Engagement Insider
NEW ORLEANS, LA March 3, 2014 – Scores of Louisiana-area high school football players kicked off the new month on Saturday by marching into the New Orleans Saints training facility for 2014’s first NFL PREP 100 Series Presented by Under Armour and the National Guard.
Offered again by the NFL’s Player Engagement (NFLPE) Department, the program is an invitation-only event focused on developing the “Total Athlete of Tomorrow,” and New Orleans was just the start of an eight-city caravan that will crisscross the nation through June.
“We are thrilled to kick off another season of our PREP 100 Series, and are pleased to welcome the National Guard as a new presenting sponsor, joining Under Armour in helping us create the best Prep program in the nation,” stated Troy Vincent, Senior Vice President of NFLPE. “As we do with all of our Player Engagement programs, we have carried over the best parts of our core program, while also adding new and innovative features to elevate this year’s offering.”
Those features made an immediate impact on Saturday.
“Our theme this year was to take this program to another level,” said Eddie Mason, the Director of On-Field Operations for the PREP 100 Series. “We have made tremendous progress the past few years, and beginning on Saturday we now offer a one-day seminar that will leave a lasting impact on these student athletes.”
That impact is expected to be immense since it goes well beyond football skills, and also features classroom sessions covering academics, life skills, community involvement, and NCAA guidance.
“I am excited with this updated platform since we believe it will redefine how these young men view their life,” exclaimed Mason. “To accomplish this, we also engage the parents and stress the importance of faith and character in setting forth their goals, and achieving them without compromise.”
Those goals of course also include the gridiron, and on Saturday featured a talk by newly-elected Pro Football Hall of Famer Aeneas Williams.
“Aeneas inspired the kids and brought them together, which helped us incorporate our new way of doing live-action drills all together as one big group, instead of by position units,” observed Mason, who played linebacker for the Washington Redskins, Jacksonville Jaguars, and New York Jets. “Many others such as former quarterback Jeff Blake were also instrumental.”
An additional inspiration was the Saints venue which served as a strong appeal to the student-athletes from Louisiana and the MississippiGulfCoast.
“The Saints staff made their home into our home for the day, and created an atmosphere that appealed tremendously to our young participants,” mentioned Mason, who played for the University of North Carolina. “From the way they set up the field and even how they provided lunch made for a perfect setting for our age group.”
A setting that is sure to be repeated in the coming months, as the PREP 100 Series travels on designated weekends to Baltimore, Atlanta, Miami, Dallas, Houston, and Oakland, before closing this year’s Series in Cleveland on June 21.