The Atlanta Falcons coach of the week program, presented by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, has recognized the efforts of varsity tackle and girls flag football coaches across the states of Georgia and Alabama for their hard work and dedication to making a difference in student-athletes lives on and off the field.
The winning coach will receive a $1,000 grant for its football program, a commemorative Atlanta Falcons item and recognition from the Atlanta Falcons and AJC at a game this season.
The nominees for the sixth Falcons Coach of the Week award exemplify coaching excellence with relation to their teams, fan bases and communities.
Heather Brindle, Mountain View High School
From the nominator: Heather Brindle is the role model and leader young female athletes need. She is creating better athletes while building better humans. She is who you would want to coach your high school student athlete. She puts the person and the student ahead of the athlete, and still rises to the top. In six years as head coach, Heather Brindle has led the Mountain View Flag Football program to the playoffs each year and has coached numerous all-area and all-county players, and mentored other flag football coaches to help grow the sport.
Positive impact on community: Coach Brindle has mentored, loved, respected, and nudged countless young women and has lost sleep if any students are in crisis. She has put student athletes’ needs ahead of her own and held young women to the highest standards while teaching them to do the same for themselves.
Bernard Goodrum, B.E.S.T. Academy
From the nominator: Coach Goodrum has struggled to field a full staff and has spent his first 2 years shorthanded while at the same time spending his own money and time picking kids up so that they can attend school as well as taking them to doctor’s appointments when parents don’t have the means to do so. Coach has truly shown the kids that he cares about them as more than football players by driving them to and paying for football camps, picking them up for school, providing breakfast out of his pocket for the team, and more!
Positive impact on community: Coach was instrumental in a community wellness fair held at our school where they conducted free physicals and also offered free health screenings for parents. The football team has held campus cleanups and also assisted teachers with moving into their classrooms at the start of the school year. Coach has been fully committed to the young men that he coaches. He instills character in them by being a servant and leading by example. His impact has shown by the results that he has seen this season. He has been impactful to our school and community and has been a valuable asset to BEST Academy.
Charrelle Pass, Clarke Central High School
From the nominator: The 2022-23 school year was our inaugural season for Clarke Central flag football and Coach Pass was able to lead our flag football program to a 5th place finish in a very competitive region. She started the inaugural flag football season nine months pregnant. Less than two weeks after giving birth, Coach Pass was back on the field leading the program. This past Spring, she tore her Achilles tendon. Within two weeks of having surgery, she was present at Clarke Central conducting flag football tryouts on a knee scooter.
Positive impact on community: Coach Pass and her family began looking after a student who was struggling at home with basic necessities. The student was off track academically due to personal issues prior to coming to high school. With the guidance and structure of Coach Pass serving as a mentor and role model, this particular student finished her freshman year with all A’s and B’s, became a three sport athlete, and has partnered with Chick-fil-A for an internship. Coach Pass and her husband Taylor, who is the assistant coach for the team, already have children of their own. The willingness to give back time and resources to a student in need shows her true character.
Vote now for the Falcons Coach of the Week. Voting closes Thursday at 9:00 a.m.
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