Northwestern University Athletics
Fitzgerald Chosen for USA Football Tackle Advisory Committee
6/21/2011 12:00:00 AM | Football
June 21, 2011
INDIANAPOLIS -- Northwestern head football coach Pat Fitzgerald has been named to the USA Football Tackle Advisory Committee, a five-member committee created to assist youth coaches with teaching proper tackling fundamentals and strengthening player safety on a national level.
Fitzgerald was twice named an All-American linebacker at NU and was a leader on the Wildcats' 1995 and 1996 Big Ten Championship teams, earning consecutive National Defensive Player of the Year awards. With his defensive knowledge and successful collegiate head coaching experience, Fitzgerald will sit alongside a group of well-established football minds.
Also on the committee are: Merril Hodge, a former NFL running back and current NFL analyst for ESPN and youth football coach, Chris Merritt, currently the head football coach at Miami Christopher Columbus High School and former Indiana University defensive back, Jim Mora, longtime NFL head coach and former walk-on linebacker at the University of Washington, and Dr. David Yukelson, current Sport Psychologist for Penn State University with 23 years of experience in the field.
"We're proud to unite these experts in football and sports psychology to help youth coaches best teach the fundamentals of tackling through our coaching courses and other resources," USA Football Executive Director Scott Hallenbeck said. "Better coaches develop fundamentally sound players who perform better on the field and enjoy a safer and fun football experience."
Material approved by the committee will be integrated within USA Football's online certified tackle coaching course and other membership resources, including a virtual instructional film room and a drills library on usafootball.com.
Approximately 3 million American children age 6-14 play organized tackle football, making it one of America's most popular youth sports. About 415,000 American adults volunteer their time to coach youth football.
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