NEW YORK (Aug. 24, 2006) -- A record 86 minorities took part in this summer's NFL Minority Coaching Fellowship Program in the 25th year of the program's existence, the NFL announced.

Also this year, the Minority Coaching Program produced its first graduate to be named head coach of the team where he interned.

The graduate is new Kansas City Chiefs head coach Herm Edwards, who interned with the team in 1989. In 2001, he became the first graduate of the program to be named an NFL head coach when he was appointed by the New York Jets.

"I am a head coach in the NFL today because of the opportunity the Coaching Fellowship provided me," says Edwards. "The program is really the thing that jump-starts your career. It really worked perfectly for me. I was in the right place at the right time."

Two other NFL head coaches are graduates of the program -- Marvin Lewis of Cincinnati and Lovie Smith of Chicago.

The fellowship, instituted by the NFL in 1981, provides training-camp coaching positions for minority coaches at NFL clubs. More than 1,000 minority coaches have participated since the program's inception.

The fellowship had additional head-coaching success this past offseason. Two of its graduates were appointed head coaches in colleges and another received a lengthy contract extension.

Ron Prince, who participated in the program for four years in the late '90s, was appointed head coach of Kansas State and believes the fellowship was of immeasurable help to him.

"The NFL Fellowship Program was invaluable for me," says Prince, who appointed another fellowship grad, Raheem Morris, as his defensive coordinator. "The program gave me a great understanding of how to put an organization together. I was exposed to everything from the position coaches to the scouting departments to the general managers and I studied every aspect of it. In the end, it gave me the opportunity to advance past where I might have been as a coach at that particular point."

Joining Prince as a fellowship grad in the college head-coaching ranks this year is Norries Wilson at Columbia University, who was appointed last December. Wilson spent three summers with NFL clubs in the 1990s and, like Prince, says the program was a big help to his career.

"All three of my internships were great experiences," says Wilson. "They were at different points in my career. I learned a lot about the game, particularly at the NFL level, and a lot about football administration. It was very valuable for me."

Yet another fellowship graduate who is now a college head coach, Karl Dorrell of UCLA, recently received a contract extension through the 2010 season. He took the Bruins to a 10-2 record last year.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Jon Gruden, who had three minority coaches in his camp this summer, believes in the program's efficacy.

"The coaches come in to learn and be a second sound for our players, whether that's encouraging them or talking about basic fundamentals or techniques that maybe they've used," says Gruden. "They help with team enthusiasm and in a lot of ways that might not be so glamorous. I really love the program."

The following is a list of some NFL coaches who have participated in the NFL Minority Coaching Fellowship Program: