FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – Methuen High School's Patrick Graham (3rd season) has been named the New England Patriots High School Coach of the Week in recognition of his team's 4-1 start for the 2010 season, including a 31-21 victory over Chelmsford last week. The New England Patriots Charitable Foundation will donate $1,000 to Methuen High School's football program in Graham's name in recognition of his Coach of the Week selection.
Coach Graham and his captains – Mike Harper, Steve DiZazzo, Sean Whittaker and Cal Carroll – were guests at Gillette Stadium on Wednesday to receive the award and will be featured on the team's weekly television magazine show, Patriots All Access, which airs at 7 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 15 on WBZ-TV in Boston and later on Patriots.com.
This season marks the 15th 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 and NFL Hall of Fame linebacker Andre Tippett, the team's executive director of community affairs, oversees the program as part of the New England Patriots Charitable Foundation's commitment to youth football initiatives.
"The Patriots congratulate Coach Graham and his entire team for a great win," Tippett said. "It is obvious that Coach Graham stresses the importance of leadership, teamwork and receives maximum effort from his players. We are proud to present Coach Graham with this week's New England Patriots High School Coach of the Week award and are happy to reward his team and the many supporters at Methuen High School with a donation to the football program. We wish him continued success throughout the season."
At the conclusion of the season, one high school coach will be named the New England Patriots High School Coach of the Year and will receive an additional $2,000 contribution toward the school's football program.
The New England Patriots Charitable Foundation is the non-profit through which the Patriots support charitable and philanthropic organizations throughout New England. This support comes in the form of direct grants, in-kind donations and player appearances. The foundation assists a variety of charitable organizations and programs throughout New England by supporting their educational, family and health initiatives.
