TexasHSFootball
12-20-2007, 03:05 PM
Jim Hanifan and Ron Meyer Named Head Coaches of the Inaugural Under Armour All-America High School Football Game
Former NFL and 16 High School Coaches to Assist; Festivities Begin Dec. 31
Former NFL head coaches Jim Hanifan and Ron Meyer will lead 80 of the nation’s top high school seniors in the inaugural Under Armour All-America High School Football Game presented by ESPNU at Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., on Saturday, Jan. 5, at 2 p.m. ET on ABC (1 p.m. CT, noon MT and tape delayed at noon PT). The teams will be divided into 40 players each. Hanifan will serve as head coach of Team Silver, while Meyer will coach Team Red. Both coaching staffs will consist of an offensive and defensive coordinator, with support from 16 high school coaches who have players participating in the game. Activities for the first-ever event will commence Monday, Dec. 31, with daily practice sessions.
Coach Hanifan is a former head coach of the St. Louis Cardinals (1980-85) and Atlanta Falcons (1989). Prior to joining the NFL ranks, he coached college football at Utah from 1966-1969, California from 1970-1971, and San Diego State in 1972. He joined the NFL in 1973, serving as offensive line coach for the St. Louis Cardinals until 1978. He was recognized as the NFL’s Assistant Coach of the Year in 1977. He also served as an assistant coach for the San Diego Chargers in 1979. Before retiring, Hanifan spent seven seasons as the offensive line coordinator for the Washington Redskins (1990-1996) and St. Louis Rams (1997-2003). Since 2004, he has been part of the Rams radio broadcast team.
Hanifan's coordinators are Dave Levy (offensive) and George Dyer (defensive). Levy was an assistant under the legendary John McKay at Southern California from 1960-75, winning four national titles and participating in eight Rose Bowls. He was the offensive line coach with the San Diego Chargers and coached running backs with the Detroit Lions.
Dyer has more than 20 years NFL experience. He earned two Super Bowl Rings with the Denver Broncos in the late '90s. He spent the early part of his career coaching at Arizona State and Michigan State.
Coach Meyer is a two-time AFC Coach of the Year with 30 years of coaching experience in the NCAA and NFL. His NFL experience includes head coaching stints with both the Indianapolis Colts (1986-1991) and New England Patriots (1982-1984). Meyer's head coaching career began at UNLV, where he coached from 1971 to 1975. In 1974, he had an undefeated season at UNLV with a record of 11-0. In 1976, Meyer became the head coach of Southern Methodist University where he coached until 1981. That tenure included winning the Southwest Conference championship in 1981 with running backs Eric Dickerson and Craig James. Meyer finished his coaching career in the Canadian Football League and XFL. He is currently an NFL analyst for the show "The Score on the NFL" on the Canadian sports channel The Score.
Meyer's coordinators are Rex Norris (defensive) and Tom Rossley (offensive). Norris brings more than three decades of college and professional coaching experience to the Under Armour Game. He was an assistant at Oklahoma (1973-83), where he coached seven first-team All-Americans and went to eight bowl games. He also coached in the NFL with four teams, including the Detroit Lions, Denver Broncos, Tennessee Oilers and the Chicago Bears.
Rossley is less than a year removed from coaching with the Green Bay Packers and quarterback Brett Favre (2000-06). He also coached with the Atlanta Falcons, Kansas City Chiefs and Chicago Bears. At the collegiate level, Rossley served as head coach at Southern Methodist University (1991-1996), where he was the Southwest Conference's co-coach of the year in 1992.
Sixteen high school coaches have been selected to participate in the game. Team Red features Hal Wasson of Southlake (Texas) Carroll; Chris Yeager, Mountain Brook (Ala.); David Smith of Klein Oak (Spring, Texas); Todd Watson of Foley (Ala.); Rich Hansen of St. Peter's Prep (Jersey City, N.J.); Randy Huff of Ponderosa (Parker, Colo.) and Jess Simpson of Buford (Ga.).
Team Silver includes John McKissick, Summerville (S.C.); Billy Rolle, Northwestern (Miami); Tim Murphy, Clovis (Calif.) East; Tim Carter of Auburn (Ala.); Ron Duncan, Bamberg (S.C.)-Ehrhardt; Jim Kunau of Orange (Calif.) Lutheran; Ray Reitz of Jeannette ( Pa.); Tim "Ice" Harris of Booker T. Washington (Miami), David Howle of Bunn (N.C.) and Darnell Moore of Bayside (Virginia Beach, Va.).
The coaches will also participate in several activities surrounding the games, including daily practice sessions that will be televised live on ESPNU (Dec. 31 – Jan. 4) and the Burger King Skills Challenge on Thursday, Jan. 3 (airing on ESPN2 Jan. 4 at 6 p.m.). Other ancillary events include an awards banquet and a player tour of the Disney facilities.
Of the 80 players selected by ESPN Scouts, Inc. to participate in the Under Armour All-America High School Football Game, 67 are ranked in the ESPN 150 player rankings, such as #1 Julio Jones, WR, Foley (Ala.) High School (Team Red); #2 Will Hill, ATH, St. Peter’s (N.J.) Prep (Team Red); #4 Jamie Calhoun, RB, Van (Texas) High School (Team Red); #5 A.J. Green, WR, Summerville (S.C.) High School (Team Silver); #10 Dee Finley, S, Auburn (Ala.) High School (Team Silver) and #11 E.J. Manuel, QB, Bayside (Va.) High School (Team Silver). To view the team rosters, please click here or visit http://sports.espn.go.com/ncaa/recruiting/...tory?id=2975876.
About the Game
The Under Armour High School All-America Football Game is a new ESPN owned-and-operated annual all-star football competition spotlighting 80 of the nation’s top high school seniors. Organized in conjunction with Intersport, a leading sports and entertainment media and marketing company with over 20 years experience, the event will be broadcast live to a national audience on ABC from Disney’s Wide World of Sports in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.
Former NFL and 16 High School Coaches to Assist; Festivities Begin Dec. 31
Former NFL head coaches Jim Hanifan and Ron Meyer will lead 80 of the nation’s top high school seniors in the inaugural Under Armour All-America High School Football Game presented by ESPNU at Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., on Saturday, Jan. 5, at 2 p.m. ET on ABC (1 p.m. CT, noon MT and tape delayed at noon PT). The teams will be divided into 40 players each. Hanifan will serve as head coach of Team Silver, while Meyer will coach Team Red. Both coaching staffs will consist of an offensive and defensive coordinator, with support from 16 high school coaches who have players participating in the game. Activities for the first-ever event will commence Monday, Dec. 31, with daily practice sessions.
Coach Hanifan is a former head coach of the St. Louis Cardinals (1980-85) and Atlanta Falcons (1989). Prior to joining the NFL ranks, he coached college football at Utah from 1966-1969, California from 1970-1971, and San Diego State in 1972. He joined the NFL in 1973, serving as offensive line coach for the St. Louis Cardinals until 1978. He was recognized as the NFL’s Assistant Coach of the Year in 1977. He also served as an assistant coach for the San Diego Chargers in 1979. Before retiring, Hanifan spent seven seasons as the offensive line coordinator for the Washington Redskins (1990-1996) and St. Louis Rams (1997-2003). Since 2004, he has been part of the Rams radio broadcast team.
Hanifan's coordinators are Dave Levy (offensive) and George Dyer (defensive). Levy was an assistant under the legendary John McKay at Southern California from 1960-75, winning four national titles and participating in eight Rose Bowls. He was the offensive line coach with the San Diego Chargers and coached running backs with the Detroit Lions.
Dyer has more than 20 years NFL experience. He earned two Super Bowl Rings with the Denver Broncos in the late '90s. He spent the early part of his career coaching at Arizona State and Michigan State.
Coach Meyer is a two-time AFC Coach of the Year with 30 years of coaching experience in the NCAA and NFL. His NFL experience includes head coaching stints with both the Indianapolis Colts (1986-1991) and New England Patriots (1982-1984). Meyer's head coaching career began at UNLV, where he coached from 1971 to 1975. In 1974, he had an undefeated season at UNLV with a record of 11-0. In 1976, Meyer became the head coach of Southern Methodist University where he coached until 1981. That tenure included winning the Southwest Conference championship in 1981 with running backs Eric Dickerson and Craig James. Meyer finished his coaching career in the Canadian Football League and XFL. He is currently an NFL analyst for the show "The Score on the NFL" on the Canadian sports channel The Score.
Meyer's coordinators are Rex Norris (defensive) and Tom Rossley (offensive). Norris brings more than three decades of college and professional coaching experience to the Under Armour Game. He was an assistant at Oklahoma (1973-83), where he coached seven first-team All-Americans and went to eight bowl games. He also coached in the NFL with four teams, including the Detroit Lions, Denver Broncos, Tennessee Oilers and the Chicago Bears.
Rossley is less than a year removed from coaching with the Green Bay Packers and quarterback Brett Favre (2000-06). He also coached with the Atlanta Falcons, Kansas City Chiefs and Chicago Bears. At the collegiate level, Rossley served as head coach at Southern Methodist University (1991-1996), where he was the Southwest Conference's co-coach of the year in 1992.
Sixteen high school coaches have been selected to participate in the game. Team Red features Hal Wasson of Southlake (Texas) Carroll; Chris Yeager, Mountain Brook (Ala.); David Smith of Klein Oak (Spring, Texas); Todd Watson of Foley (Ala.); Rich Hansen of St. Peter's Prep (Jersey City, N.J.); Randy Huff of Ponderosa (Parker, Colo.) and Jess Simpson of Buford (Ga.).
Team Silver includes John McKissick, Summerville (S.C.); Billy Rolle, Northwestern (Miami); Tim Murphy, Clovis (Calif.) East; Tim Carter of Auburn (Ala.); Ron Duncan, Bamberg (S.C.)-Ehrhardt; Jim Kunau of Orange (Calif.) Lutheran; Ray Reitz of Jeannette ( Pa.); Tim "Ice" Harris of Booker T. Washington (Miami), David Howle of Bunn (N.C.) and Darnell Moore of Bayside (Virginia Beach, Va.).
The coaches will also participate in several activities surrounding the games, including daily practice sessions that will be televised live on ESPNU (Dec. 31 – Jan. 4) and the Burger King Skills Challenge on Thursday, Jan. 3 (airing on ESPN2 Jan. 4 at 6 p.m.). Other ancillary events include an awards banquet and a player tour of the Disney facilities.
Of the 80 players selected by ESPN Scouts, Inc. to participate in the Under Armour All-America High School Football Game, 67 are ranked in the ESPN 150 player rankings, such as #1 Julio Jones, WR, Foley (Ala.) High School (Team Red); #2 Will Hill, ATH, St. Peter’s (N.J.) Prep (Team Red); #4 Jamie Calhoun, RB, Van (Texas) High School (Team Red); #5 A.J. Green, WR, Summerville (S.C.) High School (Team Silver); #10 Dee Finley, S, Auburn (Ala.) High School (Team Silver) and #11 E.J. Manuel, QB, Bayside (Va.) High School (Team Silver). To view the team rosters, please click here or visit http://sports.espn.go.com/ncaa/recruiting/...tory?id=2975876.
About the Game
The Under Armour High School All-America Football Game is a new ESPN owned-and-operated annual all-star football competition spotlighting 80 of the nation’s top high school seniors. Organized in conjunction with Intersport, a leading sports and entertainment media and marketing company with over 20 years experience, the event will be broadcast live to a national audience on ABC from Disney’s Wide World of Sports in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.