Lysol Signs Jerry Rice

The world's greatest football player is ready to tackle children's health issues. Lysol, an RB brand, has signed Jerry Rice, Hall of Fame wide receiver for the San Francisco 49ers and three-time Super Bowl champion, to be America's first-ever Healthy Habits Coach. Rice will bring the same focus and determination he's so well-known for on the football field to coaching healthy habits among students across the country.


“It is important for me to give back by helping today's youth understand their true potential so that they can overcome any challenges that come their way,” said Rice. “I am excited to be the Lysol Healthy Habits Coach so I can help teach kids the importance of developing a healthy foundation to help set them up for success and happiness in school, on the field and beyond.”


Rice's first job will be to make a special visit to Scarborough High School in Houston, TX to show how the combination of a little professional coaching and a strong, healthy foundation can help make all the difference between winning and wanting for the Scarborough Spartans football team, who has carried a losing record since 2009. Using his Healthy Habits Playbook, a special “training protocol” for kids about hygiene and illness prevention, nutrition and exercise, and his expertise on the game, Rice will empower the team with an outside-the-box approach to training with the goal of improving their performance on and off the field during the 2014 back to school season and beyond. While he's there, he will also share his tips for healthy success to all of Scarborough High's students and nearby elementary school children.


“We're ready for this 'losingest' streak to end and we're excited about the positive changes that a healthy habits foundation can have on our team and our entire student body,” said Dr. Diego Linares, principal of Scarborough High School. “With the legendary Jerry Rice as our football team's honorary Healthy Habits Coach, we're looking forward to embracing a new training regime that will have positive end benefits for our students whether it's an improvement in the numbers on the scoreboard or on illness-related attendance.”


From there, Coach Rice will share his playbook with students across the country as part of the Healthy Habits program. Now in its second year, the Healthy Habits program was developed by Lysol in collaboration with the National Parent Teacher Association (PTA) and National Education Association (NEA) to help children establish a foundation of healthy habits and set them up for success inside and outside of the classroom. The cornerstone of the program is the Lysol Healthy Habits Bus, which is an interactive science museum on wheels that travels to schools across the U.S., educating elementary students about germs and proper hygiene.  


“As children of all ages head back to school, healthy habits are more essential than ever to help keep them  healthy and set them up to achieve their potential,” said Conor O'Brien, marketing director, Lysol. “As part of the Lysol mission, we are committed to providing resources and products that can help keep homes and schools clean, disinfected and healthy.”


Schools and families across the country can join the movement by celebrating the second annual Healthy Habits Week, which kicks off on September 22, 2014. During this week, Lysol, PTA and NEA encourage teachers, parents and students to dedicate time to learning about and practicing healthy habits,  and have made available engaging education materials, such as lesson plans, posters and literature, and activity guides that can be downloaded online at Lysol.com/HealthyHabits. For further information on keeping your family healthy, please also visit the Global Hygiene Council at www.hygienecouncil.com.