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Bill Walsh NFL Diversity Coaching Fellowship Attracts Record 144 Participants
A record 144 minority coaches took part in this year’s Bill Walsh NFL Diversity Coaching Fellowship, including 43 former NFL players and a record five female coaches.
Established in 1987, the Bill Walsh NFL Diversity Coaching Fellowship provides NFL coaching experience to a diverse group of participants every year. The program — conceived of and named after the late Pro Football Hall of Fame head coach Bill Walsh — exposes talented minority college and high school coaches and former players to the methods and philosophies of NFL coaching staffs. Walsh introduced the concept to the league in 1987 when he brought a group of minority coaches into his San Francisco 49ers’ training camp.
The program has tutored nearly 2,000 minority coaches and has grown to the point that now every NFL team participates during offseason workout programs, minicamps and training camp.
In 2017, the program included a record five female participants — Odessa Jenkins (Atlanta), Phoebe Schecter (Buffalo), Collette Smith (New York Jets), Stephanie Balochko (Pittsburgh) and Katie Sowers (San Francisco).
Sowers, who participated in the program with Atlanta in 2016, was hired by the 49ers as a seasonal offensive assistant, becoming the second full-time female assistant coach in league history.
Los Angeles Chargers first-year head coach and program graduate Anthony Lynn began considering coaching as a viable post-career option following a conversation with Walsh during his playing career.
“He started talking to me about coaching,” said Lynn. “He said, ‘I’ve identified you as a coach in the NFL and I want to tell you about my program for minority coaches.’ And we begin this talk about coaching. I had never thought about coaching before but that’s where the seed was planted. From that moment on, every team meeting I sat in, I starting taking notes like a coach, I started preparing like a coach.”
Lynn is one of four current NFL head coaches — Marvin Lewis (Cincinnati), Hue Jackson (Cleveland) and Mike Tomlin (Pittsburgh) being the others — who are graduates of the program.
“I had the opportunity to work in this program when Coach Walsh initiated it with the 49ers, and it’s great to see it continue as strong as it is,” said Lewis. “We are happy to bring coaches in to benefit our staff as well as aid in their development as a coach.”
Active NFL head coaches who are graduates of the Bill Walsh NFL Diversity Coaching Fellowship:
| HEAD COACH | TEAM | INTERNSHIP(S) |
| Hue Jackson | Cleveland | 1990 with LA Rams; 1992 with Arizona, 1995 with Washington |
| Marvin Lewis | Cincinnati | 1988 with San Francisco; 1991 with Kansas City |
| Anthony Lynn | Los Angeles Chargers | 2000 with Denver |
| Mike Tomlin | Pittsburgh | 2000 with Cleveland |
2017 Bill Walsh NFL Diversity Coaching Fellowship Participants
| CLUB | # | PARTICIPANTS (BACKGROUND & PRESENT AFFILIATION) |
| Arizona Cardinals | 6 | Martin Bayless (Former Player), Myron Bell (Former Player; North Carolina Elite Prep), Plaxico Burress (Former Player), Cris Dishman (Former Player), Tommy Kelly (Provine HS), Greg Liberty (Nashville HS) |
| Atlanta Falcons | 7 | Aden Durde (Former Player), Odessa Jenkins (Dallas Elite Women’s Football), Kevin Mawae* (Former Player), Robbie Picazo (Stanford), Lance Schulters (Former Player), Darnell Stapleton* (Former Player; Bucknell), Jonathan Webster (Northwest Mississippi CC) |
| Baltimore Ravens | 7 | Alex Atkins (Tulane), Brian Bratton (Furman), Don Davis (Calvert HS), Matthew Hewitt (Rutgers), Corey Ivy (Former Player), Adalius Thomas (Former Player), Tom Sims (Pittsburgh) |
| Buffalo Bills | 4 | Byron Thomas (Alfred State), Kade Rannings*, Phoebe Schecter, Lonnie Teasley (New Haven) |
| Carolina Panthers | 3 | Aaron Curry* (Former Player; North Carolina), Travelle Wharton (Former Player), Addison Williams (Furman) |
| Chicago Bears | 3 | Kevin Vickerson (Former Player); Todd Washington (Former Player/Coach), Matt Willis (Former Player) |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 5 | Jonathan Carr (Clark Atlanta), Aaron Curry* (Former Player; North Carolina), LeVon Kirkland (Former Player), Rod Plummer (Florida A&M), Tory Woodbury (Johnson C. Smith) |
| Cleveland Browns | 4 | Harrison Bernstein (Georgetown), JoLonn Dunbar (Former Player), Glenn Holt (St. Thomas Aquinas HS), John Tomlinson (Cedar Hill HS) |
| Dallas Cowboys | 3 | Ken Amato (Tennessee State), Siriki Diabate (Middle Tennessee), Andre Gurode (Former Player) |
| Denver Broncos | 3 | Jovon Bouknight (Utah State), Toure Carter* (Stanford), Jake Zweig (Findlay) |
| Detroit Lions | 4 | Antonio Bradford (Tennessee State), Michael Ghobrial (Tarleton State), Keith Gilmore, Aristotle Thompson (Cal Poly) |
| Green Bay Packers | 3 | Brandon Jackson (Former Player; Tusculum College), Kade Rannings*, Vic So’oto (Former Player; Virginia) |
| Houston Texans | 3 | Olindo Mare (Former Player), Layymarr Marshall (Davidson), Brandon Shelby (Indiana) |
| Indianapolis Colts | 6 | Jason Brooks (FIU), Marco Butler (Catawba College), Mayur Chaudhari (Hawaii), Andre Coleman (Kansas State), Jordan Hogan (Stonehill College), Nathan Vasher (Former Player; Lake Forest HS) |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 2 | Aaron McGinty (Millsaps College), LaDarrius M. Stallings (Kentucky Wesleyan) |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 8 | Derrick Alexander (Former Player; Avila), Erik Frazier, Jr. (Northwestern), Darren Garrigan (Texas A&M Commerce), Jarrod James (North Carolina), Michael Pitre (Montana State), Cyrus Satoafaiga (Utah), Anthony Tuioti (California), Michael Vick (Former Player) |
| Los Angeles Chargers | 5 | Ranier Caldwell (Mississippi Valley State), Stacey Dillard (Former Player), Donovan Jackson (Savannah State), Mark James (Virginia Union), Stephen Thomas (Princeton) |
| Los Angeles Rams | 4 | Jeff Burrow (Kent State), Marvin Sanders, Don Shumpert (Iowa), Brandon Smith (East Texas Baptist) |
| Miami Dolphins | 5 | Andre Bly (Former Player), Andre’ Goodman (South Carolina), Derron Montgomery (Abilene Christian), Damaso Munoz (Former Player), Troy Walters (Central Florida) |
| Minnesota Vikings | 7 | Brian Anderson, Ray Betton (Shakopee HS), Tony Gilbert (North Carolina), Kevin Mawae* (Former Player), Noel Scarlett (Former Player), Anthony White (San Diego State), Scott White (UCLA) |
| New England Patriots | 1 | Cameron Clemmons (Tennessee) |
| New Orleans Saints | 2 | Andre Bly (Former Player), Doug Williams III |
| New York Giants | 6 | Charlie Ayro (McNeese State), DeMarcus Covington (Tennessee Chattanooga), Julius McNair (Tennessee Martin), Damon Nivens (Arkansas Pine Bluff), Greg Richmond (Fairmont State), Lewis Walker (Sacred Heart) |
| New York Jets | 4 | Chad Brown (Former Player), Terrence Flagler (Former Player), Collette Smith (New York Sharks), Ronald Talley (Former Player; Wayne State) |
| Oakland Raiders | 4 | Will Harris (Former Player; San Jose State), Steven King (Bucknell), Sherrone Moore (Central Michigan), Moe Williams (Former Player; Kentucky) |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 5 | Marco Coleman (Former Player), Art Hoomiratana (Utah), Trent Miles, Willie Ponder (Former Player; Colorado Mesa), Dominique Rogers (US Coast Guard Academy) |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 6 | Stephanie Balochko (Women’s American Football Team), Cornelius M. Coleman II (Robert Morris), Harlen T. Jacobs (Notre Dame College), Anthony Leonard (Indiana University of Pennsylvania), Darnel Richardson (Duquesne), Christopher Joshua Wilson (Former Player; Flint HS) |
| San Francisco 49ers | 7 | Alonzo Carter (San Jose State), Nick Ferguson (Former Player), Jerrod Johnson (St. Thomas (TX) HS), Rony Sieperda, Katie Sowers (USA Football Committee), Donald White (Laney College (CA)), Rodrique Wright (Sam Houston State) |
| Seattle Seahawks | 4 | Benny Boyd (Central Washington), Trevor Gentry (Camas HS), Damione Lewis (Former Player), Don Willis (Former Player; Santa Barbara City College) |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 7 | Brian Anderson, Derrius Bell (UTEP), Marvin Clecidor (Princeton), Kerry Joseph (McNeese State), Stephen Nicholas (Former Player), Garrett Robinson (San Diego), Darnell Stapleton* (Bucknell) |
| Tennessee Titans | 7 | Brian Anderson, Bokowski Daniels (Albany State), Chad Lucas (Alabama State), Rocky McIntosh (The Flint HS), Tyrone Nix (Texas A&M), Darren Paige (Holy Cross), Thad Ward (Illinois) |
| Washington Redskins | 6 | Zohn Burden (Virginia Tech), Tarence Calis (East Texas Baptist), Toure Carter* (Stanford), Glenn Ford (i-Dare U Academy), Jonathan Ramos (Towson), Jeff Sawyer (Mississippi Valley State) |
*Brian Anderson (Tampa Bay, Tennessee), Andre Bly (Miami, New Orleans), Toure Carter (Denver, Washington), Aaron Curry (Carolina, Cincinnati), Kevin Mawae (Atlanta, Minnesota), Kade Rannings (Buffalo, Green Bay) and Darnell Stapleton (Atlanta, Tampa Bay) participated in the fellowship with multiple teams during offseason workout programs and training camp.
2017 NFL Coaches Who Are Graduates of Bill Walsh NFL Diversity Coaching Fellowship:
| CLUB | COACH | POSITION |
| Arizona Cardinals | Anthony Blevins | Coaching Assistant/Asst. Special Teams |
| Brentson Buckner | Defensive Line | |
| Byron Leftwich | Quarterbacks | |
| Kevin Ross | Cornerbacks | |
| Atlanta Falcons | Keith Armstrong | Special Teams Coordinator |
| Raheem Morris | Asst. Head Coach/Wide Receivers/Passing Game Coord. | |
| Baltimore Ravens | Richard Angulo | Asst. Offensive Line |
| Chris Hewitt | Secondary | |
| Chris Horton | Asst. Special Teams | |
| Buffalo Bills | David Culley | Quarterbacks |
| Jimmy Salgado | Defensive Assistant | |
| Carolina Panthers | Curtis Fuller | Defensive Backs |
| Al Holcomb | Linebackers | |
| Thomas McGaughey Jr. | Special Teams Coordinator | |
| Richard Rodgers | Asst. Defensive Backs/Safeties | |
| Eric Washington | Defensive Line | |
| Chicago Bears | Curtis Modkins | Running Backs |
| Ben Wilkerson | Asst. Offensive Line | |
| Cincinnati Bengals | Marvin Lewis | Head Coach |
| Jacob Burney | Defensive Line | |
| Cleveland Browns | Hue Jackson | Head Coach |
| Clyde Simmons | Defensive Line | |
| Dewayne Walker | Defensive Backs | |
| Kirby Wilson | Running Backs/Run Game Coordinator | |
| Dallas Cowboys | Gary Brown | Running Backs |
| Leon Lett | Defensive Tackles | |
| Denver Broncos | Eric Studesville | Asst. Head Coach/Running Backs |
| Detroit Lions | Teryl Austin | Defensive Coordinator |
| Tony Oden | Defensive Backs/Corners | |
| Robert Prince | Wide Receivers | |
| Ron Prince | Asst. Head Coach/Offensive Line | |
| Houston Texans | Charles London | Running Backs |
| Indianapolis Colts | Gary Emanuel | Defensive Line |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | Perry Fewell | Secondary |
| Keenan McCardell | Wide Receivers | |
| Ron Middleton | Tight Ends | |
| Tyrone Wheatley | Running Backs | |
| Kansas City Chiefs | Al Harris | Secondary/Cornerbacks |
| Los Angeles Chargers | Anthony Lynn | Head Coach |
| Marquice Williams | Asst. Special Teams | |
| Los Angeles Rams | Skip Peete | Running Backs |
| Miami Dolphins | Andre Carter | Asst. Defensive Line |
| Minnesota Vikings | Darrell Hazell | Wide Receivers |
| Andre Patterson | Defensive Line | |
| Robert Rodriguez | Asst. Defensive Line | |
| New Orleans Saints | Leigh Torrence | Defensive Asst. |
| New York Giants | Adam Henry | Wide Receivers |
| Dwayne Stukes | Asst. Special Teams | |
| Tim Walton | Secondary/Cornerbacks | |
| Lunda Wells | Asst. Offensive Line | |
| New York Jets | David Diaz-Infante | Asst. Offensive Line |
| Karl Dorrell | Wide Receivers | |
| Daylon McCutcheon | Asst. Defensive Backs | |
| Oakland Raiders | Jethro Franklin | Defensive Line |
| Rod Woodson | Asst. Defensive Backs | |
| Philadelphia Eagles | Duce Staley | Running Backs |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | Mike Tomlin | Head Coach |
| James Daniel | Tight Ends | |
| San Francisco 49ers | Tem Lukabu | Defensive Quality Control |
| Vince Oghobaase | Asst. Defensive Line | |
| Seattle Seahawks | Michael Barrow | Asst. Head Coach/Defense/Linebackers |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Skyler Fulton | Offensive Assistant |
| Jay Hayes | Defensive Line | |
| Anthony Perkins | Asst. to the Head Coach | |
| Tennessee Titans | Nick Eason | Defensive Line |
| Frisman Jackson | Wide Receivers | |
| Keith Willis | Asst. Defensive Line |
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