One of the league's top young executives, Tom Heckert is in his fourth season in Philadelphia. He was promoted to his current role of vice president of player personnel in 2003. In this role, he works closely with Andy Reid in all player personnel matters while managing the player personnel department, which includes both college and pro scouting.
On Dec. 24, 2004, Heckert signed a contract extension through 2009.
"Tom has done an excellent job with our player personnel department over the last four years and we're fortunate to be able to keep him for the next several seasons," said Reid, the team's head coach/executive of VP of football operations. "He is one of the hardest working people I have ever met and is one of the best talent evaluators in the NFL."
Team president Joe Banner added, "I've said for many years that the lifeblood of building a successful NFL team is having a strong player personnel department, specifically their success in the draft. Tom has been a tremendous asset in that area. He's bright and is very diligent in his work and we're happy to have him on board."
There has been nothing but praise for Heckert since he joined the team.
"Tom has proven to be a tremendous worker," said Reid after promoting Heckert on May 21, 2003. "He has done an excellent job in all aspects of the football operations department. He was well deserving of this promotion."
Heckert, 37, joined the Eagles as the club's director of player personnel on May 21, 2001, after a 10-year stint as a member of the Miami Dolphins player personnel department, including the 2000 season as the club's director of pro personnel. In 1999, he served as the Dolphins assistant director of pro personnel/college scout. Heckert served as both a pro scout and as a college scout during his first nine seasons in South Florida.
Heckert's scouting talents have been valued by the NFL. In 2003, he was appointed by the league to the 12-person College Advisory Committee, which advises college football juniors on the their draft status.
Over his 13-year career in the NFL, Heckert's teams have never had a losing season, won their division six times and made the playoffs 10 times, including the last three in Philadelphia.
During Heckert's tenure in Miami, he worked under two of the most successful head coaches in NFL history - Don Shula and Jimmy Johnson - who both personally recommended Heckert for his current post with the Eagles.
Said Johnson when Heckert was hired, "Tom's smart, aggressive, and a good talent evaluator. He's a hard worker and has a strong opinion. As I told Coach Reid, if I were to come back as a head coach, Tom would be one of the first guys I'd try to hire."
A native of Adrian, Michigan, Heckert joined the Dolphins after spending two years as an assistant coach at Hillsdale College in Michigan. He also was a defensive back at Hillsdale.
Heckert's father, Tom, began his coaching career in 1961 and now has 20 years of experience in the NFL player personnel ranks, including the last 13 seasons with Miami. Recalled the younger Heckert, "I was around the football field and football offices probably more than I was home. I was always there. After school, I'd watch his practices. We'd go to every game. When I was really young, he'd be upstairs in his office working and I'd just watch tape, because it was there."
Heckert (born 7/17/67) and his wife, Kathy, have a son, Griffin (9), and a daughter, Madison (7), and reside in Glen Mills, PA.
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