For the third time, former NFL coach Mike Martz will be the head coach for the National Team in the 2017 NFLPA Collegiate Bowl.
The NFLPA Collegiate Bowl first started in 2012 and gives college seniors the chance to impress NFL teams and scouts in their last game action.
Martz has won both games he coached and will look to add to his winning streak versus the American Team over opposing head coach Jim Zorn.
Martz is most notable for being the St. Louis Rams offensive coordinator and head coach through the “greatest show on turf” era. He won a Super Bowl with the Rams in the 1999-2000 season as the offensive coordinator and led the team back as head coach.
His last NFL head coaching job was in 2005 with the Rams. He later had offensive coordinator jobs for the Detroit Lions, San Francisco 49ers and the Chicago Bears from 2006-2008, 2010-2011.
His staff will consist of former players such as quarterback Jon Kitna, wide receivers Torry Holt and hall of famer Andre Reed, and other former players and coaches.
Kitna will serve as offensive coordinator for the National Team. He threw for over 4,000 yards in two consecutive seasons when Martz served as offensive coordinator for the Lions in 2006-2007.
Wide receivers on the National Team will get the chance to learn from former greats Holt and Reed, as they will serve as position coaches for the group. Holt played under Martz from 1999-2005 with the Rams where he had 619 receptions, 9,487 receiving yards and 54 touchdowns.
The game will be played on January 21st, 2017 at 4:15 p.m. eastern time at the StubHub Center in Carson, California. Martz will look to win his third consecutive NFLPA Colligate Bowl as he won last year in a close 18-17 game. He managed to lead the team to victory without scoring a single touchdown, but the six field goals was enough.
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