Atlanta Falcons name Pace Academy’s Chris Slade as Coach of the Week

chris slade
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Former NFL linebacker Chris Slade, who is now the head football coach at Pace Academy (Atlanta, Georgia), is the Week 7 High School Coach of the Week for the Atlanta Falcons. Slade, who has been the Knights head coach since 2013, has led his program to the Georgia state playoffs during every year except his first, winning the Class AA state title in 2015.

Photo from Georgia High School Association

During his high school days, Slade played with future NFL running back Terry Kirby. Slade and Kirby led Tabb High School to Virginia’s 1987 Division 4 state championship.

Sun, Dec 6, 1987 – Page 23 · Daily Press (Newport News, Virginia) · Newspapers.com

Slade, who recorded 47 sacks during his high school career, was a two-time all-state selection after his junior and senior seasons.

Wed, Dec 2, 1987 – 13 · The News Leader (Staunton, Virginia) · Newspapers.com

As a senior, he was also named second team All-America by USA TODAY. He played his college football at Virginia.

Fri, Feb 3, 1989 – Page 15 · Daily Press (Newport News, Virginia) · Newspapers.com

Slade was the 31st overall pick in the 1993 NFL Draft by the New England Patriots. After eight years with the Pats, Slade’s final NFL season was in 2001 with the Carolina Panthers.

2020 Atlanta Falcons High School Coach of the Week Winners

Wee 6 – Matt Hilmerich, Johns Creek

Week 5 – James Lal, Stone Mountain

Week 4 – Pete Wiggins, Callaway

Week 3 – Bill Stewart, North Gwinnett

Week 2 – Jaybo Shaw, Rabun County

Week 1 – Barrett Davis, Southeast Bulloch

As part of the Coach of the Week program, the NFL and Atlanta Falcons will recognize ten head high school varsity football coaches across the state of Georgia for their hard work and dedication to making a difference in student-athletes lives on and off the field. Each winning head coach will receive a $1,000 grant for their football program, a commemorative Atlanta Falcons item and recognition from the Atlanta Falcons.

See what the Atlanta Falcons are doing for football throughout Georgia

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About the Author

Jeff Fisher
Jeff is an award-winning journalist and expert in the field of high school sports, underscored with his appearance on CNBC in 2010 to talk about the big business of high school football in America.Jeff turned to his passion for high school football into an entrepreneurial venture called High School Football America, a digital media company focused on producing original high school sports content for radio, television and the internet.Jeff is co-founder and editor-in-chief of High School Football America, a partner with NFL Play Football.