In continuation of the NFL's commitment to promoting greater diversity across the NFL, the League announced plans today to host a Coach Accelerator on May 21-23 at the Spring League Meeting in Minneapolis. The Spring Accelerator follows the inaugural Coach and Front Office Accelerator and the Front Office Accelerator hosted at previous league meetings in 2022.
The San Francisco 49ers will be represented by running backs and assistant head coach Anthony Lynn at the Coach Accelerator.
The Coach Accelerator aims to increase exposure between owners, executives, and diverse coaching talent and providing ample opportunity to develop and build upon their relationships. In a change to the nomination process this year, clubs were able to nominate those from outside of their organization, which promotes recognition and growth beyond one's current club.
The 40 participants this year are attending based on their high potential to be considered for a head coach position in the future. Sixteen of the participants will be returning from the May 2022 Accelerator cohort.
Lynn is in his second season with San Francisco, and prior to heading to The Bay, served as the offensive coordinator for the Detroit Lions during the 2021 campaign. The 49ers running backs coach spent the 2017-20 seasons as the head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers, joining the Chargers after two years with the Buffalo Bills as the assistant head coach/running backs (2015-16). He also served as Buffalo's offensive coordinator and interim head coach at points of the 2016 season. Lynn has over 20 years of NFL coaching experience, dating back to the 2000 season with the Denver Broncos.
In addition to networking, further development of the participants is a critical component of the accelerator, with curated content sessions scheduled that will further engage each participant on the advancement of their executive leadership skills and Business of Football acumen.
"In the year since its inception, we've been encouraged by the positive response to the Accelerator from both club owners and participants," said NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. "We look forward to continuing to build on an incredible program that supports diverse talent."
