AFCA Announces Launch of NATS

AFCA Executive Director Grant Teaff and NATS President Stephen Austin officially announced the launch of the National Athletic Testing System (NATS) program at the AFCA convention in Louisville, Kentucky. Mr. Teaff stated with great enthusiasm that "NATS has the potential to be the most useful informational resource for high school and college coaches, players and parents ever developed." Mr. Austin added “The cornerstone of NATS is accuracy in data and player information.”

"NATS is a nationwide system of standardized athletic tests for high school football players. A kind of athletic version of the Scholastic Aptitude Test," Grant stated before the general assembly meeting of more than 6,000 AFCA members. Coach Teaff also spoke of the academic focus of the program, "NATS is not only a national series of standardized high school athletic tests - it is also an Internet based information and education platform."

The announcement culminated three years of research and development that began in 2001 with the AFCA’s appointment of a task force of college and high school coaches headed by University of Washington Head Football Coach, Tyrone Willingham.

The NATS Board of Review membership includes high school and college coaches, the Executive Director of USA Football, Dave Ogrean, along with Richard Wong of the American School Counselor Association.

Through partnership with official state high school football coaches associations, USA Football and the American School Counselor Association, NATS Test locations planned for spring 2005 currently include Indiana, Illinois, New Jersey, Georgia, Nevada, Tennessee, Colorado and Maryland.