OLD TOWN PASADENA, Calif. — A documentary on the University of Alabama football program will help launch a foundation to aid former players transition into coaching careers.
Gridiron Coaches Foundation is providing grants to college football players who have incurred participation-ending injuries and have expressed a desire to become coaches.
Eligible players will be nominated by their college coaching staff and evaluated by the foundation to ensure they possess the leadership skills and moral character that are essential in our next generation of coaches, according to a news release.
To help kick off the project, the foundation has teamed with a promotional partnership with Thursday’s world premiere of the groundbreaking college football film, “Nothing But A Winner,” which chronicles the rise of the Crimson Tide football program. View the trailer here.
Every season, a countless number of college football players suffer participation-ending injuries, many after dedicating their lives to the sport from the time they were 8 years old. For these athletes, football is more than a game – it’s about identity, community, and purpose.
With many injured athletes expressing a desire to “stay in the game,” The Gridiron Coaches Foundation helps injured athletes transition into coaching roles — where their experience, character, and leadership can impact thousands of young lives.
“By supporting selected players in transitioning to coaching, we have an opportunity to mold our country’s young men who are our future business and political leaders,” said Rowland Hanson, co-founder of the foundation.
The film highlights the unprecedented dynasty from Paul “Bear” Bryant, to Gene Stallings, and through Nick Saban’s career at Alabama. The success of the Crimson Tide was directly tied to their legendary coaches and the impact these coaches had on their players both on and off the field.
“Playing under Coach Saban at Alabama gave me the foundation to take those core values into whatever area of life I chose to pursue after football,” said Caleb Castille, producer of “Nothing But A Winner” and series regular on “NCIS: Los Angeles” on CBS. “Like many of my teammates, I have been blessed to experience what it takes to translate a championship culture into a career off the field, and through my work as an actor in Hollywood, producing this film as well, I am proud to be sharing these values with a wide audience.”
Former Tide star and NFL Pro Bowler Marlon Humphrey is an executive producer of the film.
In North Alabama, “Nothing But A Winner” can be seen at the AMC Classic Florence 12; Gadsden Premiere 16; AMC Classic Marktplatz 10 in Cullman; Lucas Cinemas Albertville 10; Hollywood 10 Cinema in Scottsboro; AMC Classic Decatur 12; Cineplanet 15 in Madison; Cinemark Bridge Street and XD in Huntsville; and AMC Valley Bend 18 in Huntsville.
Gridiron Coaches Foundation inaugural corporate sponsor is Contemporary Services Corp. Since 1967 Contemporary Services Corporation has provided crowd management services for professional (NFL, MLB, NHL, MLS, NBA), collegiate and Olympic sporting events, as well as non-sporting events.
“We are honored to be the first corporate sponsor of the Gridiron Coaches Foundation,” commented Damon Zumwalt, founder & CEO of Contemporary Services Corporation. “My UCLA football playing days were cut short by a participation-ending injury.
“It was devastating at the time, so I empathize with the impact this can have on a young man that wants to stay in the game, a choice not afforded to me.”
For more information, visit www.GridironCoachesFoundation.org.
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