Eastern Michigan Athletics
MAC Joins NCAA Football To Host Youth Clinic In Detroit
7/21/2011 1:57:00 PM | Football
EMU standout and former Detroit Lions safety, Ron Rice, will speak with the young football players
DETROIT, Mich. (MAC-Sports.com) – On Monday, July 25, more than 200 youth football players from the Think Detroit PAL football league are scheduled to attend a free clinic led by coaches from Mid-American Conference Schools, including Central Michigan University, Eastern Michigan University, the University of Toledo and Western Michigan University from 4 p.m.-7 p.m. at Ford Field in Detroit. The clinic is hosted by the MAC and Ford Field in partnership with the NCAA Football Youth Initiative. Clinic participants will receive two (2) free tickets to the 2011 Marathon MAC Football Championship Game, scheduled for Friday, Dec. 2 at Ford Field.
During the free, half-day clinic, participants will have the opportunity to meet and work with college football coaches and student-athletes; run offensive, defensive and agility drills; learn proper techniques to promote on-field football safety; and learn about the importance of character development and good sportsmanship.
An NCAA Compliance Seminar and a Safety and Concussions seminar will also be offered for parents and coaches attending the clinic. The concussion seminar will be led by Dr. Kenneth Podell, Ph.D., FACPN; Director of the Division of Neuropsychology & Sports Concussion Safety Program at Henry Ford Health System. The seminars will be held at 5 p.m.-6:30 p.m.
To kick off the clinic, Detroit native, Eastern Michigan standout and former Detroit Lions safety, Ron Rice, will speak with the young football players about his career path, the importance of education, character and sportsmanship. Rice is an inductee of the EMU Hall of Fame and currently holds the position of President of the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA) Former Players – Detroit chapter.
“The NCAA Football Youth Initiative is an incredible program and we are proud to partner with them in hosting this clinic to benefit youth players in Detroit, in an effort to give back to the city that continues to support our MAC Championship Football Game,” said Dr. Jon Steinbrecher, Mid-American Conference Commissioner.
“Learning football fundamentals, proper technique and safety is essential to youth football players' success on the field,” said Bob Vecchione – Chair of the NCAA Football Youth Initiative Committee and Executive Director of the National Association of Athletic Directors (NACDA). “NCAA Football youth clinics provide an opportunity for young athletes to learn these valuable skills and more importantly, to learn the invaluable character-building and sportsmanship lessons needed to be successful off the field.”
Media Notes:
Monday, July 25, 2011
Ford Field
Registration: 3:00pm
Clinic: 4:00pm-7:00pm
Seminars: 5:00pm-6:30pm
Photos / Footage/ Interview Opportunities with:
PAL Detroit Youth Football Participants
MAC Institution Coaches (subject to change)
EMU – Ron Rice (alum)
CMU – Mike Cummings, Kyle Nystrom, Steven Shankweiler
Toledo – Kelly Cummings, Joe Gilreath, Dan Ifft, Shawn Roche
WMU – Steve Casula, Lou Esposito, Rich Nagy, Rich Reichert
Follow the MAC on Twitter: @MACSports
Follow the MAC on Facebook: Mid-American Conference
Follow NCAA Football on Twitter: @NCAAFootball
Find the NCAA Football Youth Initiative on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ncaafootballyouth
About the MAC
Founded in 1946, the Mid-American Conference is an NCAA Division I, 12 full-member conference that sponsors 23 championships and is one of 11 members of the Football Bowl Sub-division (FBS). With total enrollment of nearly 300,000 students, the league represents institutions of higher learning in seven (7) states - Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, New York, and Ohio. In addition, two universities - Temple University in Philadelphia, Pa., and the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, Ma. (beginning in 2012) -- are football-only members. The conference office is based in Cleveland, Ohio.
About NCAA Football
NCAA Football USA, Inc. represents a coalition of the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA), the Collegiate Commissioners Association (CCA), the Football Bowl Association (FBA), the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA), the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the National Football Foundation (NFF) and serves as the collective voice to promote college football. NCAA Football is managed by IMG College, a division of IMG Worldwide. For more information on NCAA Football, visit www.NCAAFootball.com.
About NCAA Football's Youth Initiative
NCAA Football's Youth Initiative began in 2007 when NCAA Football USA, Inc. provided $750,000 in grants, equipment and uniforms to help rebuild the New Orleans Recreation Department's youth football league following Hurricane Katrina. In 2008, NCAA Football committed $1.5 million to develop a three-pronged national youth program comprising youth clinics, apparel grants and a legacy gift. More than 25,000 young athletes have been positively impacted since the program's inception. For more information, visit www.NCAAFootball.com/youth.
During the free, half-day clinic, participants will have the opportunity to meet and work with college football coaches and student-athletes; run offensive, defensive and agility drills; learn proper techniques to promote on-field football safety; and learn about the importance of character development and good sportsmanship.
An NCAA Compliance Seminar and a Safety and Concussions seminar will also be offered for parents and coaches attending the clinic. The concussion seminar will be led by Dr. Kenneth Podell, Ph.D., FACPN; Director of the Division of Neuropsychology & Sports Concussion Safety Program at Henry Ford Health System. The seminars will be held at 5 p.m.-6:30 p.m.
To kick off the clinic, Detroit native, Eastern Michigan standout and former Detroit Lions safety, Ron Rice, will speak with the young football players about his career path, the importance of education, character and sportsmanship. Rice is an inductee of the EMU Hall of Fame and currently holds the position of President of the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA) Former Players – Detroit chapter.
“The NCAA Football Youth Initiative is an incredible program and we are proud to partner with them in hosting this clinic to benefit youth players in Detroit, in an effort to give back to the city that continues to support our MAC Championship Football Game,” said Dr. Jon Steinbrecher, Mid-American Conference Commissioner.
“Learning football fundamentals, proper technique and safety is essential to youth football players' success on the field,” said Bob Vecchione – Chair of the NCAA Football Youth Initiative Committee and Executive Director of the National Association of Athletic Directors (NACDA). “NCAA Football youth clinics provide an opportunity for young athletes to learn these valuable skills and more importantly, to learn the invaluable character-building and sportsmanship lessons needed to be successful off the field.”
Media Notes:
Monday, July 25, 2011
Ford Field
Registration: 3:00pm
Clinic: 4:00pm-7:00pm
Seminars: 5:00pm-6:30pm
Photos / Footage/ Interview Opportunities with:
PAL Detroit Youth Football Participants
MAC Institution Coaches (subject to change)
EMU – Ron Rice (alum)
CMU – Mike Cummings, Kyle Nystrom, Steven Shankweiler
Toledo – Kelly Cummings, Joe Gilreath, Dan Ifft, Shawn Roche
WMU – Steve Casula, Lou Esposito, Rich Nagy, Rich Reichert
Follow the MAC on Twitter: @MACSports
Follow the MAC on Facebook: Mid-American Conference
Follow NCAA Football on Twitter: @NCAAFootball
Find the NCAA Football Youth Initiative on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ncaafootballyouth
About the MAC
Founded in 1946, the Mid-American Conference is an NCAA Division I, 12 full-member conference that sponsors 23 championships and is one of 11 members of the Football Bowl Sub-division (FBS). With total enrollment of nearly 300,000 students, the league represents institutions of higher learning in seven (7) states - Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, New York, and Ohio. In addition, two universities - Temple University in Philadelphia, Pa., and the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, Ma. (beginning in 2012) -- are football-only members. The conference office is based in Cleveland, Ohio.
About NCAA Football
NCAA Football USA, Inc. represents a coalition of the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA), the Collegiate Commissioners Association (CCA), the Football Bowl Association (FBA), the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA), the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the National Football Foundation (NFF) and serves as the collective voice to promote college football. NCAA Football is managed by IMG College, a division of IMG Worldwide. For more information on NCAA Football, visit www.NCAAFootball.com.
About NCAA Football's Youth Initiative
NCAA Football's Youth Initiative began in 2007 when NCAA Football USA, Inc. provided $750,000 in grants, equipment and uniforms to help rebuild the New Orleans Recreation Department's youth football league following Hurricane Katrina. In 2008, NCAA Football committed $1.5 million to develop a three-pronged national youth program comprising youth clinics, apparel grants and a legacy gift. More than 25,000 young athletes have been positively impacted since the program's inception. For more information, visit www.NCAAFootball.com/youth.
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