The NFL announced Sam Mills III of the Carolina Panthers and Adam Zimmer of the Minnesota Vikings as the head coaches of the 2019 East-West Shrine Game.
Mills, who will serve as the head coach of the East team, has spent the past 14 seasons (2005-present) on the Panthers’ staff and the past eight (2011-18) as assistant defensive line coach. He was promoted to defensive line coach this past December.
Zimmer, who will coach the West team, is a 13-year coaching veteran and has spent the past five seasons (2014-present) as the Vikings’ linebackers coach.
“We have a terrific partnership with the NFL that has once again yielded two outstanding head coaches,” Harold Richardson, executive director of the East-West Shrine Game, said in a release. “Sam Mills III and Adam Zimmer are excellent teachers who will enjoy this opportunity and no doubt be tremendous examples for our players as they prepare to launch their NFL careers.”
At the conclusion of the NFL regular season, teams nominated deserving assistant coaches who were reviewed by a panel that includes NFL Football Operations staff, East-West Shrine Game leadership and two members of the NFL’s General Managers Advisory Committee. Once the head coaches are selected, each head coach then fills his 12-person staff from among other NFL assistant coaches nominated by the clubs, a key job requirement for head coaches at every level of the sport.
Coaches nominated by NFL clubs must be active assistant coaches who display extraordinary teaching and communications skills, and are recognized for their integrity and commitment to excellence in the coaching profession. The coaches must be accomplished at developing and preparing players to compete in the NFL.
The NFL also provides the game officials for the contest.
The 94th annual East-West Shrine Game, which features some of college football’s best prospects, will kick off at 3 p.m. ET on Saturday, January 19, from Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida and be televised live on NFL Network.
