FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – Falmouth High School's Dana Almeida has been named the New England Patriots High School Coach of the Week in recognition of his team's 5-0 start to the 2004 season.
Falmouth moved to 5-0 on the season with a 25-0 win over Nauset Regional High School on Oct. 16, its fourth shutout victory of the year. Falmouth has outscored its opponents 153-12 this season and tops the Division 2 Atlantic Coast League standings with its undefeated record.
Almeida is in his 31st year as a high school football coach in Massachusetts and in his third season at the helm of the Clippers. He played his collegiate football at Western Connecticut State University where he was a guard and linebacker.
"I thank the New England Patriots for this award," Almeida said. "There is always a need for funding at the high school level, and we have several things earmarked for this money, including an additional bus to transport our players to the stadium."
This season marks the ninth year in which the Patriots have joined the National Football League in conducting the High School Coach of the Week program, which recognizes outstanding high school coaches and promotes youth football throughout New England.
Patriots Hall of Fame linebacker Andre Tippett, who is now the team's director of football development and promotions, oversees the program as part of the New England Patriots Charitable Foundation's commitment to youth football initiatives. Each week during the season, Tippett, along with WCVB Channel 5 sports anchor Mike Lynch, will honor the selected coach on the team's weekly magazine show, Patriots All Access. The broadcast airs on Saturday at 11:00 a.m. and 7 p.m. on WCVB.
"Our congratulations go out to coach Almeida, his players and the Falmouth High School community," Tippett said. "The success they are having this season is a direct result of the hard work put in by everyone involved in the program."
The New England Patriots Charitable Foundation will donate $1,000 to Falmouth High School's football program in Almeida's name in recognition of his selection as Coach of the Week. At the conclusion of the season, one of the previous weekly honorees will be named the New England Patriots High School Coach of the Year, and will receive a $2,000 contribution to go toward the school's football program.
The New England Patriots Charitable Foundation, Inc. is the non-profit organization through which the Patriots support charitable and philanthropic organizations throughout New England. This support comes in the form of both direct grants and in-kind donations, and through player appearances at a number of charity functions and educational programs. The foundation assists a variety of charitable organizations and programs throughout New England by supporting their educational, family and health initiatives.
