Chiefs Player Development Program Named Best in NFL

Aug 26, 2008, 8:44:14 AM

Chiefs President Carl Peterson announced on Tuesday that Executive Director of Player Development Lamonte Winston and the Kansas City Chiefs Player Development Department have received the NFL’s Outstanding Player Development Program Award. This league-wide award recognizes the Chiefs for their excellence in the fields of Continuing Education, Financial Education, Career Development and Player Assistance Programs. Winston, Nate Wainwright and Lisa Siebern will be honored on the field at Arrowhead prior to Thursday’s preseason contest vs. the St. Louis Rams.

“Lamonte Winston has been an extremely valuable employee of the Chiefs for 16 years,” Chiefs President Carl Peterson commented. “I immediately recognized that he was capable beyond simply being a player personnel scout and with his input, the Kansas City Chiefs began the league’s first player development program. Lamonte and his staff have set the standard for all other teams in the NFL and the current player development program at the league office in New York. There is no one better, nor more qualified than Lamonte and his team for all that they have done for so many players off the field. He and his staff richly deserves this award.”

Under the guidance of Winston and his department, numerous current and former Chiefs players have returned to school to complete their undergraduate degrees, while managing their football careers. Just this past off-season alone, seven Chiefs players participated in the NFL Business Management and Entrepreneurial Program, while six completed internships in the areas of Sport Management and Financial Services. Over the years, countless other players have participated in a variety of internship programs designed to help them prepare for careers after football.

Winston is in his 16th season with the Chiefs organization after joining the club as an area scout. In his role as Executive Player Development Director, Winston works to support players and their families with their off-field development. Prior to his arrival in Kansas City, Winston served as an assistant coach for San Francisco State (’86-’89) and Nevada (’90-’93) and played for Merritt Junior College and Westminster College. He is a 2000 inductee of San Francisco State’s Hall of Fame and is the brother of Kevin Winston, who serves as the Senior Director of Player Personnel for the Atlanta Falcons.

The NFL Player Development Department is the hub for a wide range of League-sponsored programs designed to meet the needs of players and their families in today’s NFL. Since its inception in 1991, more than 9,000 players and significant others have participated in programs administered by the department.