NASHVILLE, TN, Feb. 16, 2008 — Transitioning from college into the NFL quite often presents an overwhelming effect on professional players. But fortunately for the Titans, there is a person in place that players can always depend on for guidance. !
Director of Player Development Tina Tuggle helps Titans players transition into the NFL and maximize their opportunities during and after their playing careers.
Tina Tuggle, the team's Director of Player Development, works to fulfill the constantly evolving role as a resource in the overall management of players' life transitions. The goal of the player development department is to help players take advantage of the opportunities that the NFL affords them. The program is divided into four areas: Continuing Education, Financial Education, Career Development, and Player Assistance Services. Tuggle also handles the players' benefits program.
Born in Memphis, Tenn., Tuggle, a Tennessee State University alumni, joined the then Tennessee Oilers back in 1997 during a three-day training camp in Memphis. Tuggle was excited to have a change of environment to pursue and fulfill her career dreams.
"Having the chance to work for an NFL team was not only exciting for me, but to my husband, Jessie, it was the coolest job ever," Tuggle said of when she was first hired. "Knowing that there are only a handful of jobs like yours in the entire world makes you grateful for the opportunity even more, and working for a wonderful organization in the Tennessee Titans is like icing on the cake."
Without hesitation, Tuggle strived diligently to learn about every aspect of the organization. Initially, she held the position of team receptionist, engaging in various experiences to expand her knowledge of the organization. Tuggle learned new traits by assisting however she could in the coaching and scouting departments, while simultaneously working as the players' insurance plan representative. All the while, she began to gain experience in the player development department, assisting former director, Al Smith. She eventually went on to work as the executive assistant to former Titans general manager Floyd Reese, prior to accepting her current position two years ago.
"When I started to learn about the area of player development, it felt natural to me, so I tried to learn as much about player development and every other aspect of the organization just to see where my fit would be," Tuggle said. "After learning more about it, I realized player development was where I ultimately wanted to be."
Tuggle recently completed her 12th season with the team and second in her new position. She is the first woman in the Titans' history to serve as a player development director and currently the only female in that role throughout the NFL.
She has worked closely with the team's player development initiatives for the last 11 years. From 1998-1999, the department was recognized as the NFL's most-improved player development program. In 2005, Tuggle was selected to represent the club at the NFL's Stanford Executive Training Program at the Stanford Business School, where she took part in upper-level management training.
"Understanding the value of the program and being personally selected by Mr. Adams meant a lot to me," Tuggle said. "I was thrilled that he wanted me to represent the organization."
Tuggle was later selected to participate in the Football Operations Personnel Symposium during the spring of 2007. Most recently, Tuggle won the NFL's Best Player's Assistance Program of the Year for 2007-08.
Titans GM Mike Reinfeldt said Tuggle's position requres a unique set of qualities to be successful.
"You need to have a person that communicates well with other people and that people trust. They need to have strong personal skills to interact with players and developing that trust is very important," Reinfeldt said. "You need to have the tenacity to see things through and be able to manage those players through that process. It's about having good communication skills, and the tenaciousness to help make their lives better, and I think Tina is fabulous at all those things."
Dealing with 60 to 70 different personalities is no easy task, Reinfeldt said.
"When you are dealing a variety of players, there's different personalities and types of people and you need to be able to relate to all of them, making sure they believe that you are here to help them, and she does that…she has done a wonderful job for us," said Reinfeldt.
Of the numerous attributes attached to Tuggle, she continues to seek the nourishment of values that were instilled in her as a young girl growing up. Her family reinforced the significance of self-worth and the ability for her to greet circumstances empathetically, and not always, sympathetically. It is the understanding that no person is more valuable than another that has helped her in her role as director of player development.
She works from her heart, connecting with others to help improve and change the lives of players for the better.
"Every day is a learning process to determine what can be done today for a better tomorrow," Tuggle said. "In so many ways I strive to offer support to the players as best I can additionally believing that my efforts are appreciated just as much as I appreciate the opportunity to be in this position."
It is an immense, heart-felt sensation to know that one has a critical role in the development and productivity of various individuals, and to be a witness to their success. Tuggle speaks on issues that can inspire and uplift non-motivated individuals; bringing them to the realization that everyone has a purpose that must be fulfilled. Oftentimes, some players just need an extra boost and a person that can offer reassurance.
"She knows and understands the players," said Steve Underwood, Senior EVP/General Counsel for the Titans. "Like any job where you're offering advice or dispensing information, it's critical that those people have some degree of confidence in you. Having a complete stranger won't work. If it's someone that they know, they'll at least give them a chance to try and communicate with them. Tina has always been a great communicator."
Underwood said he passes by Tuggle's office frequently during the season, only to find it lined with players looking to speak with her.
"They are engaged with her, communicating with her. Tina knows and understands them because she has been here for 12 years. I thought she was an ideal fit," added Underwood. "She's very bright, very engaging and a good conversationalist – all of which are important attributes for somebody that has this kind of job. She understands what the league is trying to get done with player programs and how they want to go about getting that accomplished. But most importantly, the players have confidence in her. She knows the resources and how to get them."
While player development consumes an ample amount of Tuggle's time, she takes pleasure in spending time with her husband, Jessie, and friends -- along with her family in Memphis. Her son, Josiah (10), has already begun job shadowing with her, hoping one day to become a wide receiver for Michigan State and pursue a degree in Zoology. Tuggle spends time incorporating the importance of professionalism in Josiah, so that he can be prepared for the workforce when the time comes.
Tuggle gives a helping hand on the job and off the job. Every month, she serves on the board for the YMCA Black Achievers and ISOA (Interdenominational Services of America); both are programs to aid inner city young men and women to develop their minds, to become members of the community post-high school. She inspires young women that she encounters, speaking to them about the importance of setting goals and reaching goals, regardless of race, background or gender. The innate talent that Tuggle portrays makes discouragement a thing of the past. Additionally, she was recently asked to Chair one of the selection committees for choosing recipients of the Nashville Emerging Leaders Awards (NELA), sponsored by the Nashville Chamber of Commerce.
"I am so thankful to live in a time where I am judged by the job that I do and that's it," said Tuggle. "I don't think this organization sees my color, I don't think this organization sees my gender. I think that this organization put me here because of the job that I do, and I am very thankful for that."
Tuggle, as her son perceives her, "a guidance counselor for the Titans," has guided herself into a career that satisfies her soul, and satisfies others on their mission to success. She is proof that one can be whatever they want to be by not being a victim who succumbs to pessimism. Her willpower has driven her to a job that she loves. She maximized her future to maximize the lives of Titans players.
