• by Aaron Baar , September 12, 2016

Friday Night Lights Coach Taylor may be fictional, but there are plenty of real-life coaches who have a similar impact an ethos out there. U.S. Cellular is looking to celebrate them in a search for “The Most Valuable Coach.”

The wireless carrier’s just-launched initiative encourages customers in their markets to nominate football coaches who have had a profound impact on an individual, school and/or their community. 

“High school sports, when you look at the communities we serve, really are the heartbeats of their communities,” Peter Sternberg, director of local marketing and brand activation at U.S. Cellular, tells Marketing Daily. “Probably even more so than most professional sports out there.”

The program, which launched last week and will continue through Oct. 3, calls for consumers to share a story of their community’s head football coach via an online portal, TheMostValuableCoach.com. At the end of the program (which includes semi-finalist and finalist lists and a fan vote), two coaches will be recognized at the Under Armour High School All-America Game on Jan. 1, and will receive $5,000 each for their school’s program.

“We’re a carrier that serves to build connections in our community, and this is an opportunity to engage with the people in those communities,” Sternberg says. “We’re looking for the stories of coaches that have changed people’s lives or communities permanently.”

U.S. Cellular is soliciting stories via an online video featuring College Football Hall of Fame coach Barry Alvarez (along with members of his state title-winning Mason City [Iowa] High School football team). The video depicts how Alvarez had an impact on the players and the Mason City community. 

“As a coach, I have always felt it was part of my job to inspire my players both on and off the field,” Alvarez in a statement. “The coach’s role extends far beyond the sidelines, and through this program, U.S. Cellular is looking for the coaches who are helping to shape the future members of our communities by acting as teachers, friends and mentors to high school students.”

The video will be promoted through U.S. Cellular’s social channels. Nominees will be evaluated by an internal team at U.S. Cellular  based on their leadership qualities and positive community impact. A list of 50 will be put out for a public vote, and that number will be further cut to 15 in mid-October. (Each of the 15 finalists will get $1,000 for their schools.) The two winning coaches will be determined in a public vote running from Oct. 20 to Nov. 18.