Mike Vanderjagt to be Subject of NFL Films Special

 Former Mountaineer and Indianapolis Colts kicker Mike Vanderjagt last played  the NFL in 2006, and has moved on to the next phase of his life. The NFL and CFL's all-time leader in field goal accuracy is now the head coach of Marco Island Charter Middle School in Florida.  The school is in its first year of playing organized football,  and thus far, Vanderjagt is 6-1 on the season.This past spring, Vanderjagt was hired to create a curriculum for organized football for the school and to be it's head coach.  

Vanderjagt with the NFL Films Crew

  Vanderjagt is going to be the subject of an NFL Films piece to air on ESPN at an undetermined point. The film crew has already interviewed the principal of the school, George Abounader, the athletic director,  several assistant coaches, and some of the players. The producer of the crew is Jeff Larsen, the Emmy Award Winning Producer of Hard Knocks. 

  The piece will revolve around the school wanting to form a football team and the process that went into it. Those that have already been interviewed were asked about their relationship with Vanderjagt and what an asset he has been for starting the program and raising money for support.

  “Right now, we in the gathering material phase,” said Jeff Larsen. “We don’t know when this is going to air. We doing a ‘where is he now” kind of piece. He was one of the best kickers in the league. He’s the all time leader in accuracy with 86.5 percent – 42 consecutive kicks made back in 2003. He was at the top of the game. So we were just seeing where he was.

  "We see he’s coaching middle school (football) which is awesome. Helping to advance youth football is something that NFL Films and the National Football League are all about.”

  The players interviewed told about how Vanderjagt has helped them to learn the game. The teams kicker is also the starting quarterback. He told the producers how Vanderjagt taught him how to kick extra points, kickoffs, and how to throw a spiral pass. 

  The team's running back said that Vanderjagt allows you to "mess around, have fun, and knows how to get down to business. He's a good coach."

  The team plays it's last game of the season next week.