Abstract
Football players are bigger than ever, but does their excess weight put them at risk for future health problems? The research is equivocal but when our university started planning for a football program, the sports medicine department took action to build a healthy football player. Nutrition screening was conducted at the preparticipation physical examinations on the first football recruiting class, and responses were analyzed to guide nutrition education for the team. This article reviews the research on football players, weight, and health issues and describes our program to incorporate nutrition education into football training