Earle "Greasy" Neale Award
Professional Coach of the Year

Andy Reid, Philadelphia Eagles

The Philadelphia Eagles opened the 2000 regular season with an onsides kick. An unconventional move, to say the least, but it worked. The Eagles recovered the kick, went on to score a touchdown and proceeded to rout the Dallas Cowboys, 41-14.

In the Fox TV booth, John Madden observed: "Andy Reid sent a message (with the onsides kick). He's telling his guys: 'Hey, we're playing to win.'"

In just two seasons as head coach, Reid has sent a powerful message across the whole NFL, letting everyone know the Eagles are once again a team to be reckoned with. This season, he improved the team's record from 5-11 to 11-5 and added a 21-3 win over Tampa Bay in the NFC Wild Card playoff round.

"Andy has gotten every guy on this team to believe in what he believes and that's half the battle," said Brian Mitchell, the Eagles kick returner. "Andy is not a rah-rah guy. He's quiet in demeanor, but he'll say something when it needs to be said and that's gotten everyone's respect."

The Maxwell Football Club selected Reid as the winner of its 12th annual Greasy Neale Award as professional coach of the year. The award was named for the late Eagles head coach who led the franchise to back-to-back world championships in 1948 and '49 and was voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1969.

Reid is a native of Los Angeles, who attended Brigham Young University where he was a standout offensive lineman. He broke into the NFL as an assistant coach with the Green Bay Packers, where he won a Super Bowl ring in 1997. He had never been a head coach until 1999 when Jeff Lurie hired him to take control of the Eagles.

Beginning with his first draft and the selection of quarterback Donovan McNabb, Reid changed the face of the Eagles franchise. The increase from five wins in 1999 to 11 wins this past season represented the biggest one-year improvement in team history and the post-season victory was the club's first since 1995.

"He laid the foundation," safety Damon Moore said. "He pretty much gave us a book of things to follow and said, 'If you do this and this, you can get here. But if you do this and that, you probably won't.' I'm not gonna call him a prophet, but everything he said has pretty much come true."

Defensive coordinator Jim Johnson calls Reid "the most organized coach I've ever worked for," and Johnson has coached for more than 30 years.

Reid was credited with helping to mold Brett Favre into an MVP quarterback in Green Bay and in just two seasons, he has developed McNabb into an MVP candidate with a very bright future.

"He is the type of guy that what he wants, that's what he wants," McNabb said of Reid. "If you are not going to give it, then you might not be here long. His passion and his love for the game has a trickle-down effect because the guys here are very competitive and we want nothing but the best."

"He respects us and we respect him," said Jeremiah Trotter, the Eagles Pro Bowl middle linebacker. "He sets the rules and he expects everybody to follow them. The most important part is that he's consistent and that's rubbed off on the whole team."

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