In 1998, The National Football Foundation created PLAY IT SMART, an educational program targeted at kids from inner city environments where family and community support are generally lacking. The program, designed to take a student-athlete’s passion for sport and intense dedication to their team and transform it into a force for greater good in their lives, has exceeded everybody’s expectations. At less than a-dollar-a-day per student-athlete, the program has sent 87% of its participants onto college.

At the heart of the program is the PLAY IT SMART "Academic" Coach, equal parts mentor, advocate, counselor, teacher, coach and friend. Each academic coach receives special training and support from the National Football Foundation Center for Youth Development Through Sport (NFF Center) at Springfield (MA.) College, the only American college offering a graduate program in athletic counseling.

The Academic Coach works with the kids for the entire school year. It’s the Academic Coach’s job to turn each football team into a learning team, in the process lifting grades, SAT scores, graduation rates, community service participation and drug and alcohol awareness. He helps the players establish individual and team goals in key areas such as GPAs, SAT/ACT scores, graduation and college enrollment.

The program started in four schools in 1998, and with significant financial support from the U.S. Department of Education, the NFL and the NFL Players Association, has expanded to 128 high schools in 84 cities and 34 states with close to 11,000 student-athletes participating. Patterson High School was the first Baltimore area school to participate in the program; Forest Park and Edmondson Westside High Schools have been added to the program over the past five years.

Each dollar makes an impact in the lives of PLAY IT SMART participants. In addition to the training and compensation of the Academic Coach, the $25,000 cost per school covers everything from educational materials to SAT/ACT registration, parent programs, travel to area colleges and awards for outstanding achievement. Since its inception, the PLAY IT SMART program at Patterson High School has been fortunate to receive additional support from the Jonathan Ogden Foundation, established by Baltimore Ravens All-Pro Jonathan Ogden. Numerous sponsorship opportunities exist for those interested in supporting the program there and at other schools.

If you should have any questions about PLAY IT SMART, feel free to contact Executive Director Len Stachitas at (972) 556-1000, or visit the website, http://playitsmart.footballfoundation.com.