Football is a game that teaches you lessons you can use for the rest of your life. All of our coaches come with years of life experiences and football knowledge that can teach good values to all athletes.
At the Pro Football Hall of Fame Academy, we offer our athletes the most elite training with the world’s most experienced coaching staff. The entire coaching staff has a combined 200+ years of NFL exposure, which may be an overwhelming figure to digest.
Chuck Bresnahan, Former NFL Coach, is one of the leaders for the Academy Series. Chuck has experience in college and the NFL for over 26 years, 15 of those years he was coaching in the league. Throughout his NFL career he coached for the Cleveland, Browns, Oakland Raiders, Indianapolis Colts and the Cincinnati Bengals. At the Academy, Bresnahan works with athletes focused on defense. “Sports, in general, teaches you how to win and lose and you carry that into life. I tell everybody I speak to that whenever I have tragedy in my life or I have success in my life, I find myself falling back on two things — how the game of football has taught me how to handle success and adversity, but also the discipline of being in the military. The organizational skills, the chain of command, all those types of things, have really helped develop me who I am as a person, not just as a coach.”
Chuck will be taking his talents to the road, traveling to the international academy series in the Netherlands, France and Mexico to train athletes that are not on the radar of U.S. scouts and recruiters yet.
If you want to take part in our International Academy’s, start here
At the Pro Football Hall of Fame Academy, we offer our athletes the chance to learn from the world’s most experienced coaching staff. The entire coaching staff has a combined 200+ years of NFL exposure, which may be an overwhelming figure to digest.
Brian Pariani, Former NFL Coach, is one of the coaches for the Academy Series. Brian coached in the NFL for 27 years, collecting four Super Bowl rings, three with the 49ers and one with the Denver Broncos. He spent the majority of his NFL time working with tight ends.
Brian is now using his experience and knowledge to help young athletes train on and off the field. He acts as an advisor for the Sports VTS QBSim Lab, the virtual reality training system for quarterbacks. The simulation enables a quarterback to train without risk of injury and enhance the current training regime of classroom instruction, playbook study, drills and seven-on-seven scrimmages.
Brian will be taking his talents to the road, traveling to the international academy series in the Netherlands, France and Mexico to train athletes that are not on the radar of U.S. scouts and recruiters yet. “As a former NFL coach, we want to try to expand the game. It’s great to travel to different countries and see what kind of players are here athletically so we can try to teach them and grow the game.”
If you want to take part in our International Academy’s, start here!
We’re thrilled to announce the Pro Football Hall of Fame Academy is traveling to the Netherlands for a three-day experience to help train the best football athletes in Europe.
International Director, Mark Bright is thrilled to provide athletes the exposure they deserve. “This is an opportunity of a life-time for international athletes to train and be seen by the NFL’s best and by major college scouts.”
The Academy in partnership with the Lightning Leiden American Football club will be starting on October 19th and finishing up on the 21st. Athletes aged 14-20 can attend. The session will take place at Montgomerystraat 50a Leiden, The Netherlands 2321CC
Check out the formal announcement made by the Academy founder, Rich McGuinness.
Nominate an athlete for the Netherlands Academy, here!
Experience, is one of the keys to our training methodology and what better way to help young athletes improve than through the lense of past football greats!
At the Pro Football Hall of Fame, we offer our athletes the most elite training with the world’s most experienced coaching staff. The entire coaching staff has a combined 200+ years of NFL exposure, which may be an overwhelming figure to digest.
Rod Woodson, Hall of Famer, is one of the coaches for the Academy Series. Rod played with the Pittsburgh Steelers, San Francisco 49ers, Baltimore Ravens and the Oakland Raiders throughout his NFL career. His efforts lead him to the Hall of fame where he received his Gold Jacket in 2009. Throughout his 17 seasons in the NFL, Woodson was an 11-time Pro Bowler, 6-time First-team All-Pro, and a 2-time second-team All-Pro.
Rod is now using his experience and knowledge to help young athletes who have a passion for the game. At the Academy Woodson works with defensive backs for the majority of his time but also gives presentations in the classroom on leadership and character.
Rod teamed up with this academy for a lot of reasons but mainly to help find the hidden gems of the football community. “The one thing that’s missing in other camps is that kids that fall out of the typical recruiting profile tend to be overlooked or forgotten about. The best college players are sometimes the hidden jewels who develop a little bit behind in their first or second year in college. For us, we want to reach out to everybody, guys who believe in the system and believe in hard work.”
Rod will be taking his talents to the road, traveling to the international academy series in the Netherlands, France and Mexico to train athletes that are not on the radar of U.S. scouts and recruiters yet.
If you want to get trained by the best coaching staff next July 8-18th in Canton, Ohio, get on our radar here!
After training the best youth football athletes in the United States, the Pro Football Hall of Fame Academy is heading to the Netherlands and France this fall to test, train and showcase the best European football players.
The Academy will be training elite international athletes at Montgomery Sportpark in Leiden, The Netherlands from October 19-21 and at Complexe Sporttif du Val de L’Arc in Aix en Provence, France November 2-4.
Academy coaches will include Hall of Famer Rod Woodson, former Oakland Raiders Defensive Coordinator Chuck Bresnahan, former Houston Texans assistant coach Chick Harris, Dallas Cowboys running back coach Robert Ford, and others.
The Academy will include two and half days of intense football training, combine testing, classroom instruction and competition under the direction of former NFL legends and scouts. The top participants will be invited to the Elite Academy Session in Canton, Ohio next summer, to compete with the best American high school and college athletes.
Netherlands International Director Mark Bright, stated, “This Academy is like Manchester United or Real Madrid coming to the Netherlands to train and evaluate our top youth footballers. This football Academy is the gold standard in developing young American football players.“
Nominations are now being accepted for both European sessions, get started here.
Read the full story here!
Shadowman Sports teams up with the PFHOF Academy
Shadowman Sports, an Ireland-based football practice equipment company is focused on improving player safety, announced a partnership with the Pro Football Hall of Fame Academy.
The Academy will use the company’s tackling systems as they train youth athletes around the globe with their elite coaching staff, including Hall of Famer, Rod Woodson.
The company claims its revolutionary tackling systems are what colleges and professional football teams need as their equipment. They intend to simulate game-like speed while reducing player-on-player contact.
“Shadowman Sports is on the cutting edge of football training and has dramatically helped us teach tackling in an exciting and safe environment,” said Richard McGuinness, founder of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Academy, in a release. “They will change the game with their continued emphasis on safety.”
To read the full story, click here
After training the best football athletes from United States for the past four years, the Pro Football Hall of Fame Academy is taking its show on the road to test, train and showcase Netherlands best in Leiden. Hall of Fame Academy coaches include Hall of Famer Rod Woodson, former Oakland Raiders Defensive Coordinator Chuck Bresnahan, former Houston Texans and Dallas Cowboys running back coaches, Chick Harris.
It is the first time the Academy, led by former and legendary NFL Coaches, will be traveling to The Netherlands. The Academy program is designed to identify, train and showcase the best european football players in the region and showcase them before NFL and college scouts.
The idea of traveling to the Netherlands stemmed from a successful Academy in series in Mexico and China. For the past several years, the Pro Football Hall of Fame leadership has also been watching international athletes enthusiasm for American football.
The Pro Football Hall of Fame Academy will provide top european athletes with three days of intense football training that will include world-class combine testing, classroom instruction and competitive on-field sessions. Under the watchful eye of National Preps and Gary Howard, a top collegiate scout, the very best athletes will be recommended to the Elite Academy Session in Canton in July 2019 to train and compete with the best U.S. high school and college athletes.
“Given the global reach of American football, the opportunity to test, train and scout top athletes is exciting for our NFL coaches and college scouts. Our passion for football development spans oceans, borders and languages,” stated Rich McGuinness, General Manager of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Academy.
To learn more about our International Academy’s, click here
The PFHOF Academy teams up with the Eagles at Army base in Fort Knox, Kentucky.
Fort Knox, Kentucky, the Army base where the majority of the nation’s gold reserves are kept and is one of four Army bases that has its own high school. The Eagles had a powerhouse football program in the mid 80’s and early 90’s but as deployments shortened and numbers declined, the winning ways stopped. In fact, they have not had a winning season since 2002. The Pro Football Hall of Fame Academy decided to take a road trip to Kentucky, to try and help the Eagles out.
On July 25th, the PFHOF Academy held a clinic with new Eagles head coach, Wes Arnold. The Academy coaches included, Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive back Rod Woodson, former Oakland Raiders defensive coordinator Chuck Bresnahan and Denver Broncos former offensive specialist Brian Pariani.
Rich McGuinness, the Pro Football Hall of Fame Academy Architect had heard about the recent struggles of the Fort Knox program and wanted to help! Rich & team focused on position-specific training and hope that the extra sessions can get the program back on track!
To read the full article, click here
Return home.
On July 18th, the Pro Football Hall of Fame Academy was given another chance to team up with the non profit foundation, Lauren’s First and Goal. LFG provides financial support for those suffering from brain tumors and emotional support to families living with pediatric cancer.
Kente Binford is a 12 year old boy who has a smile that can light up a room no matter the circumstances. When he was 5 years old he went in for a routine check up for headaches. After an MRI, a cancerous tumor was discovered covering a large section of his brain. Throughout the next 4 years Kente had 5 surgeries and numerous chemotherapy & radiation treatments. The idea of hospice was brought to the families attention, but Kente continued to fight for his life.
After a five year ordeal stemming from a routine doctor’s visit, Kente is in remission and doing great! He is able to play catch with his Papa, basketball and video games with his friends and find a new passion in cooking! He spent a day at the Pro Football Hall of Fame Academy this past week, was surprised by a Braxton Miller visit, who he met years ago during one of his many hospital visits. Gathering in a huddle with Braxton and the offense, he was able to get into some game action! On a sweep left play, and his teammates blocking for him, Kente scored his touchdown. All PFHOFA campers rallied around him, picked him up and chanted his name. He was presented with a game ball signed from all the Academy coaches which consisted of former NFL legends like Rod Woodson. His mom, Tiffany and his Grandparents were so grateful for the Hall of Fame experience and the chance to score during the Academy.
If you’re interested in learning more about Lauren’s First and Goal, click here!
On July 14th, the Pro Football Hall of Fame Academy was given the chance to team up with the non profit foundation, Lauren’s First and Goal. LFG provides financial support for those suffering from brain tumors and emotional support to families living with pediatric cancer.
Trey Hodge is an outgoing 11 year old boy who has been through more trauma then people experience in a lifetime. At the age of 3, Trey was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy. At 5, he had to undergo Achilles tendon surgery on both legs and work through countless hours of physical therapy appointments. In May of 2017 his doctor suggested getting a MRI full body scan, which is when they found a cancerous brain tumor. The tumor has been there since birth and it grew as Trey aged, but no symptoms were ever shown. Throughout the next year he spent weeks at the Ronald McDonald house and Nationwide hospital for radiation and recovery fighting for his life.
The battle continues for Trey, but he is doing better! So well, in fact, that he was able to spend a day at the Pro Football Hall of Fame Academy this past week allowing him to just be a kid again. He met high school All-American, Luck McCaffrey, brother of NFL Running Back Christian McCaffrey, toured the Pro Football Hall of Fame with Luke and was even interviewed by CBS Sports. Later on, Trey was able to put on a Hall of Fame jersey and get into a game! On a sweep left play, and his teammates blocking for him, Trey scored his touchdown. All 300 PFHOFA campers rallied around him, asked him for his autograph and to take pictures. He was presented with a game ball signed from all the Academy coaches which consisted of former NFL legends like Rod Woodson. His mom, Tish, was so grateful for the experience and wanted to thank everyone for a day that Trey will remember forever.