The American Football Coaches' Wives Association is a national organization that was formed in 1989 to work in conjunction with the American Football Coaches Association. Wives of these great competitors have come together in an effort to support and serve in our own communities and across the country. Whether it is the NFL, NCAA, NAIA or countless high school football programs around the country - we share a common bond that brings us together.

We pride ourselves on service and have come to rely on one another for support that is not easily understood by those outside the profession. Being the wife of a football coach can be a challenging "position" to play, a challenging "helmet" to wear and a challenging life to lead. It is filled with excitement and intense emotion at every turn.

Competition abounds on the football field, but within our organization it is all about teamwork. Team identity, coaches' salaries, level of play or television exposure take a backseat to real life issues. The camaraderie erases all divisional lines that exist in the national polls and rankings

2010-2011 AFCWA BOARD OF DIRECTORS

President - Kathy Dudzinski
Vice President/Website Coordinator - Tracee Norris
Secretary - Sandy Sabock
Treasurer - Sandy Montgomery
Assistant Treasurer - Nicole Henry
Newsletter Editor - Cindy Johnson
Hospitality - Sally Shannon and Julie Ayers
Programs - Carolyn Allen
Hospital Coordinator - Holly Shealy
Sponsorship/Public Relations - Donna Shaffner
Scholarship - Katie Wood
Recruitment - Paige Speir
Historian - Linda Kehres
Silent Auction / Paperback Book Sales - Joyce Rose
Book Sales - Nancy Cubit
Past President- Beth Boyd
Director and Permanent Board Member - Donell Teaff

2010-2011 AFCWA BOARD OF TRUSTEES

2009 Beth Boyd
2008 Margaret Moore
2007 Mary Ramseyer
2006 Vicki Pinkel
2005 Carol Tjeerdsma
2004 Nancy Cubit
2003 Bee Bee Cervino
2002 Mary Barnett
2001 Darlene Johnson
2000 Donna Shaffner
1999 Maria Daniels
1998 Cathy Hofher
1997 Judy Gregory
1996 LuAnn DeBerry
1995 Liz Mullins
1994 Patti Edwards
1993 Pat Kane
1992 Jackie Harbaugh
1991 Susan Keeling
1989-90 Ellie Mallory

 

 

Let's Get Together: A Game for All Seasons
By Carole Novak, Northern Illinois University

As visions go, it was a simple one: a group of women would come together each January at the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) convention and talk about what it's like to be football coaches' wives. They would share experiences and offer support and companionship. They would invite other coaches' wives to join the group, and they would publish a newsletter for those who couldn't attend convention. They would eat a few donuts, drink a lot of coffee, and probably go shopping at some point.

The Game Plan

Patti Edwards, whose husband, Lavell, is head coach at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, remembers the beginnings of the football coaches' wives group as not much more than an inkling. She was hosting the University of Pittsburgh coaches' wives when they visited for the BYU-Pitt football game in the fall of 1987. At one point, Jackie Harbaugh (husband Jack was an assistant at Pitt then) said, "Wouldn't it be great if we could have get-togethers like this more often?" So Patti devised a game plan: she would offer to write a newsletter for interested coaches' wives, a small group to begin with and mostly reached by word-of-mouth.

The next step took place in January 1988 in Atlanta, Georgia, when six women, including Patti -- all Division IA head coaches' wives -- gathered around a table to have coffee and talk. Patti mentioned her newsletter idea and asked if anyone else was interested in forming a group. Ellie Mallory (Bill, Indiana U.) remembers being amazed that all of the other women said they had been thinking about that very thing -- forming a kind of support group for football coaches' wives. "Each of us wanted to help out the younger coaches' wives, to give back something of our experience to make their lives a little easier," she says.

The more experienced head coaches' wives knew that they could help newer coaches' wives by offering ideas for handling family affairs and dealing with football crises. "The perception is that the conferences are so different, that we don't have much in common," Patti says, "but when the wives get together, they dispel that notion. We really are quite a sorority."

But cost was a consideration. Patti offered to pay for printing and distributing a one- to two-page newsletter, and Dorothy Faye McClendon, whose husband, Charlie, was executive director of AFCA at the time, said she would "talk to Charles" about securing a hospitality room. True to form, Charlie arranged for a room, complete with speaker's podium, coffee, sodas and refreshments, and tables to sit and talk at, courtesy of AFCA.

Patti assigned topics for roundtable discussions to get the ball rolling. Donell Teaff (Grant, Baylor U.) talked about "Sharing Your Husband"; Janice Walden's (Jim, Iowa State U.) topic was "Moving"; Ellie Mallory's, "Life after Firing"; and Carol James (Don, U. of Washington) led the discussion on "Children in this Coaching Life." By word-of-mouth, they invited the other coaches' wives attending that year's convention to join them. Ellie remembers the core group again being amazed to find 50 women show up the next day for an informal meeting. Those women voted to look into organizing a coaches' wives group that would meet concurrently with the AFCA annual meetings.

Step two entailed another meeting of the core group of six women in Dallas, Texas, where they discussed what they saw as the purpose of the proposed organization. It was to support coaches' wives around the country, at all levels of football coaching, head coaches' wives and assistant coaches' wives; to offer a place where they could gather during convention to renew old friendships and forge new ones; to provide information about coaching and family issues; and to have a little fun. That's where the shopping would come in.

The Opening Kickoff

Those six brave pioneers are now affectionately called the Founding Mothers of the American Football Coaches' Wives Association (AFCWA), which was formally approved at convention in Nashville, Tennessee, in January 1989. Seventy women attended that meeting and approved the bylaws -- meticulously written and presented by Ellie Mallory -- in what has been termed "a donnybrook" at the Opryland Hotel. It was a long meeting in which we all had our say, and a lot was accomplished. The decision to incorporate as a dues-paying organization was approved, the first board of directors was elected, and we approved the wording of our mission: "What we are all about is camaraderie, support, information, and service." Appropriately, we voted to adopt a service project. The members of AFCWA would plan to visit the local children's hospital when we attend convention, taking our school caps, t-shirts and toy mascots to the kids.

When the raucous business meeting was adjourned, everyone finally went shopping!

Everyone but the new board of directors, that is. "I remember asking the board members to join hands and pray," recalls Ellie, who was elected AFCWA's first president, "because I really was scared! I didn't know what to do first." She didn't waste much time, though. The first action the board took was to elect its officers and delegate work for the coming year, especially plans for convention 1990 in San Francisco.

The organization was up and running. Little did we -- or the first board or the Founding Mothers -- know how much work, dedication, and downright fun AFCWA would be. But that's another story.

Bylaws of the

AMERICAN FOOTBALL COACHES’ WIVES ASSOCIATION
AMENDED AND RESTATED BYLAWS

Adopted January 9, 2007
National Convention
San Antonio, Texas

 

Article 1
Name and Purpose

Section 1. General. The name of this organization shall be American Football Coaches’ Wives Association (AFCWA) whose purpose shall be to promote camaraderie, offer support, and provide information to all members.

Section 2. Service Project. The organization may have a service project as determined by a vote of the general membership.  Any funds for such service project shall be approved by a two-thirds majority of voting members present at the annual membership meeting.

 

Article II
Membership

Section 1. Eligibility. The membership of AFCWA shall be open to all wives of active, allied, retired, or deceased members of AFCA (American Football Coaches Association).

Section 2. Dues. Annual dues shall be collected beginning July 1 and shall be due no later than April 30 of the following year. The amount of dues shall be determined annually by the board of directors at the Directors’ Annual Meeting.

Section 3.  Cancellation and Reinstatement.  A member who fails to make payment of dues by or before June 30 annually shall have her membership cancelled.  Membership may be reinstated during the next or any subsequent fiscal year by timely payment of dues.

Section 4.  Voting Power. Only members in good standing may vote.  A member is deemed in good standing if she meets the eligibility requirements and is current in payment of dues.

 

Article III
Meetings

Section 1. Time and Place.  The annual meeting of the members of the AFCWA shall be held at a time and place set by the Board of Directors.

Section 2.  Quorum.  A quorum shall consist of a simple majority of the members present at the annual meeting.

Section 3. Procedure.  The rules contained in the current edition of Robert’s Rules of Order shall govern AFCWA in cases to which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with the bylaws and any special rules of order of this organization.

 

Article IV
Governing Body

Section 1. General. The governing body of AFCWA is the Board of Directors. The board shall supervise the affairs of AFCWA between the annual meetings, set the time and place of membership meetings, make recommendations to AFCWA, and perform such other duties as are specified by these Bylaws.

Section 2. Size and Eligibility. The Board of Directors shall consist of a minimum of 16 members in good standing plus the wife of the Executive Director of AFCA and the wife of the current President of AFCA as an honorary, non -voting member. A change in the size of the Board of Directors shall be determined by the membership at large one year in advance of any change.

Section 3.  Election.  Directors shall be elected by a majority of the board, at the Directors’ Business Meeting as hereinafter set forth and shall be presented to the membership at large at the annual membership meeting.

Section 4. Term.  Term of office on the board shall be five years commencing upon the first Directors’ Annual Meeting subsequent to election. The only exception to this rule may be the Past President. A director may be re-elected two years after her previous full term has expired or re-elected two years after her unfulfilled service in order to complete her five year term.

Section 5. Resignations and Vacancies. A director may resign at any time. Should her husband permanently leave the profession for any reason other than retirement or death, her resignation will be automatic. A replacement shall be appointed by a simple majority of directors until the next Directors’ Business Meeting and election.

Section 6. Meetings and Quorum.  The board of directors shall meet at least twice each year as hereinafter set forth. The annual meeting of the board of directors shall be held each year within two (2) days following the annual meeting of the members at a time and place designated by the president at least thirty (30) days prior to such meeting (“Directors’ Annual Meeting”).  The board of directors shall meet at least one additional time each year at a time and place designated by the president thirty (30) days prior to such meeting (Directors’ Business Meeting”). Special meetings of the Board may be called by the President or by written request of three members of the Board. Board meetings may be conducted via telecommunications. A simple majority of the directors shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business.  Any director not present at a meeting will be permitted to vote by filing notice of such desire with the president before the meeting and designating who shall hold the proxy.

Section 7.  Board of Trustees.

a. General. The AFCWA shall have a Board of Trustees consisting of Past Presidents.

b. Duties.  The Trustees shall serve the Board of Directors in an advisory capacity with no vote or membership on the board of directors but shall function to assist and advise the board of directors in all matters, especially those matters concerning endowments, service projects and investments.

c. Meetings.  Trustees in attendance at the first trustee meeting at the AFCWA National Convention shall elect two trustees each year as trustee chairmen. Their duties will be to chair all trustee meetings for that year, to send a written report of all Trustee AFCWA meetings to all Trustees, and to communicate with all Trustees prior to Convention to determine who will be in attendance at the next AFCWA Convention. They will determine the number of trustees who will be in attendance at any AFCWA meetings.

d. Miscellaneous.  The Trustees shall receive minutes of all AFCWA Board of Directors meetings.

Section 8.  Board Materials.  At the Directors’ Annual Meeting, each board member, committee chairman, or officer shall receive a folder from the previous office holder containing the bylaws of AFCWA, interpretations, past minutes, job description, duty logs, and any other materials deemed necessary by the preceding board.

Section 9.  Committees.  The board of directors may designate one or more committees, each of which shall consist of one or more directors and trustees for the purposes established by the directors.  The term of office shall be for a period of one year.  The president may appoint special committees at her discretion based on the needs of the AFCWA or the board of directors. Other committees may be created and elected as the board sees fit. The board of directors may also by a simple majority vote of the board of directors employ persons to assist with Board work.

Section 10.  Indemnification.  All directors and trustees shall be indemnified to the fullest extent permitted by law.

 

ARTICLE V
STANDING COMMITTEES

The Board of Directors shall have the following standing committees.

a. Newsletter Committee.  The Editor shall compile and distribute a newsletter three times per year to all paid members. She may be a Board member or a member of AFCWA appointed by the Board. If the Editor is not an elected Board member, the Board may have the Editor sit in at Board meetings as a non-voting member.

b. Nominating Committee.  The Nominating Committee shall be chaired by the immediate Past President with the remaining representative members appointed by the President, the number at her discretion. The process of selecting new board members shall begin with the identification of the needs of the board with particular attention to diversity and specific job needs. Board position openings and specific needs of those openings shall be posted in the Newsletters and on the Website. All members shall be encouraged to submit their applications for consideration for available board positions. The Nominating Committee shall evaluate all applications received by the stated deadline with respect to the posted needs. This application evaluation process shall be completed by November 1, and the proposed slate presented to the directors at the Directors’ Business Meeting.

c. Hospitality Committee.  The Hospitality Committee shall plan and implement all hospitality activities at the AFCWA Annual Convention.

d. Programs.  The programs committee shall plan and implement all programs presented at the AFCWA Annual Convention.

e. Hospital Visit.   The Hospital Visit Committee shall plan the annual visit to a children’s hospital. The committee shall represent the AFCWA at the hospital visit.

f. Historian/Silent Auction.  The Historian/Silent Auction committee shall be responsible for the collection of items, planning and implementation of the Silent Auction to be held annually.  This committee shall also maintain all historical records of the AFCWA, with exception of the meeting minutes.

g. Sponsorship/PR.  The sponsorship/pr committee shall seek sponsorship support and gifts to the AFCWA from outside constituencies.

h. Recruitment.  The Recruitment committee shall make contact with potential members and encourage them to join the AFCWA.

i. Scholarship Committee.   The scholarship committee shall accept and evaluate all applications for the AFCWA Scholarship.  All members shall be encouraged to submit their applications for consideration for the AFCWA scholarship.  The application evaluation process shall be completed by November 30th, and the recommended recipient submitted for a vote of approval by the directors no later than the Directors’ Business Meeting.  The recipient shall be presented at the annual membership meeting.

j. Website Coordinator.  The Website coordinator shall maintain the AFCWA official website.

 

Article VI
Officers

Section 1. Eligibility and Election.  Any director shall be eligible to serve as an officer of the board of directors.  The board of directors shall elect officers annually at the Directors’ Business Meeting.  The board of directors may create new offices and elect directors thereto as it sees fit.

Section 2. President.  The president shall serve as moderator of all board meetings and the next annual membership meeting. The passing of the gavel shall occur at the conclusion of the annual membership meeting. Exceptions may be made for special circumstances subject to the approval of the majority of the directors.

Section 3. Vice-President.  The vice-president shall perform duties assigned by the board and, when necessary, perform the duties of the president. She shall serve as president-elect.

Section 4. Secretary. The secretary shall keep minutes of all meetings and handle all correspondence.

Section 5. Treasurer and Assistant Treasurer. The treasurer is given the authority to pay all invoices in good faith. The treasurer shall collect annual dues and have custody of all itemized treasurer’s reports.  The treasurer shall register all members.  A financial review/audit shall be conducted at least biannually.  A yearly report will be given at the annual board meeting. The assistant treasurer will maintain a current membership roll and manage the registration at the annual convention.

Section 6. Past President.  The past president shall chair the Nomination Committee and assist and advise the president.

 

Article VII
Fiscal Year and Not For Profit Status

 

Section 1.  Fiscal Year. The fiscal year of the organization shall end on June 30 in each year.

Section 2.  Not-for-Profit Status.  The AFCWA is not organized for profit, nor shall it have any power to issue certificates of stock or pay dividends, and no part of the net revenues or assets of the AFCWA shall inure to the benefit of or be distributed upon dissolution to any member, director, trustee or officer or other private person.  If the AFCWA is dissolved, the assets shall be dedicated to a public body or conveyed to a nonprofit organization approved by the directors.

Article VIII
Amendments

The Bylaws may be amended at the annual meeting of the members of AFCWA by a two-thirds vote of eligible members present, provided the amendment has been submitted in writing to the President of the Board before the meeting.

AFCWA Scholarship

Each year, the AFCWA awards a $1,000 scholarship to a deserving, qualified football coach’s wife who wishes to attend graduate or undergraduate school. If you know of someone who would like to apply for this scholarship, please have the applicant send a cover letter of why she deserves the scholarship, along with a resume, to:
mail@afcwa.org or send regular mail to:

Julie Ayers, Scholarship Chair
134 Westmeath Drive
Moore, SC 29369

Also, for the person who has everything, next time you don't know what to give a "Coaches' Wife" to say "Happy birthday", "Happy baby", "Good Luck in your New Job", etc., send a donation to the AFCWA in her honor. Your honor to that person will be published in the AFCWA newsletter. Please send checks to:

Tracee Norris
1864 Bella Vista
Jackson, MO  63755

Checks should be made payable to AFCWA Scholarship Fund and please note who the donation is to honor.