- Posted in All University
- Category: Athletics
Lincoln University, Pa. - Lincoln University Head Football Coach Josh Dean and Offensive Coordinator Tim Smith have been selected for the National Football League Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellowship program. Dean, who just completed his first season as the Lions' Head Coach will complete his internship with the Washington Redskins while Smith who was the Lions receivers coach last season will complete his internship with the Philadelphia Eagles.
"It's a great opportunity to be selected, "said Dean. "Obviously I think it's great to be around and learn from and NFL coaches and to be around the high caliber athletes. I think in this coaching profession there is always something to learn and just to be in their presence and see what I can bring back philosophy wise to our football program would be a great asset."
"I always try to preach to our players that we need to be professionals and I think that being around in that atmosphere with the pro athletes, seeing how they go about their work; their conditioning, and how they attack the mental preparation necessary to succeed would be huge to witness and bring some of that back to our program," adds Dean.
Dean will be assigned to the defense and is entering his second season as the Lions mentor. Dean has accrued nine years of collegiate coaching experience including serving as head coach at Kentucky State University. He was the defensive line coach at Campbellsville University prior to coming to Lincoln. Dean began his collegiate playing career at San Diego State University where he was a defensive back from 2000 to 2004. After his time at SDSU, Dean went on to play professionally for the Bears during the 2005-06 seasons. After his time with the Bears, Dean continued his professional experience with the Cologne Centurions of the NFL Europe League during the 2006 season.
He is the son of former Washington Redskin cornerback Vernon Dean (1982-87).
Smith is also entering his second season with the Lions after spending the past three seasons at his alma mater Oscar Smith High School where he was the Tigers' wide receivers coach in 2015 and 2016 and the program's offensive coordinator in 2017. Prior to returning to his alma mater, Smith had short stints with the Cleveland Browns and Seattle Seahawks of the National football League and the Hamilton Tiger Cats and Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League. Smith was a four year starter at the University of Virginia from 2009 to 2013.
The program's objective is to use NFL teams training camps, offseason workout programs and minicamps to give talented coaches opportunities to observe, participate and gain experience in the NFL. Designed as a vocational tool to increase the number of full-time NFL minority coaches, all 32 NFL teams participate each year. Specific aspects of the program, including hiring, compensation and coaching duties, are administered on a club-by-club basis.
Established in 1987, the program provides NFL training camp positions to minority coaches every year. The program, which was named after the man who conceived the idea – late Pro Football Hall of Fame head coach Bill Walsh – exposes talented minority college coaches to the methods and philosophies of summer NFL training camps. Walsh introduced the concept to the league in 1987 when he brought a group of minority coaches into his San Francisco 49ers' training camp.
The program has tutored more than 2,000 minority coaches through the years and has grown to the point that now every NFL team participates during training camp.