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MORRISTOWN, NJ - The National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame (NFF), the National Football League (NFL), and the NFL Players Association today announced the expansion of the highly successful
Play It Smart program to one additional urban high school in each of the 32
NFL franchise cities.
Play It Smart, a program designed to use the power of the football
experience in enhancing the personal and academic development of youth from
economically disadvantaged communities, has sent 87 percent of its seniors
onto higher education, far exceeding the rates of their school peers. Play
It Smart began in 1998 and has more than doubled in size each year, entering
88 high schools this fall in 55 cities and 30 states with an estimated 5,100
student-athletes participating. Today's announcement marks the successful
implementation of a $1 million commitment made by the NFL and the NFL
Players Association in August 2001 to the program. (A complete list of
schools follows.)
"The expansion of this unique program to each of the NFL cities means that a
critical mass has begun to form around Play It Smart," said Jon F. Hanson,
chairman of the NFF, the parent organization of Play It Smart. "I want to
thank the NFL for their support. The network of people that the NFL can
provide to positively impact the lives of these young people is truly
extraordinary. The NFL's involvement goes beyond money to strengthen the
program with an important stream of volunteers for helping kids."
"Play It Smart has had great results in assisting young high school players
nationwide," said NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue. "The NFL is pleased to
be a part of this program and that it will reach all 32 NFL franchise
cities."
"Play It Smart has caught the attention of several NFL Players, including
Peyton Manning, Jonathan Ogden, and Roland Williams, who have given both
their money and time," said Gene Upshaw, Executive Director of the National
Football League Players Association. "This is a powerful endorsement from
people who have seen the program up close and personal. I want to encourage
other former and current players to follow their lead. This is a program
that's making a major difference."
With the support of the NFF Center for Youth Development Through Sport at
Springfield College (Mass.), Play It Smart trains academic coaches to work
with high school football teams and their coaches, taking lessons learned on
the field and applying them in the classroom and community. In addition to
one-on-one mentoring relationships, academic coaches coordinate academic
support services, SAT/ACT prep classes, community service events, and other
team building activities throughout the entire school year.
As tracked by the NFF Center, Play It Smart participants' accomplishments
thus far include:
- 87% percent of seniors to college compared to 57% of their peers
- 95% of seniors graduate high school
- Almost twice as many take the SAT/ACT exams compared to their school peers
- More than 26,000 hours of community service have been completed
LIST OF 2002-03 PLAY IT SMART SCHOOLS
(* NFL expansion school for 2002-03)
ARIZONA
Chandler High School, Phoenix *
Cholla High School, Tucson
Glendale High School, Phoenix
Rincon High School, Tucson
CALIFORNIA
Arroyo High School, El Monte
Kearny High School, San Diego
San Diego High School, San Diego *
South San Francisco High School, South San Francisco
Galileo High School, San Francisco *
Concord High School, Oakland *
CONNECTICUT
Hillhouse High School, New Haven
Hyde Leadership School, New Haven
Platt High School, Meriden
Wilbur Cross High School, New Haven
COLORADO
Alameda High School, Denver *
Jefferson Senior High School, Denver
FLORIDA
Glades Central High School, Belle Glade
Pahokee High School, Pahokee
Raines High School, Jacksonville *
Booker T. Washington High School, Miami *
Robinson High School, Tampa Bay *
GEORGIA
Clark Central High School, Athens
Benjamin Mays High School, Atlanta *
ILLINOIS
Hubbard High School, Chicago
Dunbar VoTech, Chicago *
INDIANA
Arlington High School, Indianapolis *
Arsenal Tech High School, Indianapolis
Broad Ripple High School, Indianapolis
Clay High School, South Bend
Manual High School, Indianapolis
Northwest High School, Indianapolis
KENTUCKY
Holmes High School, Covington
LOUISIANA
O. Perry Walker High School, New Orleans *
MAINE
Messalonskee High School, Oakland
MARYLAND
Patterson High School, Baltimore
Forest Park High School, Baltimore *
MASSACHUSETTS
Commerce High School, Springfield
Madison Park High School, Roxbury
MICHIGAN
Chadsey High School, Detroit
Murray-Wright High School, Detroit *
MINNESOTA
Minneapolis North High School, Minneapolis *
MISSOURI
Central High School, Kansas City *
University City High School, St. Louis
Vashon High School, St. Louis *
NEW JERSEY
Asbury Park High School, Asbury Park *
Barringer High School, Newark
Central High School, Newark
East Side High School, Newark
Orange High School, Orange
New Brunswick High School, New Brunswick
Shabazz High School, Newark
Weequahic High School, Newark
West Side High School, Newark
NEW YORK
Canarsie High School, Brooklyn
Columbus High School, Bronx
East High School, Rochester
Fowler High School, Syracuse
Kensington High School, Buffalo *
Lincoln High School, Brooklyn *
South Shore High School, Brooklyn
OHIO
Akron Buchtel High School, Akron
Winton Woods High School, Cincinnati *
Glenville High School, Cleveland *
OREGON
Marshall High School, Portland
PENNSYLVANIA
Ben Franklin High School, Philadelphia
George Washington High School, Philadelphia
Martin Luther King High School, Philadelphia
Roxborough High School, Philadelphia
William Allen High School, Allentown
Bartrum High School, Philadelphia *
Westinghouse High School, Pittsburgh *
RHODE ISLAND
Central Falls High School, Central Falls *
SOUTH CAROLINA
Columbia High School, Columbia *
TENNESSEE
Austin-East High School, Knoxville
Fulton High School, Knoxville
Stratford High School, Nashville *
TEXAS
McArthur High School, Irving *
Davis High School, Houston*
Furr High School, Houston *
Milby High School, Houston *
Reagan High School, Houston *
VERMONT
Winooski High School, Winooski
VIRGINIA
George Wythe High School, Richmond
Huguenot High School, Richmond
WASHINGTON
Chief Sealth High School, Seattle *
Rainier Beach High School, Seattle
WASHINGTON D.C.
Anacostia High School, Washington D.C.*
WISCONSIN
East High School, Green Bay *
With 119 chapters and over 14,000 members nationwide, The National Football
Foundation and College Hall of Fame, a non-profit educational organization,
runs programs designed to use the power of amateur football in developing
scholarship, citizenship and athletic achievement in America's young people.
NFF programs include the College Football Hall of Fame in South Bend, Ind.,
Play It Smart, The NFF Center for Youth Development Through Sport at
Springfield College (Mass.), the NFL-NFF Coaching Academy, and scholarships
of nearly $1 million for College and High School Scholar-Athletes. Learn
more at: www.footballfoundation.com or www.collegefootball.org.
NFF Contact:
Phil Marwill, NFF Dir. of Communications
Phone: 800.486.1865
Email: pmarwill@footballfoundation.com
NFL Contact:
Lori Hamamoto
Phone: 212-450-2000
