Jack Brandais
Communications Department
San Diego Unified School District
(619) 725-5570 (Desk)
(619) 607-0477 (Cell)
[Description: TeacherOfTheYear_rgb]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Clare Graff, NFL
NFL 6/14/11 212/450-2435; clare.graff@nfl.com<mailto:clare.graff@nfl.com>
FORMER PLAYER BURT GROSSMAN OF HOOVER HIGH SCHOOL
IN SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA NAMED 2011 NFL TEACHER OF THE YEAR
AWARD RECOGNIZES FORMER NFL PLAYERS WORKING IN EDUCATION
Former San Diego Chargers and Philadelphia Eagles player BURT GROSSMAN, a teacher at Hoover High School in San Diego, CA, has been named the 2011 NFL TEACHER OF THE YEAR, it was announced today. The award recognizes a former NFL player who is now working professionally as a teacher.
As the NFL Teacher of the Year, Grossman will receive a $5,000 award, and a $5,000 grant will be presented to Hoover High School from the NFL.
Beginning in 1990, the NFL Teacher of the Year Award provided an opportunity for players to honor teachers who had the greatest impact on their educational and life-skills development. The program now invites school administrators to nominate former NFL players who entered the field of education after retiring from football.
A panel of educators and civic leaders selected Grossman from a pool of former NFL player nominations. With assistance from the NFL Alumni Association, the entries were narrowed to 10 finalists. The voting panel consists of Commissioner ROGER GOODELL; Georgetown University Board of Trustees Chairman, former Commissioner PAUL TAGLIABUE; Congressman GARY ACKERMAN; Congressman MICHAEL HONDA; and AARON CRAVER and RANDALL MCDANIEL, former NFL players and current teachers.
"We couldn't be more proud of Burt and his success with the students at Hoover High School," said Chargers Executive Vice President-Executive Officer A.G. SPANOS. "As an organization, it's always exciting to see former players make an impact in academics and help our future leaders of tomorrow achievesuccess."
Grossman will travel to Washington, D.C. this week for a panel discussion on the value of teaching. He will speak to student athletes at Banneker High School and be joined by U.S. Secretary of Education ARNE DUNCAN and Randall McDaniel. The panelists will address the value of pursuing a career in education as part of the TEACH campaign, an initiative of the United States Department of Education designed to raise awareness of the teaching profession and get a new generation of teachers to join the ones who are already making a difference in the classroom. Banneker High School student Yasmine Arrington, a recent recipient of a $25,000 college scholarship from the Washington Redskins Charitable Foundation Scholarship Fund, will be in attendance at the assembly.
"Former NFL players who transition to careers in education are able to use the values they learned on the football field—integrity, preparation and persistence—and carry them over into the classroom," said Commissioner Goodell. "We honor these former NFL players for their dedication to the profession of teaching."
Grossman was nominated by the San Diego Chargers and by Hoover High School Vice President and Director of Student and Community Affairs Andreas Trakas. In his nomination essay, Trakas wrote, "Mr. Grossman has helped change the culture of our high school. Students who have issues both at home and school know that they have a connection with someone who cares and who can make a difference for them… I have seen Mr. Grossman use his unique and effective skills of communicating to students about 'raising their collective bar' personally, socially, as well as academically. His ability to share his own personal experience in order to develop a connection with some of our most challenging students and building trust and support has been a benefit to our school and community. He has gone as far as taking one of our homeless football players into his home to live, and has helped him do a complete 180 degree turn; he has now accepted a full athletic scholarship to the University of Arizona."
A list of the 10 finalists for the 2011 NFL TEACHER OF THE YEAR award is below:
TEACHER/FORMER PLAYER
SCHOOL
TEAM/YEARS IN NFL
Bobby Abrams
Tallassee High School - Tallassee, AL
1990-1996: Giants, Cowboys, Browns, Vikings, Patriots
Troy Drayton
Forest Glen Middle School - Coral Springs, FL
1993-2000: Rams, Dolphins, Chiefs
Brad Fichtel
Maurine Cain Middle School - Rockwell, TX
1993-1994: Rams
Burt Grossman
Hoover High School - San Diego, CA
1989-1994: Chargers, Eagles
Bruce Kozerski
Holy Cross High School - Covington, KY
1984-1995: Bengals
Gary Marangi
Patchogue-Medford High School - Gordon Heights, NY
1974-1976: Bills
Art Plunkett
Las Vegas High School - Las Vegas, NV
1981-1987: Cardinals, Patriots
Dave Rozumek
Salem High School - Salem, NH
1976-1979: Chiefs
Rob Rubick
Lapeer West High School - Lake Nepessing, MI
1982-1988: Lions
Cory Schlesinger
Allen Park High School - Allen Park, MI
1995-2006: Lions
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Jack Brandais
Communications Department
San Diego Unified School District
(619) 725-5570 (Desk)
(619) 607-0477 (Cell)
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