Broncos coach Sean Payton giving back to local high…

Broncos coach Sean Payton giving back to local high school coaches

Growing the game at all levels. 👏

Today, HC Sean Payton invited more than 150 high school coaches from nearly 70 different schools throughout Colorado at #BroncosOTAs to watch practice. pic.twitter.com/6GBjZAIf9E

— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) June 7, 2023

Last month, Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton invited more than 150 coaches from Colorado high schools to attend a practice session during organized team activities.

Payton’s high school coach, the late JR Bishop, had a great impact on his life, and he wanted to relay that to local high school coaches who will be influencing Colorado’s next generation of football players.

“The best gift we could ever get as parents is when a teacher, a counselor, a music professor, a coach — when someone loves our child like we do, that’s powerful,” Payton said after practice on June 8. “You might have two or three difference-makers in your children’s lives. I know for a fact one of mine was my high school coach. I’m standing here because of my high school coach.

“I got a D on his English paper, and he benched me for the first half of a game. All the lessons [he gave]. [He] gave me confidence. I didn’t start till my senior year. These kids — when they’re freshmen, sophomores, or juniors, they’re on social media and there’s a lot going on. All of them want to conform. The message to those [coaches] really is you’re welcome here. We appreciate the job you do. I wanted them to hear my story. [My high school coach] is no longer alive, but he was one of those difference makers for a young kid from Naperville, Illinois.”

After playing quarterback in high school, Payton went on to play college football at Eastern Illinois. He later went on to play arena football and also spent time in Canada and Europe. Payton also had a brief stint with the Chicago Bears.

Payton switched from playing to coaching in 1988 and he now has a Coach of the Year award and Super Bowl victory on his resume. All of that might not have happened if not for Payton’s high school coach, JR Bishop. Payton now wants to give back to local coaches to help them influence kids the same way he was influenced in high school.