In the Fall of 2001, the head football coach at Hunterdon Central high school, Jim Meert, visited my office at The College of New Jersey to share an idea: Host a 1-day offensive lineman-only camp and do it in the Spring. My first thought was, “That’s crazy.” I wondered, “Who would come to an offensive lineman-only camp in the Spring.” At the time, no one was running 1-day specialty camps, but the more we talked the more excited I got. Jim was right. On a Sunday in March of 2002, 333 offensive linemen and scores of their coaches came to TCNJ to attend the inaugural Alercio OLine Clinic.
Over 20 years later, I have been blessed to work with over 5,000 players hosting clinics in New Jersey, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Vermont. As I have said in so many previous blogs, one of the most extraordinary things about the coaching profession is the willingness to share with others. I have had the good fortune of working with and being mentored by some of the greatest OLine coaches in the game. The Alercio OLine Clinics allow me to pay it forward on a large scale. This spring marks the 40th anniversary of my graduation from high school and knowing the impacts my coaches had on me at that age, I’m hoping there will be a player (or players) who go on to start their own tradition of service as high school (or higher level) coaches in communities far and wide.
I look forward to returning to the Hun School of Princeton on April 23 for the New Jersey Alercio OLine Clinic. With a registration fee of $40 per person for a team bringing 5 or more players, we have maintained a goal of keeping the clinic affordable for everyone. And as always, we continue to welcome coaches to attend at no cost.
Coach Rich Alercio is available to discuss coaching philosophy, X’s & O’s, or teach his O-Line “techniques in the trenches.” Contact Coach at richalercio@gmail.com and share http://www.olineskills.com with your colleagues and friends. Thanks for supporting this blog and joining our conversations, and as always, thanks for your time!
O Line Skills 