To say that the Hawkins family represents a wealth of football experience would be a gross understatement by any stretch of the imagination. Dan Hawkins has 35 years of experience coaching successfully both at the professional and college levels not to mention internationally while son Cody boasts playing and coaching experience in the United States, Europe and also Australia. Add to this brother Drew Hawkins, a college wide receiver and it is obvious that this is one special football family.
They have won championships and gained an enormous bank of knowledge and experience which they now wish to pass on to players and coaches throughout the world. So they formed Hawkins Gridiron Development offering custom tailored skills development camps aimed to help the development of American football internationally.
The Hawkins Gridiron Development tour is heading out on a month-long trip through Australia, holding skills camps in Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney, Canberra and Brisbane.
The brainchild of Cody Hawkins, former University of Colorado quarterback, Team USA gold winning quarterback (2011), Team USA offensive coordinator (2015) and Nike representative, the tour is aimed at providing top notch coaching for players in Australia where the game is experiencing an explosive growth in popularity.
“I began putting this together after the World Championships in Canton, Ohio this past summer. We started Hawkins Gridiron to share our love of American football with the world. My father and I both have experience with football at the collegiate and professional levels, as well as football abroad and international competition. It is our hope to use that unique perspective to make the best possible experience for Gridiron athletes and coaches around the globe.”
Hawkins first met Australian American football players at the 2011 IFAF World Championships in Austria and immediately felt a bond. So much so that he traveled there in 2014 to help Team Australia’s offensive coordinator Paul Manera with his Future Stars Camp.
The relationship has grown and during the 2015 Worlds Cody helped arrange a joint practice session between Team USa and Australia.
“We are pleased with the incredible response. Since we are limiting the number of campers to 30 per camp to ensure the best quality of coaching and teaching, each one has been filling up fast.”
Each camp will feature top notch coaching as Team Australia head coach John Leijten along with Manera will join Dan, Cody and Drew at three of the venues at least.
About Dan Hawkins
Dan Hawkin’s resume speaks for itself. An ESPN college football analyst, Hawkins spent the summer helping guide Sweden’s Carlstad Crusaders to the Swedish and European championships as offensive coordinator. That was after leading Team USA to the World title in July in Canton, Ohio. He has been head coach at Willamette University, Boise State and Colorado. He has an overall record as a college head coach of 112-61-1. At Boise State, he led his team to six straight bowl appearances winning two of them and compiled a 53-11 record. His last coaching stint prior to leading Team USA was as head coach for the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League.
About Cody Hawkins
Cody Hawkins was a record setting quarterback in college, which was followed by stops in Montreal and Stockholm and capped off as captain and quarterback of the 2011 US Men’s National team. In 2014, he served as an assistant on Urban Meyer’s staff at Ohio State, and in 2015 he was the offensive coordinator for the US Men’s National team. He has been a part of Nike’s Elite 11 Football Camps at every level and currently trains some of the top quarterback talent in the United States.
“Hawkins Gridiron is a passion project of mine that has been a long time coming. My father and I will be taking our love for the game and training insights around the globe to help coaches and players alike wherever they will have us! Over the next couple months, we plan to run camps in Australia, Brazil, and Ireland.”
Players still have time to sign up but spots are going fast. To sign up or for more information check out the links below.