TYLER BLUM
I'm a has-been...
... an old ball player that chased the football dreams a kid forges in the playgrounds, parks, and back yards of America. I have ridden a life with the game I've loved ever since. It's given me tremendous experiences as a player, coach, and organizer (more below).
The value that I bring to the youth football space through RedZone is that I has been there and done what the new generations of football-loving kids want an opportunity to do. It's combined with 15 years in business leading a wide range of football experiences such as youth-centric training, leagues, club teams and other events impacting more than 10,000 players across Iowa.
My experiences from a life of football are shared through our programs. I'm eternally that little kid with big dreams, now aiming to deliver a vision of idyllic youth football experiences for others to keep chasing their's. I look forward to serving you and yours through the game.
Let me work backwards and start by telling you about what we're doing right now at RedZone Football. On a high level, we balance the different roles of a football coach and of a football organizer. The coach delivering the game from the grass with a whistle; smaller scale but high personal impact. And the organizer, structuring opportunities for broader communities to experience the game; a larger effort with more operational coordination.
It's become a significant and varied workload to juggle. The coach & organizer have started to conflict more frequently and my capacity to carry both is more often over-matched. My heart lies in coaching the players on the field; my head steers to the more business-minded approach of the organizer.
There is a significant measure of pride to carry in building something from the ground up. But I am realizing how heavy and limiting it is for RedZone for me to shoulder the workload solely. Thus, I'm taking on new challenges to inspire & empower others to deliver the experiences that RedZone offers.
Here's a bit about what to know and expect from our programs:
Camps & Training: After becoming a coach, I quickly realized that during the season is not a good time for individual development at the youth level. There are more limited coaching resources and practice, most of which are used to blend individual skills into team building and schematics as opposed to individual position drills. The individual player development is what we offer through our camp & training programs. Our coaches never have to worry about what play to call, playing time, or trying to win a game. Learning opportunities and quality rep rate can be maximized for everyone, not just the first teasers. At RedZone, We deliver a 15+ year field-tested and ever-evolving curriculum of skill development, game awareness, and engaging football experiences for players in the entry and transitional levels of the sport. Every participant at all age levels is coached, praised, encouraged, and pushed to develop themself.
RaZors 7v7 Club Teams: This program, and the 7v7 environment in general, draws serious participants looking for more extensive opportunities to develop and compete. It's our only program where we get to lead players through a team building process and a competitive season. Our club provides an outlet for players to, develop & test their skill in the passing game within the bonded structure of a team. We don't do tryouts and value commitment to the team and development over winning; our club has a top layer of objective, non-parent coaches that keep these principles in the forefront. All players are coached diligently, expected to improve and perform to their capabilities, and welcomed to participate in this shared experience with other football friends.
RedZone League NFL Flag Season: RedZone structures and administers a weekly league play program that is widely accessible and community-based during the traditional fall season. As of 2024, we administer this season for 1,500+ participants in two Eastern Iowa markets. The program is highly organized, competitively balanced, and co-branded through NFL FLAG. It takes a lot of help to do football at the scale of these leagues, but we take great pride in parents entrusting us to lead that effort and we aim to be forward-thinking in how these experiences are delivered on individual and community levels. It's important for us to provide access to the best that the game has to offer.
7v7 Tournaments: As with the league programs, we're honored to host events for other football play and competition. We take great diligence in delivering events with high quality administration, facilities, competition, staff & officials, amenities, and other elements that allow memorable football moments to happen.
About RedZone
Coach Blum's player/coach/organizer bio.
Walnut High School: I grew up in a tiny town in southwest Iowa; was your photo-typical big fish in a small pond. When I was in 6th grade, our school was one of the six charter schools that started Iowa's 8-man division. My first experience with organized football came with 7th grade tackle. Other than that, it was all pickup games at recess, the park, or in the backyard. I had a lot of achievements as a prep athlete, not just in football but in wrestling and baseball too, collecting numerous all-conference, all-district, all-state, and other honors.
US Army All-American: My greatest prep honor was being selected as 1 of 78 seniors in the country to compete in the US Army All-American bowl. It was my first experience playing 11-man football.
University of Iowa: I was honored for an opportunity to continue playing ball and earn a college degree with the Hawkeyes. I was recruited as a defensive end, but ended up spending time at a handful of positions while in the program. A back injury requiring surgery during my first year ultimately affected my ability to contribute consistently, but I'm proud to have been a 3 year letter winner contributing on special teams and receiving a Team Leader award during my senior season. While at Iowa, I earned a degree in Communications Studies and completed the Entrepreneurial Certificate program.
Semi-Pro Baseball: I made the mistake they told all of us not to in not considering a life other than as a professional athlete. So, when the NFL was , I returned to the diamond as a fire-balling left handed relief pitcher. I spent 2 seasons in leagues in Texas, New Mexico, and Alaska. I learned during that time that I was a thrower, not a pitcher, and that the MLB wasn't likely to come calling. Fortunately, that experience linked me up with the Diamond Dreams facility in Iowa City where Redzone Football would soon be born.
RedZone Football: It all started in 2011 with a few small camps & clinics. I was naive at the time and thought we could just pound a sign in the ground saying 'former Iowa player running youth camps' and the doors would be knocked down. That wasn't the case and we were left to scratch, claw, and build RedZone brick by brick. I still tell people that RedZone is something we've been trying to figure out for nearly 15 years. We've certainly made some headway in that time.
Team Iowa Football: I'm proud to have been involved in Team Iowa's evolution also in the early 2010s. This is a competitive program that searches for Iowa's best youth tackle players to form teams and take on the nation in tournaments across the country. Over 2 different stints with the org, I served as state director, head coach, and defensive coordinator.
Iowa Football Club Camp Director: I was humbled to serve as the camp director for this charitable organization made up of former Hawkeye football players. We provided some tremendous football opportunities to youth throughout the state and supported some great causes along the way.
Southeast JrH Head Coach: I spent some time in a scholastic coaching environment with 7th graders at a middle school in Iowa City. This started as an effort to preserve 7th grade tackle football opportunities that had been cut by the ICCSD. I was a volunteer coach there for 2 years, and a paid coach in my final year after helping bridge the gap before the school district brought the program back in-house.
Other Notable Experiences: Serve on Iowa 7v7's competition committee, launched the Next In Line football camp, spoke at a youth football summit hosted by the IAHSAA, have worked camps for numerous schools, ex-teammates, and coaching colleagues, have been a guest speaker for a number of high school programs.