April 2005

Former NFL Head Coach is First Coach to Endorse AFA

Nashville, TN: Eddie Khayat, the former Head Coach of the Philadelphia Eagles and defensive lineman on their 1960 Championship team, announced today he would endorse ATHLETES FOR AMERICA. “It is with great enthusiasm that I applaud and endorse Billy McGehee and his ATHLETES FOR AMERICA program. There can be nothing but a positive return by increasing our preparedness for a time of national need. Our vast network of athletes and coaches is a perfect resource for implementing the program.”

AFA Founder, Billy McGehee, is a longtime personal friend of Coach Eddie Khayat. “I have known Coach Khayat for over a decade and have had the privilege of working with him for many of those years. I know how well respected he is as a husband, father, coach and as a leader. I know how much he loves this country, our military and how thankful he is for the gifts this country’s FREEDOMS have bestowed upon him and his family. I am blessed to have him as a friend and fortunate to have such a great leader helping us build AFA’s network. With his support and efforts, I know ATHLETES FOR AMERICA will achieve its goal of becoming the largest contributor in America to homeland security awareness and emergency preparedness”.

As part of his endorsement of AFA, Mr. Khayat will speak with coaches and players from all levels of sports about becoming part of the AFA family network and the importance of getting better educated about homeland security issues and needs and better prepared with local emergency plans and procedures. He will stress the importance of their roles as leaders in their respective communities and the enormous opportunity they have to help educate and prepare all the citizens in their communities about homeland security and emergency preparedness.

A graduate of Tulane University, Coach Khayat’s National Football League career included ten years as a player with the Redskins, Eagles, and Patriots, and twenty-five years as a coach with the Saints, Eagles, Lions, Falcons, Colts, Patriots, and Buccaneers. He also spent eight years in the Arena Football League as a coach or general manager.

Honors and awards Coach Khayat has received include:

Mississippi Sportsman of the Year 1971
Mississippi Gulf Coast CC Hall of Fame 1976
All-Time Tulane Football Team 1979
Tulane Athletic Hall of Fame 1981
Tulane Green Wave All Century Team 1993
Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police President’s Award 1996
Arena Football League Coach of the Year 1997
Mississippi Gulf Coast CC Athletic Hall of Fame 2003
Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame 2004

Coach Khayat and his wife, Deborah, reside in Nashville, TN. They are the parents of two sons, Ed and Bill.