When Tim Quinn walked into the Eagles Draft Room on a December day, he wasn't expecting to be met by a smiling Saquon Barkley.
Quinn thought he was coming to the NovaCare Complex for a conversation about the development of youth football, but there was Barkley, standing in the middle of the room holding a plaque.
Barkley then announced to Quinn that he is the Eagles' nominee for the 2025 Don Shula NFL High School Coach of the Year Award. It wasn't until everything settled that Quinn noticed the huge TV that read, "Coach Quinn, Coach of the Year, 2025."
"I was shocked, to be honest," Quinn said after receiving the award. "As I came through the door, it didn't register in my mind. It probably wasn't until we got to the end of the conversation with Saquon that it really dawned on me what was going on."
Quinn has been a trailblazer in developing girls' flag football in the state of Pennsylvania. Quinn founded Athena Athletics in 2018 as a grassroots girls' flag initiative and grew the program from just eight participants at the start to over 350.
As the head coach, Quinn has led teams to multiple national championship appearances, including winning the 2023 NFL Flag 14U National Championship and appearing in both the USA Football 2024 18U National Championship and the 2025 18U AAU/SHS World Championship.
Quinn stepped in to coach Gwynedd Mercy Academy's first-ever girls' flag football team in 2022. He has led the Monarchs to a 33-3-2 record, multiple Philadelphia Eagles Girls Flag Football Pennsylvania Final Four appearances, two championship bids, and the 2025 title.
Quinn also served as the 2024 USA Football Northeast Regional Director for Flag Football, responsible for assembling six elite teams that competed nationally in USA Football's Select Bowl.
"Tim Quinn is a passionate leader who has dedicated himself to growing the game for girls at the youth level," said Brendan Clark, Coordinator of Youth Football and Community Relation for the Eagles. "Through boots-on-the-ground outreach and support, Tim played an integral role in establishing girls' flag as an officially sanctioned sport in the Commonwealth. His vision and unwavering commitment continue to inspire the next generation of athletes, and we're proud to nominate Tim as our 2025 Don Shula NFL High School Coach of the Year honoree."
In addition to being surprised by Barkley, Quinn's entire family made an appearance at the NovaCare Complex. It was special for Quinn to share that moment with a group that has been instrumental in his rise as a girls' flag football coach.
"I love my kids. That's the whole reason that we did all this and went on this journey is because our girls wanted to play football," Quinn said. "What I've done isn't me, it's God, it's my kids, it's the Eagles. I've just been a beneficiary of it, and I haven't said no, I've just said yes, and it's made all the difference."
There will be a Coach of the Year chosen from the AFC and NFC, with each winner receiving $15,000 for their high school football program and a $10,000 personal award. The remaining 30 coaches will receive a $1,000 personal award. Winners will receive an all-expenses paid trip to the Pro Bowl Games, an on-field recognition, and two tickets to Super Bowl LX.
For Quinn's nomination and Coach of the Week honor, he receives $1,625 in program funding.
"I've said this a thousand times, the Eagles are a world-class organization," Quinn said. "There's a reason that you see the team competitive and things like that, and it goes right to the top with [Chairman and CEO] Jeffrey Lurie. Everything that's expected here is seen in what's been done in the community. There's an investment well past the game, well past the players on the field, and the investment that they've made in girls flag is going to change lives for decades to come and tens of thousands of girls to be able to play the game.
"To have that backing over the last couple years and going out and trying to grow the game has made all the difference because everyone respects the Eagles in this area. There's a lot of diehard Eagles fans, and everyone wanted to be a part of what they're a part of, and had they not gotten on board, I don't think we would have seen the growth that we've seen." — Written by Matt Ryan
