Enshrinement Weekend at the Pro Football Hall of Fame is in early August but this week the spotlight in Canton falls on 15 “behind the scenes” personnel who assisted many of us during our NFL careers.
The third annual edition of the Hall’s “Awards of Excellence” program kicks off Wednesday night with a reception followed by a star-studded awards luncheon Thursday with Hall of Famer Dan Fouts as emcee.
The 15 honorees this year are listed in five key categories: Athletic Trainers, Public Relations Directors, Assistant Coaches, Equipment Managers, and Film/Video Directors.
“This year’s class has no doubt left indelible marks on their respective clubs and professional football,” says Hall of Fame President Jim Porter. “Countless hours have been spent over many years by each of these individuals making their fields, their former clubs and the NFL better.”
The 15 Award of Excellence honorees who will be celebrated at the Hall of Fame this week (June 26-27) are:
ATHLETIC TRAINERS
- Steve Antonopulos (Broncos)
- Dean Kleinschmidt (Packers, Saints)
- Bill Tessendorf (Browns)
PUBLIC RELATIONS DIRECTORS
- Dan Edwards (Commissioner’s Office, Steelers, Jaguars)
- Harvey Greene (Dolphins)
- Frank Ramos (Jets)
ASSISTANT COACHES
- Monte Kiffin (Packers, Bills, Vikings, Jets, Saints, Buccaneers, Cowboys, Jaguars)
- Bill McPherson (49ers)
- Lionel Taylor (Steelers, Rams, Browns)
EQUIPMENT MANAGERS
- Bill Hampton, Sr. (Jets)
- Don Hewitt (Rams)
- Dick Romanski (Raiders)
FILM/VIDEO DIRECTORS
- Tom Atcheson (Falcons)
- Bob McCartney (Steelers)
- Dave Levy (Buccaneers)
“We at NFL Alumni are pleased that these 15 professionals are receiving Awards of Excellence this week,” says NFL Alumni CEO Brad Edwards. “We as players relied on them for years during the practice week and on game days. Many of our members to this day consider them colleagues and close friends. We join the Hall in saluting them.”
The lights will shine bright this week in Canton for a very deserving group of NFL contributors and their families. Congrats to all!
