MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin's Taylor Mehlhaff has been selected to take part in a program aimed at equipping young coaches with tools to build successful careers for themselves and the players they coach.
Mehlhaff will spend four days this week at the NCAA and NFL Coaches Academy in Tampa, Florida, after being named to a select group of nine current college coaches tabbed by the NFL to participate. Another 25 coaches were selected by the NCAA.
One of the greatest kickers in Badgers history and a former NFL player, Mehlhaff concluded his second season as quality control assistant for special teams at UW in 2016.
The academy was developed in 2011 as a collaborative effort between NCAA Leadership Development and NFL Player Engagement to boost diversity in the college game. The invitees from NCAA member schools are coaches who have fewer than eight years of college coaching experience. The college coaches will learn and network with athletics administrators, NCAA national office staff, current and former NFL players, NFL directors of player personnel and NFL Player Engagement staff.
"I was honored to be selected for the academy and I'm really looking forward to the opportunity," Mehlhaff said. "Coaches ask players to always be learning, always be improving, and I think we have to follow that advice, as well.
"This is a chance to spend time with some other young coaches, network with people who've been involved in the game at the highest levels and come away with some knowledge that will help me improve professionally and help our football program."
At the academy, coaches are trained in a variety of areas that encourage effective coaching and improve student-athlete well-being at both the college and professional levels. The coaches gain knowledge from a variety of workshops and interactive discussion sessions on topics including effective communication with campus and community constituents; the importance of building a culture focused on the overall success of athletes, both on and off the field; budget management of a football program; and coaching strategies and philosophies.
Wisconsin head coach Paul Chryst has previously presented at the academy, which this year features a lineup of speakers including former NFL general managers Ray Farmer and Charley Casserly, Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator George Edwards, American Football Coaches Association executive director Todd Berry, Michigan athletics director Warde Manual and Central Florida head coach Scott Frost.
Prior to returning to his alma mater in 2015, Mehlhaff spent two seasons as a graduate assistant for Chryst at Pittsburgh. He was also a quality control assistant at Tennessee for the 2012 season.
Mehlhaff was twice a Lou Groza Award semifinalist during his playing days at UW. He earned first-team All-America honors and was named first-team All-Big Ten when he converted 21 of 25 field goals as a senior in 2007 before being selected in the sixth round of the 2008 NFL Draft by the Saints.
Mehlhaff's professional career included stints with the Saints in 2008 and Vikings in 2009, as well as spending the 2010 season with the Hartford Colonials of the United Football League.
