The Buffalo Bills and ADPRO Sports are proud to once again partner to recognize some of the best coaches that Western New York has to offer through the 2020 High School Football Coach of the Week program.
With games not being played in 2020, the Bills are taking this opportunity to recognize the outstanding work that our community's varsity football coaches have done with their programs both on and off the field. We will announce winners from both the Buffalo Region and Rochester Region over the course of the next eight weeks, with final the Coach of the Year winners being announced at halftime of the Bills vs. Dolphins Game on Jan. 3, 2021.
Winners will be selected by a panel of local high school football experts based on nominations which include information on the coach's commitment to their community and school, team academic performance, team off-the-field community service, coach/team support of youth football in their community, and health and safety protocols for their players.
Each winning Coach of the Week will receive a $700 Grant from the Buffalo Bills and a $1,000 merchandise credit to ADPRO Sports.
Glen Graham, Cleveland Hill - Buffalo Region Coach of the Week
Glen Graham from Cleveland Hill High School has been named the Week 2 Buffalo Bills and ADPRO Sports Coach of the Week for the Buffalo Region.
Graham has led the Golden Eagles for 16 seasons, compiling a record of 116-38. His teams have won eight division titles and six Section 6 Class C titles and have played in three NYS semifinal games.
He has had more than 25 players move on to play in college, including Geoff Hicks (Delaware State), Marquise Dorsey (Buffalo), Rhakeem Wiggins (Albany) and Corey Madlock (Tennessee-Martin) at the Division I level.
Graham graduated from Cleveland Hill in 1978 and went on to Cortland, where he lettered in track. He received his master's degree in 1986 and was hired as a teacher at Cleveland Hill in 1991. He joined the football staff as an assistant coach under Dennis Mason, who had coached Graham as a ninth grader on the freshman team.
During the COVID-19 shutdown, Graham and his entire coaching staff put together an intramural football program which is offered to all high school students four days a week. It provides students with football related drills, conditioning, and skills work in a safe environment.
In support of football participation in the area, Graham has supported the Cheektowaga Thunderbirds Little Loop football program by recognizing their players and cheerleaders on the field at a Cleveland Hill game every year. Graham, who teaches ninth-grade biology and biology honors at the school, is also active in local coaching clinics and combines throughout Western New York.
In addition to football, Graham has coached boys' and girls' basketball, and boys' and girls' track at Cleveland Hill. He is actively involved in mentoring coaches and assists with local camps and clinics. Under Coach Graham, Cleveland Hill has provided annual offseason conditioning programs that include running, diet and hydration plans, and weight training.
Mike McGavisk, Newark - Rochester Area Coach of the Week
Mike McGavisk from Newark High School has been named the Week 2 Buffalo Bills and ADPRO Sports Coach of the Week for the Rochester Region.
McGavisk has been the head coach at Newark for 26 seasons, leading the Reds to three division championships. He led the Red to the Section 5 semifinals in 2009, 2012, and 2013.
In addition to their success on the field McGavisk has been an active supporter of the Newark Community. Coach McGavisk has organized games where the Reds wore commemorate jerseys honoring victims of breast cancer and domestic violence as well as Wounded Warriors. McGavisk has also supported the Laurel House 5K Run, which raises funds for a local hospice organization, and the Newark Rotary Club. He is also on the board of directors at the Alex Eligh Community Center in Newark.
In support of youth football in the Newark area, McGavisk has his players attend practice and volunteer with the Newark Jr. Reds Little Loop program. He also volunteers to work the NYS Youth Football Camp.
An advocate for player health and safety, McGavisk has been a leader in the Rochester area with concussion management for football coaches, helping to implement Riddell Insight helmets throughout the area and train coaching staffs on their proper use.
In addition to his duties as the head varsity football coach, McGavisk is the Class B representative for the Section V Football Committee and is also on the Eddie Meath All-Star Game Committee. McGavisk has also been the Newark varsity baseball coach for 22 seasons, amassing 236 wins.
