INDIANAPOLIS--- The NCAA has invited football coaches, athletics directors and several speakers from the membership and the NFL to its 2011 Champion Forum, the top tier of the NCAA’s coaching academy programs.   The Champion Forum will be held June 16-17 in Orlando, Fla., in conjunction with the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) convention.

The Champion Forum features a select group of football coaches who have been identified as potential candidates for head football coaching positions at NCAA colleges or universities.   The coaches, who were selected by athletics administrators, are generally ethnic minorities who have completed the NCAA Expert program.   

During the Forum, the coaches, athletics directors and speakers will have time to develop professional relationships in a more informal, private setting.   There will be simulated interview sessions, media training, keynote speakers, and opportunities to discuss key topics such as understanding and developing culture within their team and the athletics department and effectively engaging with the campus and academic staff after becoming a head football coach.  

Through the Forum, the football coaches will have an opportunity to gain a better understanding of the search process and the steps taken by search firms and athletics directors when preparing to hire head football coaches to lead intercollegiate programs.   In turn, the athletics directors and administrators will have opportunities to meet, interact and become better acquainted with the football coaches; become “champions” by assisting with the coaches’ continued career growth; and broaden their outlook on potential minority head coaching prospects within the NCAA.    

“The Champion Forum is instrumental because it introduces the football coaches to individuals and processes that they otherwise might not have known or been exposed to,” said Robert Vowels, vice president for NCAA student-athlete affairs.   “Networks are critical when seeking a head coaching position.  Though we’ve seen some progress in minority hiring at the head coach level in football, we still attempt to expose  individuals from underrepresented groups to those key networks in football because it may help balance the coaching numbers.”   

The football coaches selected for the Champion Forum are:

• Michael Barrow, University of Miami, linebackers coach
• Kerry Cooks, University of Notre Dame, outside linebackers coach
• Lawrence Dawsey, Florida State University, wide receivers coach
• Gary Emmanuel, Purdue University, co-defensive coordinator
• Brian Stewart, University of Houston, defensive coordinator
• Joel Thomas, University of Washington, running backs coach
• William Inge, University of Buffalo, defensive coordinator/linebackers coach