The Jacksonville Jaguars have hosted an assistant coach during this year's training camp as part of the NFL Minority Coaching Fellowship Program. The coach, who is spending the three-and-a-half week-long training camp working with the Jaguars' coaches, is Gary Smith from Southern University in Baton Rouge, La.

"For the sixth year in a row, we have a chance to host a young college coach during training camp," said Jaguars head coach Tom Coughlin. "Gary Smith has a chance to gain valuable experience and insight into what the NFL is all about during training camp. He also has a chance to provide assistance to our coaching staff in a crucial time for the devolopment of our football team for the coming season."

Smith has been working with Jaguars assistant coach Mike Maser and the team's offensive line. "I am excited about the opportunity to work with the Jaguars during this year's training camp," Smith said. "This program gives college coaches like myself a chance to work with NFL coaching staffs and NFL players during an important time of their season. It has been the experience of a lifetime."

Smith currently coaches the offensive line at Southern University and also serves as the school's campus coordinator for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. A graduate of Virginia Tech, he received his master's degree in recreation administration from the University of Tennessee, where he was a graduate assistant for the football team. Smith previously coached the offensive line at Winston-Salem State in North Carolina and has also spent time with the Dallas Cowboys and the Carolina Panthers (with Dom Capers) as part of the Minority Coaching Fellowship Program. Smith was a guard with the Cincinnati Bengals in 1984.

The National Football League Minority Coaching Fellowship Program began in 1987. In 14 years, more than 550 coaches have taken part in the program.