By Mike Jones
Washington Post
May 23, 2012
During their NFL careers, defensive back Troy Vincent and receiver James Thrash were valued by coaches and teammates for their play-making abilities and their roles as strong team leaders.
Vincent spent the bulk of his 15-year career with the Philadelphia Eagles, while Thrash spent nine of his 12 seasons with the Redskins. The two spent the 2003 season as teammates in Philadelphia, and now they are teaming up to provide guidance for former NFL players who want to establish themselves as coaches.
Vincent and Thrash are heading up the NFL Player Engagement program’s second annual NFL-NCAA Coaches Academy, which runs through today in Dallas.
The program provides 30 current and former NFL players with classes and networking opportunities that will help them break into the coaching ranks or further advance their careers as coaches.
Instructors at the program include NFL, college and high school coaches, business leaders and the administrators of college athletic programs. Topics include building personal and professional brands, managing budgets, networking, media interaction, understanding coaching contracts, building relationships, effective leadership, understanding the academic landscape and interviewing.
“The biggest thing we’re providing is the education on what it takes to be a coach, what these universities look for, what mistakes you can avoid, what the proper steps are,” said Thrash, who has worked for the NFL Player Engagement program for about two months. “And in addition to giving them that information, this gives them opportunities to network with people in the high school, Division I, II and III and professional coaching ranks.”
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