PLAY IT SMART!

Fulton High School

With significant support from the National Football League (NFL) and the NFL Players Association, The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame (NFF) runs the highly successful PLAY IT SMART program within 126 underserved high schools in 82 cities and 35states.

PLAY IT SMART is designed to use the power of football experience in enhancing the personal and academics development of student-athletes in economically disadvantaged communities. The program has produced dramatic results, sending more than 81 percent of its seniors onto higher education, compared to 57% of their peers at the same schools.  Nationwide 97% of participants graduate from high school, and last year teams in the program completed more than 24,000 hours of community service. Started in 1998 at four schools, PLAY IT SMART now reaches more than 10,000 student-athletes, including boys and girls involved with extracurricular activities beyond football.

 

Academic and Community Activities

 

At the heart of the program is the PLAY IT SMART Academic Coach, who assists the head coach in establishing policies and procedures that will enable student-athletes to achieve their individual goals as well as to meet the team goals of the program. Specifically, academic coaches coordinate academic support services, SAT/ACT prep classes, study halls, life skill sessions, field trips to area colleges and other team building activities throughout the entire school year. Academic coaches also meet one-on-one with each player, and often serve as their advocate with teachers, school personnel, parents and guardians.

Each year, academic coaches and players also "give back" to their communities during after-school activities by working in soup kitchens, retirement homes, orphanages and churches… or by serving as peer mentors, teachers and coaches for local youth groups and Special Olympians. Through this valuable work, players gain a sense of pride in themselves and their communities. These activities create opportunities for participants to test their leadership and organizational skills outside of sport while gaining confidence in their futures.

Throughout the year, academic coaches challenge players to set their sights high and plan for the future. Whether by helping select a college, write a resume, conduct a job search or plan a campus visit, academic coaches equip students with the skills and the confidence they need to take the next big step beyond high school.

 

You can get involved by becoming a member of the local East Tennessee (Knoxville) Chapter of the National Football Foundation. The local chapter participates by:

 

• Helping with the selection of an appropriate area high school
• Assisting with the selection of the academic coach
• Meeting regularly with the academic coaches to discuss progress and requests for support
• Serving as mentors to the students participating in the program
• Identifying opportunities for field experiences and community service projects
• Facilitating contacts between academic coaches and local college personnel
• Helping identify and secure local resources and funding to support the program
• Promoting PLAY IT SMART within the local community

 

 

Academic Coach: Vincent Lambdin

http://playitsmart.footballfoundation.com/