From now through kickoff at USA Football's 2017 National Conference at Pro Bowl, we will take a look at some of the notable speakers and sessions on the docket for one of the country’s largest gatherings of high school football coaches.
Name: Mike and Christine Golic
Position: Mike Golic is a former NFL player and current broadcaster with ESPN. Christine Golic is a member of the Heads Up Football Advisory Board and an NFL spokesperson for the program.
Session title: Engaging and educating parents
Twitter handle: @espngolic & @NDMom
Session date, time: Saturday, January 28, 5:15 p.m.
2017 National Conference website: http://usafootball.com/nationalconference
The rub:
The Golics are the quintessential football family.
Mike, along with his brother Bob, grew up playing football for his father while growing up in the suburbs of Cleveland, Ohio.
“My brother Bob is 6 years older than me, and when he started playing little league football, my dad was one of the coaches, so I would watch them,” Golic told USA Football in 2015. “That was how I got introduced to football, and I knew as soon as I was old enough to try it that was something I wanted to do.”
Both brothers played collegiately at Notre Dame and professionally in the NFL. Mike spent eight seasons playing for the Houston Oilers, Philadelphia Eagles and Miami Dolphins. He is currently the co-anchor, along with Mike Greenberg, on ESPN’s Mike & Mike radio show.
In her role as an NFL spokesperson for Heads Up Football, Christine Golic attends Moms Clinics throughout the nation where she discusses equipment fitting, proper football techniques, injury prevention and concussion awareness.
While Mike Golic has plenty of experience as a player, he and Christine also possess of wealth of experience in another side of the sport, as football parents.
Mike and Christine have three children who all attended Notre Dame. Mike Jr. played offensive guard for the Fighting Irish prior to embarking on his professional NFL career. Jake Golic played tight end at Notre Dame before transferring to the University of Cincinnati to continue his amateur career. Their only daughter, Sydney, was on the swim team prior to her recently graduating from Notre Dame.
All three children were heavily involved in youth sports, especially football, while growing up.
The family’s vast experience within the world of youth, amateur and professional athletics has afforded it unique insight into all angles of the game. Their discussion will focus on examining best communication practices for parents and coaches alike.
More specifically, the talk will highlight how a coach who effectively communicates with parents can instill confidence within those families who participate in the local youth football program. Further, this confidence can fuel a parent’s desire to buy into the program, which can create a symbiotic loop of growth and trust.
The Golic family brings a wealth of experience to the 2017 USA Football National Conference at Pro Bowl. Their trademark fun and engaging style will surely provide for an entertaining and enlightening discussion.