East Rutherford, NJ – The New York Giants have selected Mr. Craig Nielsen of Pascack Valley High School (Hillsdale, NJ) as "The Lou Rettino High School Football Coach of the Week" presented by Chase for the week of September 15, 2014. Coach Nielsen and the Indians beat the Montclair Mounties 29-14, ending their 24-game winning streak – currently the longest winning streak in the state of NJ.
In recognition of Coach Nielsen's success and commitment, he will receive a certificate of recognition signed by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and Giants Head Coach Tom Coughlin and a $1,000 check, to be matched by Chase, will be granted to the Indians football program. Coach Nielsen will be acknowledged by a stadium announcement when the Giants host the Houston Texans on September 21st and an announcement will also be posted on the Giants website, www.giants.com.
The Lou Rettino High School Football Coach of the Week Award is part of the Giants' continuing effort to promote youth football. The Giants elected to name the award in memory of former Union High School (NJ) coach, Lou Rettino, for his fine commitment to the game of football, his community and the betterment of his athletes' lives.
Each week during the 2014 high school football season, the Giants will select one area high school head coach as the Coach of the Week winner. The selection is based on the coach's continuing commitment towards promoting youth football, developing motivated student-athletes and his overall community involvement. At the conclusion of the 2014 season, the Giants will choose a Coach of the Year. That coach will receive $2,000, to be matched by Chase, for their school's football program. They will also be invited to attend a dinner hosted by the Giants and Chase.
In 2014 alone, Chase committed over $17 million in charitable donations in the tri-state area. Investing in the communities it serves is central to how Chase does business, and the firm is committed to supporting programs like youth football that provide young people with access to a positive extracurricular activity.
Coach Nielsen is currently in his 14th season as the Head Coach of the Pascack Valley Indians. Under his direction, Pascack Valley won the North I Group IV Sectional Championship last season and has won nine of its last ten league titles. Coach Nielsen was the Bergen County Coach of the Year in 2012 and the North Jersey Coach of the Year in 2013.
Coach Nielsen was an all-league and all-county running back on Bergenfield's state sectional championship team in 1974. He went on to play football at Rutgers, where he was a member of the 1976 undefeated squad and the first bowl team in Rutgers history, the Sun Bowl in 1978. Coach Nielsen has a Master's degree in Special Education from William Paterson University and has taught health and physical education for 35 years.
