canton – On Wednesday, the Pro Football Hall of Fame announced the 2024 Excellence Award recipients. The Award of Excellence, created in 2022, recognizes individuals in five categories for their accomplishments in the NFL.
“This year's 15 outstanding assistant coaches, athletic trainers, equipment managers, film/video directors and publicists have undoubtedly left an indelible mark on their respective clubs and professional football,” said Hall of Fame President Jim. Porter said in a statement released by the Hall of Fame. . “Each of these individuals has dedicated countless hours over the years to bettering their fields, their former clubs, and the National Football League.”
The 2024 Excellence Award winners are:
- assistant coaches Monte Kiffin, Bill McPherson, and Lionel Taylor;
- athletic trainers Steve Antonopoulos, Dean Kleinschmidt and Bill Tessendorf;
- equipment managers Bill Hampton Sr., Don Hewitt, and Richard “Dick” Romanski;
- Film/video directors Tom Acheson, Bob McCartney, Dave Levy.
- public relations directors Dan Edwards, Harvey Greene and Frank Ramos;
Collectively, this group's influence on professional football stretches back to the 1960s in both the AFL and NFL, spanning seven decades of the game's history and growth. The award recipient has ties to his first three Super Bowls and many subsequent Super Bowls, in addition to the Combine and Pro Bowl. They worked with and in some cases served as mentors to numerous Hall of Fame players, and for one of them, the first game they ever filmed ended with an “Immaculate Reception.”
The Hall of Fame will recognize Canton's 15 Distinguished Award recipients at an evening reception June 26 and luncheon June 27, with Hall of Famer Dan Fouts officiating.
Also at this year's awards luncheon, the Hall of Fame will recognize the winners of its annual photography contest. Photos taken during the 2023 NFL season and entered into the contest in the “Action” and “Feature” categories will be eligible for awards. A jury of professional photographers will review the entries and select her 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners in each category.
The Picture of the Year, selected from the first place winners in the Action and Feature categories, will be considered winners of the 56th Annual Dave Boss Excellence Awards. The photographer was invited to Canton for the June 26-27 program, and his photos will be displayed at the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Here are the details for each 2024 Excellence Award recipient, courtesy of the Hall of Fame.
2024 Assistant Coach Excellence Award
monte kiffin
Known to many for his time in Tampa Bay with Hall of Fame coach Tony Dungy (1996-2008), Kiffin began his NFL career in 1983 with the Green Bay Packers. He served as an assistant coach for eight teams until 2015, helping the teams. He created and implemented the “Tampa 2” defensive scheme that ultimately led the Buccaneers to victory in Super Bowl XXXVII. He remains involved in the game as a consultant and analyst at the University of Mississippi, where his son Lane is the head coach.
bill mcpherson
Hired by Hall of Fame coach Bill Walsh in his first season with the San Francisco 49ers in 1979, McPherson led the organization's five Super Bowl championships (16th, 19th, 23rd, 24th and 29th). McPherson was one of the most respected teachers in the game at the time, working in various capacities on his staff coaching the 49ers for his 20 years before moving into a front office role in 1999.
Lionel Taylor
A two-time Super Bowl champion (9th and 10th) as an assistant coach with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Taylor's coaching career spans 29 years, including stints in college and the World Football League (WFL). Before earning the coordinator position with the Los Angeles Rams (1980-81) and then the Cleveland Browns (1989), Taylor spent seven seasons as wide receivers coach with the Steelers, coaching future Hall of Famer Lin. He coached the likes of Swan and John Stallworth.
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2024 Athletic Trainer Category Excellence Award
Steve Antonopoulos
Over a career that spanned 45 seasons, Antonopoulos (known to many as “The Greek”) served as head athletic trainer for the Denver Broncos from 1980 to 2017, then as director of sports medicine from 2017 to 2021. served as During his NFL tenure, he received numerous awards, including the NATA Best Athletic Trainer Award (2005) and the Fayne Cain Memorial Award for Best NFL Athletic Trainer Award (2010-11).
Dean Kleinschmidt
Kleinschmidt began his NFL career as an intern with the 1967 and 1968 Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers.At age 23, Kleinschmidt became the Saints' head athletic trainer, making him the youngest head trainer in the NFL. made history. He spent 31 years with the Saints and worked for 17 NFL coaches. A member of five Hall of Fames, he received the NATA Athletic Tim Kellin Award for Excellence in His Training in 2002.
bill tessendorf
Tessendorf's athletic training journey began in 1973 with the Cleveland Browns, where he spent more than 20 years of his professional career before the franchise moved to Baltimore. “Tess” was a pioneer in player safety advocacy and became the first representative of Athletic His Trainer on the NFL Injury Safety Committee. Regarding his own career, he calls winning the Super Bowl in 2001 as the Ravens' head athletic trainer his “crowning accomplishment.”
2024 Equipment Manager Excellence Award
bill hampton senior
From 1964 to 2002, Hampton was in charge of equipment management for the New York Jets. He retired after playing 723 games with the Jets, missing only one game in 1984 due to health issues. He is credited with the idea of having players wear pantyhose to keep their feet warm in New York's frigid conditions and sewing pockets into the jerseys of quarterbacks, running backs, and receivers. His career began in 1945 with the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League.
don hewitt
The Los Angeles Rams added Hewitt to their staff in 1967, and his professional career lasted 32 years. He oversaw the movement of equipment when the team opened the Rams' Park in Anaheim, Calif., in 1981, and helped relocate it to St. Louis in 1995. Before joining the NFL, he served in World War II and coached in the Naval Air Corps. He played high school football for 10 years and at the University of Southern California he served as equipment manager for 2 years. He appeared in the Pro Bowl 14 times.
Richard “Dick” Romanski
Romanski came to the Oakland Raiders in 1963 when Hall of Famer Al Davis was named head coach and general manager. He served as the Raiders' equipment manager for over 50 years, during which time he won his 1968 AFL title and subsequent Super Bowl II appearance, followed by his three Super Bowl championships. (Includes 11th, 15th, 18th). Romanski is a high school and college Hall of Fame member and a military veteran.
2024 Film/Video Director Award of Excellence
Tom Acheson
Acheson served as the Atlanta Falcons' film/video director for 22 seasons (1979-2000) after a long stint as a camera operator on NFL films under future Hall of Famer Ed Sabol. He first got his taste for photography while in the Air Force. He led the transition from analog to digital throughout the Falcons' operation. He helped design his video booth at the Georgia Dome. He is credited with establishing the procedures still used today at the NFL Combine.
bob mccartney
McCartney worked for the Steelers for 51 seasons, and the first game he filmed was an iconic one, a playoff game against the Raiders that ended with an “immaculate reception.” McCartney occasionally filmed the team's practices during the 1972 season, but he never filmed games as he worked part-time assisting in other departments such as equipment and the training room. He currently serves as the Steelers' facilities director.
Dave Levy
Levy began his 29-year tenure with Tampa Bay in 1988, playing a central role in the development and layout of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' new training facility at One Buccaneer Place, which opened in 2006. He was given all the responsibility for his NFL videos. Combine remained with the team for 29 years and represented the Bucs in the NFL Draft for more than 20 years.
2024 Public Relations Director Excellence Award
Dan Edwards
In 1994, the Jacksonville Jaguars hired Edwards as the franchise's 15th employee. He worked in the public relations department from the team's inaugural season in 1995 until 2021. Prior to that, he worked as a public relations staff member in the commissioner's office before spending nine years with the Steelers (1985-94). He was hired by the league office each January to work on the NFL's staff, handling media relations and promoting games at the Super Bowl.
harvey green
Green spent 33 years with the Miami Dolphins, including 29 years in the public relations department and four years as vice president of history. He was part of the NFL's Super Bowl staff and was a key spokesperson for Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Marino and coach Don Shula. Before working in the NFL, Green worked for Major League Baseball's New York Yankees.
frank ramos
Ramos spent his entire 39-year public relations career with the New York Jets, from his first season in 1963 to 2001. He never missed a game, totaling 681 games. The highlight was an upset of the Jets in Miami in January 1969. The Baltimore Colts won Super Bowl III. He was selected to the Super Bowl every year during his career and often played a key role in shaping the NFL's public relations profession.
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