter the promo code AFM812.