In his first year as executive director of the American Football Coaches Association, Todd Berry wanted to provide his coaches with the kind of platform they’ve never had before. So he worked with CBS Sports Network on a deal to create the first televised American Football Coaches Awards, marking the first time the awards presentation will be televised. The new awards show, which airs Jan. 10, the night after the CFP championship game, marks one of the most substantial achievements for Berry, the former Army and Louisiana-Monroe head coach, in his first year on the job.
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The association started in 1922 and shortly thereafter we began giving out these annual awards. That part is not new. But we did see the awards as an opportunity to get our coaches more out front in a different environment than how people see them on game day and celebrate the game with the rest of the country. It’s a great way to culminate the season.”
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Photo: COURTESY OF AFCA
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On moving from coaching into an administrative job: The great things that really moved my life forward, I learned from the game of football. The words like commitment and sacrifice and teamwork and leadership, they’re all real-world lessons, but in our world now they’re not being utilized as much as they should be. They’re not words or concepts you learn from a book. Football gave me opportunities that I wouldn’t have had.
On the executive director’s role: We have 12,000 members — the NFL coaches, a majority of the collegiate coaches and a growing number of high school coaches also. My job is to be the coaches’ advocate.
Is the voice of the coach being heard on major decisions that impact the game? I don’t think so. One thing we’re trying to do with our coaches’ awards show is to increase our brand awareness. The public generally doesn’t know who we are. … We need to be more engaged in a lot of issues. When it comes to recruiting, it’s much, much different than it was 10 years ago. Social media has changed that. The public’s awareness has changed that. In the process, there are a lot of negative influences in what’s a very important decision. You’re going to see our organization take significant ownership in some of these decisions.
What other plans do you have for the AFCA? One thing we’re doing is having blazers made for the coaches that have won the AFCA crystal ball. It’ll have a Masters-like feel to it. Very exclusive. They’ll be black jackets with a crystal ball emblem.
