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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 9/3/15 http://twitter.com/NFL345

BILL WALSH NFL MINORITY COACHING FELLOWSHIP ATTRACTS RECORD 134 TRAINING CAMP PARTICIPANTS

- PROGRAM INCLUDES 47 FORMER NFL PLAYERS -

A record 134 minority coaches took part in this summer’s BILL WALSH NFL MINORITY COACHING FELLOWSHIP, the NFL announced today.

In 2015, the program included its first-ever female participant, DR. JEN WELTER, who was one of seven coaching interns hired by the for training camp.

Steelers , who became the youngest head coach (36) in NFL history to win a when he led to a victory in Super Bowl XLIII, is one of 61 full-time coaches on NFL staffs in 2015 who previously participated in the fellowship program. Tomlin interned with the in the summer of 2000 when he was the defensive backs coach at the University of Cincinnati.

“I learned so much from being able to participate in the Bill Walsh NFL Minority Coaching Fellowship,” says Tomlin. “At the time, I was a young college coach, and I was given the opportunity to attend training camp and learn from NFL coaches. It was special. The fellowship gave me my first exposure to coaching in the NFL, and it solidified my dedication to wanting to become a coach in the .”

Tomlin is one of three current NFL head coaches – (Cincinnati) and (Tampa Bay) are the others – who are graduates of the program.

Smith, who interned with the Arizona Cardinals in 1988, is a huge endorser of the program.

“I had a terrific experience with the Bill Walsh NFL Minority Coaching Fellowship and I am a big believer in what it can do for young college coaches who are searching for an avenue into our league,” says Smith. “As a participant in the program, I learned so much about what goes into the coaching business on the professional level. The experience and networking opportunities that I had during my time had a very big impact on my career path. Now, as a head coach, I have had the opportunity to hire some very talented coaches who participated in the program. I make it a point to ensure that our program offers those same valuable learning opportunities that meant so much to me during my fellowship.”

Carolina Panthers head coach knows the value of the program and serves on the Bill Walsh NFL Minority Coaching Fellowship Advisory Council. The council is comprised of club presidents, general managers, head coaches and assistant coaches, who focus on developing a pipeline of minority coaches, including former NFL players pursuing opportunities in the coaching profession.

“The Bill Walsh NFL Minority Coaching Fellowship is essential in creating opportunities,” says Rivera. “You can see the benefits of the fellowship program on virtually every coaching staff in the league and the education provided through the program has been invaluable in the development of many young coaches who may not have received exposure to the NFL without it.”

Established in 1987, the program provides NFL training camp positions to minority coaches every year. The program, which was named after the man who conceived the idea – late Pro Football Hall of Fame head coach BILL WALSH – exposes talented minority college coaches to the methods and philosophies of summer NFL training camps. Walsh introduced the concept to the league in 1987 when he brought a group of minority coaches into his ’ training camp.

The program has tutored more than 1,800 minority coaches through the years and has grown to the point that now every NFL team participates during training camp.

Active NFL head coaches who are graduates of the Bill Walsh NFL Minority Coaching Fellowship:

HEAD COACH TEAM INTERNSHIP(S) Marvin Lewis Cincinnati 1988 with San Francisco; 1991 with Kansas City Lovie Smith Tampa Bay 1988 with Arizona Mike Tomlin Pittsburgh 2000 with Cleveland

2015 NFL COACHES WHO ARE GRADUATES OF BILL WALSH NFL MINORITY COACHING FELLOWSHIP

CLUB COACH POSITION Arizona Coaching Assistant/Special Teams Defensive Line Kevin Ross Atlanta Keith Armstrong Special Teams Coordinator Asst. Head Coach/ Defensive Passing Game Coordinator Richard Angulo Tight Ends Clarence Brooks Defensive Line Wide Receivers Chris Hewitt Defensive Backs Asst. Offensive Line Buffalo Dennis Thurman Carolina Curtis Fuller Asst. Special Teams Al Holcomb Richard Rodgers Asst. Defensive Backs Eric Washington Defensive Line Sam Garnes Asst. Defensive Backs Derius Swinton Asst. Special Teams Cincinnati Brian Braswell Offensive Quality Control/ Asst. Offensive Line Jay Hayes Defensive Line Marvin Lewis Head Coach Gary Brown Running Backs Leon Lett Defensive Tackles Denver Samson Brown Asst. Defensive Backs Tony Coaxum Asst. Special Teams Running Backs Wide Receivers Detroit Defensive Coordinator Running Backs Robert Prince Wide Receivers Asst. Head Coach/Tight Ends Houston Charles London Running Backs Defensive Assistant Indianapolis Defensive Line Jacksonville Ron Middleton Tight Ends/Asst. Special Teams Running Backs DeWayne Walker Defensive Backs Kansas City David Culley Asst. Head Coach/Wide Receivers Defensive Assistant/Secondary Jeff Burris Defensive Assistant Defensive Line Tim Walton Secondary/Cornerbacks Lunda Wells Asst. Offensive Line Karl Dorrell Wide Receivers Pepper Johnson Defensive Line Daylon McCutcheon Asst. Defensive Backs Oakland Defensive Line Asst. Defensive Backs Philadelphia Running Backs Pittsburgh Tight Ends Defensive Backs Mike Tomlin Head Coach St. Louis Joe Bowden Asst. Linebackers Clyde Simmons Asst. Defensive Line San Diego Andrew Dees Asst. Offensive Line Don Johnson Defensive Line Ollie Wilson Running Backs San Francisco Thomas McGaughey Jr. Special Teams Coordinator Seattle Michael Barrow Linebackers Tampa Bay Lovie Smith Head Coach Tennessee Asst. Defensive Line Defensive Line

2015 BILL WALSH NFL MINORITY COACHING FELLOWSHIP PARTICIPANTS

CLUB # PARTICIPANTS (BACKGROUND & PRESENT AFFILIATION) Arizona Cardinals 7 Rashied Davis (Former Player), Emile Harry (Former Player), Rod Hood (Former Player), David Kelly (Former CFL Coach), Keith McKenzie (Former Player, Wayne State University), Dr. Jen Welter (Texas Revs), Willie Williams (Former Player, HS Coach) 4 Dennis Dotten-Carter (University of Delaware), Mayur Chaudhari (Lenoir Ryne College), Josh Cooper (Duke University), Deland McCollough (Indiana University) 1 Vinson Reynolds (Western Michigan) 8 Travis Bush (), Kirk Broussard (Former Player), Gabrial Franklin (UTEP), Ernie Gutierrez (HS Coach), Elvis Joseph (Southern University), Chris McAlister (Former Player), Andre Reed (Former Player), Kenechi Udeze (Former Player) 4 Dave Aranda (University of Wisconsin), Mike Brown (Former Player), ShaDon Brown (Wofford College), Miguel Reeves () 3 Marco Butler (Hampton), Cordel High (Rutgers University), Matthew Middleton (South Dakota) 4 Kelvin Bell (University of Iowa), T.J. Houshmandzadeh (Former Player, HS Coach), Keith Rucker (Former Player, Ohio Wesleyan University), Chuck Smith (Former Player) Cleveland Browns 6 Ken Amato (Former Player, HS Coach), (Alabama A&M), William Green (Jacksonville State University), Anderson Nance (Strength and Conditioning), Eric Thatcher (), Jason Swepson (University of New Haven) 3 Aden Durde (Former NFL Europe Player), Marcus Dixon (Former Player), Brandon Smith (East Texas Baptist University) 7 Aaron Craver (Former Player), Tim Cross (Air Force Academy), Nick Ferguson (Former Player), Jason Phillips (Former Player), Lenny Vandermade (University of Southern California), KiJuan Ware (Williams College), Gerard Wilcher (Seton Hall University) 4 Henry Baker (University of Delaware), Fred Farrier (), Rashad Jackson (East Central Oklahoma), Marquise Williams (University of South Dakota) 2 Keith Little (Bethune-Cookman University), Gerald Chatman (Butler University) 4 Antoine Smith (James Madison University), Jafar Williams (), Jesse Williams (Ohio University), Fred Weary (Former Player) 4 Tommy Davis (Former Player, Newberry College), (Former Player, HS Coach), (Former Player, IUPUI), Roosevelt Williams (Former Player, Webber International) 4 Byron Hardmon (Troy University), Greg Jones (Former Player), Mike Peterson (Former Player), Leon Wright (Princeton University) 6 Mark Atuaia (BYU), Jaime Hill (Portland State University), Chris Batti (Harvard University), Cory Peoples (Charleston Southern University), Rod Wilson (Charleston Southern University), Eddie Kennison (Former Player) Miami Dolphins 6 Kelvin Bell (University of Iowa), Oronde Gadsden (Former Player, HS Coach), Terrence Jamison (Florida Atlantic University), Tem Lukabu (Florida International University), Peter McCarty (University of New Hampshire), Dwayne Stukes (Former Player) 4 Jacques Cesaire (Former Player), Ricky Jackson (Bucknell University), Jeremy Richardson (Bacone College), Cedric Williams (Newberry College) 2 Sammy Morris (Former Player), Billy Yates (Former Player) Saints 2 John Simon (Southern Mississippi University), Leigh Torrence (Former Player) New York Giants 4 (Lamar University), David Johnson (Tulane University), Kendrick Nord (Grambling State University), James Salgado (Princeton University) New York Jets 5 Fred Armstrong (HS Coach), David Diaz-Infante (Former Player), Michael Grant (Former Player, HS Coach), (Former Player), Ananias Johnson (HS Coach) Oakland Raiders 4 Abram Elam (Former Player), Cary Grant Harris (Former Player, Moorpark JC), Joe Wade (Fresno State University), Ted White (Former Player, ) 5 Kenny Bassett (Oregon), Robert Hinson (HS Coach), Stephan Lewis (Former AFL Player), Quintin Mikell (Former Player), Jon Shelton (So. Connecticut University) 4 Victor Hall (Webber International University), Cleo Lemon (Former Player, University of Findlay), Roderick Cartwright (Former Player), (Former Player, Clark University) San Diego Chargers 4 Justin Manning (Boston College), (Former Player), Eduardo Sanchez (HS Coach), Leroy Thompson (HS Coach) San Francisco 49ers 4 Vincent Oghobaase (Ohio State University), Brent Pradia (Alabama A&M University), Justin Poindexter (Northwestern University), Nate Vasher (Former Player) St. Louis Rams 4 Chris Coleman (Former NFL Player, Southern University), Kenny Holmes (Former Player, University of Idaho), Kade Rannings (University of Montana), Regi Trotter (Missouri Western) 4 Chad Brown (Former Player), Robert Gordon (Former CFL Player), James Jefferson (Texas A&M Kingsville), Everette Sands (South Carolina) 3 Donnie Abraham (Former Player), Johnny Knox (Former Player), Alshermond Singleton (Former Player) 6 Gerald Alexander (University of Washington), Ken Amato (Former Player) Shannon Harris (Alcorn St.), Shaun Johnson (New Mexico State), Ahmaad Smith (Catawba College), Chris Young (Colgate) Washington Redskins 4 Levern Belin (Richmond), Jason Ogden Buck (Former Player), Marcus Knight (Northern Michigan), Tony Woods (Former Player, William Paterson University) * Ken Amato (Cleveland and Tennessee) and Kelvin Bell (Cincinnati and Miami) participated in the fellowship with multiple teams during training camp.

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