One of the most successful young high school football coaches in the nation, who has changed the lives of young men both on and off the field, will share his message with those who will be chasing after a national championship in Rome in December.

The Rome Host Committee for the 57th annual Russell Athletic-NAIA Football National Championship has announced that Hoover (Ala.) High head coach Josh Niblett will be the featured speaker at the annual Fellowship of Christian Athletes Champions of Character Luncheon that kicks off the national game-week events.

The event will be held Tuesday, Dec. 11, at noon at The Forum and is being presented by the FCA and Chick-fil-A Dwarf House. The luncheon is open to the public; tickets are required and can be purchased at The Forum by calling 706-291-5281 or 800-858-7601 or by visiting www.forumevents.org.

Tickets for the FCA Champions of Character Luncheon are $25 per person or $250 for a table that seats 10. Those interested in sponsoring tables for the FCA Luncheon can contact Rachel Rogers at rrogers@shorter.edu.

Also on sale are tickets for the NAIA Banquet of Champions that will be held Wednesday, Dec. 12, at 6:30 p.m. at The Forum ($30 per person or $300 sponsor’s table for 10), and tickets for the NAIA Football National Championship game that will be held Thursday, Dec. 13, at 6:30 p.m. at Historic Barron Stadium. The game tickets are $25.

The FCA luncheon will also include the 3rd annual Greene’s Jewelers High School Champions of Character Award, which recognizes some of Greater Rome’s outstanding student-athletes with one male and one female being named to receive scholarships.

“Coach Josh Niblett brings an incredible coaching record and an inspirational message everyone will want to hear,” Rome Host Committee Chairman Bob Berry said. “We are so excited that he will be the featured speaker at our Chick-fil-A sponsored luncheon.”

After graduating from Alabama, where he was a three-year letterman and an Academic All-Southeastern Conference selection, Niblett served as an assistant coach at Jacksonville State University, where he served as tackles/ tight ends coach in 1997, head strength & conditioning coach and head of football operations in 1998, and added running backs coach to his duties in 1999.

Niblett was the head coach at Oxford High from 2005-07, where his teams made the playoffs two out of three years and went 10-0 in his final season. He started his head coaching career at Oneonta High, where in five years he took a program that had won four games in the previous two seasons to one that rolled up a51-14 slate, made five playoff appearances, had one quarterfinal finish, two state final appearances and one state championship.

Niblett is now in his fifth year heading up the nationally-known Hoover program, where he has amassed a stellar 55-6 record and has led the Bucs to the 6A state championship game the past four seasons. The Bucs won the crown in 2009, finished the year with a 15-1 record and were ranked No. 7 nationally in the USA Today Top 25 poll.

Niblett has coached in the Alabama/ Mississippi All-Star game three times and was the Alabama Sports Writers Association Coach of the Year in 2004, 2009 and 2011.

Offthe field, he is involved in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and has served as the sponsor or co-sponsor at every school he has coached; is the director and founder of Men of Will Ministries; and has provided motivational speeches as numerous events.

For more information on the 2012 Russell Athletic-NAIA Football National Championship, visit www.NAIANationalChampionship.com.

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