MEDIA

The Legacy Leadership Project

The Legacy Leadership Project is a Pro Football Hall of Fame Mentoring Ambassador program that is hosted by the Newport Sports Museum in Orange County, California.

The LLP accepts nominations from Orange County high schools for incoming seniors who show leadership potential. Those nominees are invited to attend leadership workshops the summer before their senior year of high school. At the conclusion of the workshops, 2 student-athletes who are selected by committee are provided an all-expense paid trip to Canton, OH with their coach for that year's induction ceremonies and attend as the guest of their PFHOF mentor. Once they return from Canton, they maintain a weekly one-on-one mentoring relationship with the program's PFHOF members.

Hall of Fame Mentors include Mike Haynes and Ron Yary.
LLP Director: Casey Cooper, Ph.D. Licensed Sport Psychologist
LLP Mentor Coordinator: Jerry Sherk, M.A. Mentoring Expert, NFL Alumnae

The LLP is funded by the IMPACT Foundation, and supported by Xenith and iBN Sports.

The 2011 class will include an expansion through a formal sponsorship by the Minnesota Vikings.

The LLP has been approved for participation by the NCAA.

Dr. Casey on Athlete's Studio

So…you’re a High School senior, and a pretty good football player. You’re trying to figure out about where to go to college….how to make it at the next level…

Who would you MOST like to turn to for advice? How about a member of the NFL Hall of Fame.

Imagine getting advice on dealing with the media from Howie Long.

….Or envision Jerry Rice jumping out of his seat to meet you.

…Or Michael Irvin looking you dead in the eye, and talking about leaving a legacy with what you do.

Intimidating ideas, right? But if you can introduce yourself to these men, and hold a conversation, you can lead the huddle.

Allow me to introduce you to Dr Casey Cooper, Director of the Legacy Leadership Project, which pairs up NFL Hall of Famers with deserving young people from Southern California (and your city too, soon….we hope!).

The LLP offers life skills mentoring, and a fantastic development opportunity to HS athletes in Orange County, but plans to expand to other major US cities, and the four major sports.

Dr Cooper brought two HS athletes out to Canton, OH for the recent NFL Hall of Fame induction ceremony, and is able to provide the boys an introduction, and forum for conversation with the best of the best that the NFL has ever produced. Players like Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith, Warren Moon, Steve Young, Jack Youngblood.

And the conversation never turned to football!

The program exists to show the young men these gladiators as people first, and get them thinking about their life after football.

Dr Cooper, and the Hall of Famers do all of this as a giveback opportunity, to leave a legacy of development for young people, and they’re willing to give you the entire blueprint to get a Legacy Leadership Project started in your city.



You can hear more by going to Athletes Studio to see the interview.

Godinez QB Earns Chance To Be Mentored by a Hall of Famer

The Legacy program, directed by Lake Forest sports psychologist Dr. Casey Cooper and sponsored by the Newport Sports Museum, assisted Murrieta Valley alum and current Brigham Young running back A.J. Moore in 2009, and hopes to expand the program. After an extensive check with the NCAA and various high school regulating bodies, Yary has expanded the Legacy program to include fellow Hall of Famer Haynes, and hopes to replicate it with Baseball Hall of Fame and Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame members.

"It is great for me to be involved with," Yary said. "At times, I get more out of it than the mentee does."

With such a unique opportunity in front of him, Silva knows he will have every opportunity to improve himself as he attempts to find a home in junior college after graduation.

Dr. Casey guests on In the Zone with Martinez and Long

When ESPN 710's In the Zone crew wanted to discuss Tiger Woods' return to the Masters the gave me a call. Check out our discussion and analysis pre-Masters and on the eve of THE Nike commercial online.

The interview begins around 25 minutes.

Bryant still the engine of this car

When sports writer Arash Markazi from ESPN got in touch, I was happy to share what makes it so complicated for professional athletes to adjust when a teammate is sidelined.