NFHS Voice: Campaign Touts Benefits of High School Football
By
Karissa Niehoff
NFHS Executive Director
May 21, 2021
A full return to high school sports and performing arts programs – that’s the hope for this fall in schools across the country.
After a year of unprecedented challenges in keeping these programs going due to the pandemic, which included 11 states that conducted their primary football season this spring, there is great optimism as we look to a new school year.
Even in those states that were able to conduct activities last fall, attendance restrictions kept many fans out of stadiums and watching games online. However, with vaccine eligibility now at 12 years of age and older and with vaccinations continuing during the next three months, the likelihood of routines and traditions returning this fall grows stronger each day.
And there is no tradition more anticipated than the full-scale return of high school football. While there were 34 states there were fortunate enough to conduct football at some level last fall, the routines were anything but normal.
This fall, however, we anticipate a return to the energy and excitement of the 2019 season when 1,003,524 boys participated in 11-player football. That total marked a decline of only 2,489 from the previous year and was a good sign of a renewed confidence on the part of parents and student-athletes that concerns about the risk of injury were being addressed.
While boys participation in 11-player football has exceeded one million participants every year since 1999 and is overwhelmingly the most popular boys sport, there have been concerns about declines in past years.
Last fall, the NFHS and the National Football League announced a partnership to promote the growth, understanding and support for football at the high school level. The NFHS and NFL have been studying participation trends, developing educational tools and striving to restore confidence in students and parents that the sport is, in fact, more focused on risk minimization than ever before.
As a result, the springboard to the return of high school football next fall begins this week with the launch of the #ThisIsHSFootball campaign. Through this effort over the next few months, the NFHS will be reaching out to coaches, students, parents, officials, athletic directors and others with research information, participation trends and data on various risk mitigation efforts that, we believe, continues to make high school football safer than it has ever been.
As a part of this effort, the NFHS produced a video entitled “This is High School Football” designed to detail the benefits of participation in high school football.
As the video states, more so than at any other level of play, parents should feel good about their kids playing high school football.
>Here are some of the many educational and medical safeguards put in place the past 12 years to offer parents a comfort level about the safety standards that are a part of high school football.
► Concussion research and education. All NFHS high school playing rules require a student who is exhibiting signs of a concussion to be removed from the game and not allowed to return until the student has been cleared by a medical professional. Thanks to education and training on the part of students, coaches, trainers, parents and others, research data has shown positive trends in concussion rates. In a recent five-year period, concussion rates during practices dropped from 5.47 to 4.44 concussions per 10,000 athletic exposures.
► Concussion in Sport Course. This free online education course has been available through the NFHS Learning Center since 2010, and millions of individuals have taken the course for a deeper understanding about concussions.
► Concussion Laws. By 2014, every state had adopted state concussion laws that established mandatory protocols, and every state high school association has adopted policies that limit contact during preseason drills and in practices during the season.
► Football equipment. Manufacturers continue to produce higher quality equipment every year, and high school coaches are doing a much better job at teaching and coaching the rules of the game and making attempts to minimize risk of injury for players.
► Emergency Action Plans. Thanks to the NFHS Foundation, a copy of the “Anyone Can Save a Life” emergency action plan originally developed by the Minnesota State High School League was sent to all state high school associations and their high schools, and all schools have access to an AED to help save lives.
► Playing Rules. Risk minimization is a major focus of every NFHS sports rules committee. In football, helmet-to-helmet hits are not allowed.
High school football has been a significant part of schools, towns and communities across America for almost 100 years. The NFHS is committed to making the sport as safe as possible for the millions of kids who will play the sport in the years to come.
Dr. Karissa L. Niehoff is in her third year as executive director of the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) in Indianapolis, Indiana. She is the first female to head the national leadership organization for high school athletics and performing arts activities and the sixth full-time executive director of the NFHS, which celebrated its 100th year of service during the 2018-19 school year. She previously was executive director of the Connecticut Association of Schools-Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference for seven years.
Flashback 100: One Last Look Back as We Turn Focus Toward Future
July 10, 2025
We hope you’ve enjoyed this school year's retrospective on some of the most iconic athletes and personalities who began their journeys in MHSAA sports. While we’ve done our best to highlight a diverse range of individuals across various sports and professions, a single year simply isn’t enough to capture every standout story.
Michigan high schools have produced an incredible array of talent — and the following, in addition to those we've wrote about over the last 10 monrths, are just another glimpse of that legacy:
- Kirk Gibson (Waterford Kettering) – The 1988 National League MVP also played a pivotal role in the Detroit Tigers’ 1984 World Series championship and starred in football as well at Michigan State.
- Jake Long (Lapeer East) – Selected as the NFL’s No. 1 overall draft pick in 2008, he's among a distinguished list of Michigan high school alums to go early in the draft, including Braylon Edwards (Harper Woods Bishop Gallagher, No. 3 in 2005), Carl Banks (Flint Beecher, No. 3 in 1984), Jerome Bettis (Detroit Mackenzie, No. 10 in 1993), and Tyrone Wheatley (Dearborn Heights Robichaud, No. 17 in 1995).
- Jeff Daniels (Chelsea) – Before becoming a renowned actor with credits like The Newsroom, Escanaba in da Moonlight, and Dumb and Dumber, Daniels was a high school baseball player.
- Lisa Byington (Portage Northern) – A trailblazing broadcaster, she serves as the play-by-play voice for the Milwaukee Bucks and regularly appears on CBS during NCAA Basketball Tournaments.
- Kristin Haynie (Mason) – She was first athlete to play in both the NCAA Women’s Division I Basketball Championship and the WNBA Finals in the same calendar year.
- Jalen Rose, Voshon Lenard, and Howard Eisley – This trio of NBA professionals once shared the court at Detroit Southwestern, making it one of the most talent-rich high school teams in state history.
- Jim Abbott (Flint Central) – Born without a right hand, Abbott defied the odds to pitch for 10 seasons in Major League Baseball.
- Earl Morrall (Muskegon) – He was named NFL MVP in 1968 and enjoyed a long and successful pro football career.
- Charlie Gehringer (Fowlerville) and Hal Newhouser (Detroit Wilbur Wright) – Both legends of Major League Baseball, each captured MVP honors during their Hall of Fame careers.
- Kate Markgraf (Detroit Country Day) – A champion at every level of soccer, she earned titles in high school and college, an Olympic Gold Medal, and a FIFA World Cup victory.
- Allison Schmitt (Canton) – One of the most decorated American swimmers of all time, Schmitt has earned 10 Olympic medals.
- Jason Richardson (Saginaw Arthur Hill) and Charles Rogers (Saginaw) – Both were drafted among the top five in their respective college sports (Richardson to the NBA in 2001, Rogers to the NFL in 2003) and faced off against each other as part of one of the state's most historic basketball rivalries.
- Staying with the city of Saginaw, Draymond Green (Saginaw) won a basketball championship in high school (2007) and then four in the NBA (2015, 2017, 2018, 2022) after being drafted in the second round of the 2012 draft by the Golden State Warriors.
And the legacy continues. Olympic gold medal dreams are alive in track & field standouts like Taylor Manson (East Lansing), Hobbs Kessler (Ann Arbor Skyline), and Grant Fisher (Grand Blanc), who are already well-accomplished on the worldwide stage.
So, who’s next?
Who will be the next MHSAA athlete selected on draft night? Hoisting an MVP trophy? Standing atop the podium as a champion?
We don’t know yet — but as we close the book on the first 100 years of MHSAA history, we can’t wait to see what the next century will bring.
Previous "Flashback 100" Features
June 23: Hutchinson's Dominance Starts as Multi-Sport Divine Child Standout - Read
June 10: Wagner's Dream of Going on Tour Realized - with Greta Van Fleet - Read
May 23: Tarpley's Legendary Run Began as Portage Central's Miss Soccer - Read
May 16: Scane’s Record-Setting Lacrosse Run Began at Cranbrook Kingswood - Read
May 8: Duckett's High School Domination Extended to Shot Put Circle - Read
May 6: MHSAA Titles Just Start for NCAA Champion, Olympian Stark - Read
May 1: Legendary Actor Played Multiple Sports Roles at Country Day - Read
April 23: Legacy Program Provided Start for Pioneering NBA Official Schroeder - Read
April 11: Rice's Championship-Winning Ways Started at Flint Northwestern - Read
March 28: Youngquist's Times Still Among MHSAA's Fastest - Read
March 18: After 40 Years, Coles' Shot Remains Among Century's Most Famous - Read
March 7: Walled Lake Northern's Hellebuyck Reigns as NHL's Elite Netminder - Read
Feb. 27: Zeerip's Mat Stats Remain Rarely-Challenged Chart Toppers - Read
Feb. 21: Before TV Stardom, Kerwin Excelled as All-State Skier - Read
Feb. 14: Detroit Central Star Voted into Pro Football Hall of Fame - Read
Feb. 6: Multi-Sport Star Look Becomes Super Bowl Officiating Legend - Read
Jan. 31: Johnson Family Put Magical Stamp on Michigan High School Hoops - Read
Jan. 24: Future Hall of Famers Face Off First in MHSAA Class A Final - Read
Jan. 17: First-Ever WNBA Draft Pick Rocked at Salem, Won Titles at Tennessee - Read
Jan. 10: Despite Launching Before 3-Point Line, Smith Still Tops Scoring List - Read
Jan. 3: Edison's Jackson Earns Place Among State's All-Time Elite - Read
Dec. 20: Future Olympian Piper Leads Grosse Pointe North to Historic Heights - Read
Dec. 13: The Other Mr. Forsythe in Michigan School Sports - Read
Dec. 6: Coleman's Legendary Heroics Carry Harrison Through Repeat - Read
Nov. 29: Harbaugh Brothers' Football Roots Planted in Part at Pioneer - Read
Nov. 22: 8-Player Football Finals Right at Home at Superior Dome - Read
Nov. 15: Leland Career Helps Set Stage for Glass' International Stardom - Read
Nov. 8: Future Baseball Pro Led Escanaba's Legendary Football Title Run - Read
Nov. 1: Michigan High School Baseball Trio Provide World Series Voices - Read
Oct. 25: Before Leading Free World, Ford Starred for Champion GR South - Read
Oct. 18: Mercy Links Legend Becomes World Golf Hall of Famer - Read
Oct. 11: Fisher Races to Finals Stardom on Way to U.S. Olympic First - Read
Oct. 4: Lalas Leaves High School Legacies on Ice & Pitch - Read
Sept. 27: Tamer's History-Making Run Starts in Dexter, Continues to Paris - Read
Sept. 20: Todd Martin’s Road to Greatness Starts at East Lansing - Read
Sept. 13: James Earl Jones, Dickson High Hoops to Hollywood Legend - Read
Sept. 6: Pioneers' Unstoppable Streak Stretches 9 Seasons - Read
Aug. 30: Detroit dePorres Rushes to 1995 Class CC Football Championship - Read
PHOTOS Clockwise from left: Taylor Manson sprints for East Lansing, Hobbs Kessler wins a race for Ann Arbor Pioneer, Jason Richardson plays in a Class A Basketball Final for Saginaw Arthur Hill and Allison Schmitt swims a championship race for Canton. (Manson photo courtesy of the Lansing State Journal; Kessler photo by RunMichigan.com. Others are MHSAA file photos.)