By: Danny Aiello Jr

Twitter: @DannyAielloJr

 

On Saturday May 14th, Hernando High School will be hosting a silent auction to benefit their athletic programs. This “Night of Champions” auction will feature guest speaker Jason Licht, the General Manager of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

From the Tampa Bay Buccaneers website Licht’s biography reads:

“General Manager Jason Licht was named the fifth general manager in
franchise history on January 21, 2014. Licht (pronounced LIGHT) brings
nearly two decades of scouting and player personnel experience with five
organizations to the Buccaneers’ front office. In 18 NFL seasons,
including one as a coach, the clubs that Licht has worked for have amassed
a 164-124 (.569) record, nine playoff appearances, eight division
championships, four conference championships and one Super Bowl title.

Licht came to the Buccaneers after two seasons with Arizona, where he was
vice president of player personnel before joining Tampa Bay. Licht first
worked for the Cardinals in 2008 as a personnel executive, before leaving
to spend three seasons as director of pro personnel with New England. He
returned to Arizona in 2012 as director of player personnel before being
promoted to vice president.
In addition, Licht’s career has intersected with some of the NFL’s
greatest head coaches, including Don Shula, Jimmy Johnson, Bill Belichick
and Andy Reid. In all, Licht has worked alongside six head coaches who
have led a team to a Super Bowl (Shula, Johnson, Belichick, Reid, Pete
Carroll, Ken Whisenhunt) and six who have won AP Coach of the Year honors
in their career (Shula, Johnson, Belichick, Reid, Dom Capers, Bruce
Arians).

While with Arizona, Licht worked directly with the head coach and general
manager on player acquisition and contract negotiations, as well as
leading the club’s scouting efforts as he oversaw both the college and pro
scouting departments. The 2013 season saw the Cardinals improve to 10-6
from a 5-11 campaign the previous year.

Licht first worked with the Cardinals as a personnel executive in 2008
when Arizona won the NFC West and advanced to the Super Bowl. He then
spent three seasons (2009-11) as director of pro personnel with the New
England Patriots, where he was responsible for monitoring every NFL roster
with an emphasis on scouting talent of upcoming pro free agents, while
also maintaining depth on New England’s roster. The Patriots were AFC East
champions in each of those three seasons and advanced to the Super Bowl
following the 2011 campaign.

Licht spent five years with the Philadelphia Eagles (2003-07), first
serving as the club’s assistant director of player personnel before being
promoted to vice president of player personnel for his final two seasons.
The team won three NFC East titles during that span and earned a berth in
Super Bowl XXXIX.

Prior to joining Philadelphia, Licht enjoyed his first stint in New
England, serving as a scout and assistant director of player personnel
from 1999-2002, a stretch that included a victory in Super Bowl XXXVI. He
was part of a front office that drafted core pieces of the three-time
Super Bowl champions, such as Damien Woody, Kevin Faulk, Tom Brady,
Richard Seymour, Matt Light, and Deion Branch.

Licht began his NFL career with the Miami Dolphins in 1995, where he
worked as a scouting department assistant before spending the 1996 season
as an offensive assistant/quality control coach. In 1997, he worked for
National Football Scouting, a college football scouting service, before
joining the Carolina Panthers’ scouting staff in 1998.

Licht played linebacker and guard at the University of Nebraska from
1989-91 before transferring to Nebraska-Wesleyan, where he was an
all-conference defensive tackle. He and his wife, Blair, have three
children.”

Tickets will be $10 and will include dinner and an opportunity to participate in the auctions.

There will be at least 100 items ranging from $10-$100 in price during the silent auction and a live auction will feature five big items ranging from $200-$1000.

Once again, all proceeds will benefit the Hernando High School athletic department.