THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc. DATE: Friday, November 4, 1994 TAG: 9411030170 SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 17 EDITION: FINAL SOURCE: BY LEE TOLLIVER, BEACON SPORTS EDITOR LENGTH: Long : 104 lines
EVERY NOW AND THEN, an athlete comes along who turns out to be something special.
You know the type.
Succeeds in the classroom as well as on the athletic field - writes his or her own ticket to college.
And from there, they go onto become outstanding collegiate athletes with either professional teams knocking on their dorm doors or a bright business future beaming their way.
And some even become one of the rare ones who actually makes it to the professional ranks in their chosen sport.
Unfortunately, despite all they have going for them, remembering their roots sometimes slips through the cracks.
But South Hampton Roads has been blessed with quality performers who maintain an image at home once they make it in the big time - giving something back to their communities when they can.
Professional boxer Pernell ``Sweetpea'' Whitaker often battles to hold his fights locally so his fans can see them in person. NFL Pro Bowler Bruce Smith holds his annual Bruce Smith Celebrity Weekend golf tournament to raise funds for local charities.
They are just a couple.
And now, Keith Goganious of the Buffalo Bills and Darren Perry of the Pittsburgh Steelers have joined the ranks with the Hampton Roads Football Camp.
The camps for players age 10 through high school seniors will be held in two sessions next summer - July 9-14 and 16-21 - at Virginia Wesleyan College. The camps will be overnight and there is room for up to 300 campers at each session.
Campers will be grouped by age and position and an athletic trainer will be present at all times.
The tuition, including room and meals, is $325, but if registered with a $100 deposit before Christmas, it is only $275.
Kind of a Christmas present incentive.
Goganious is a former Green Run High and Penn State linebacker, while Perry is a former Deep Creek and Penn State safety.
``Believe it or not, we had talked about this as far back as when we were both at Penn State,'' Perry said. ``It's a good chance for us to give something back to the community.''
Gene Bunn - who directs Smith's celebrity weekend - will be the football camp director and already has secured many of the details for the area's first top-level youth football camp.
Deep Creek athletic director Jim Garrett - Perry's coach for the Hornets - and Green Run coach Elisha ``Cadillac'' Harris will supervise other high school coaches.
``It's surprising that with the level of talent that comes out of our area that there has never been a really big football camp,'' Perry said. ``There are some little ones here and there, but nothing of the caliber of what we're going to try to do.''
Ocean Lakes football coach Jim Prince ran a small youth camp while coaching at Cox, but that's been about it.
This will be a much bigger affair, Bunn said, with many professional players on hand.
``We'll try to have at least one for every aspect of the game - defensive backs, quarterbacks, linemen, you name it,'' he said. ``We're going to have a coach/player ratio around 1-12 and we'll have lots of high school coaches on hand to help out with the programs.''
Among those committing early to attend will be Smith, Eugene Chung, Reggie Langhorne, Will Furrer and Matt Darby - Goganious' teammate at Green Run and now in Buffalo.
``We're going to be working hard to get some of the guys to come by the camp and talk with the kids,'' Goganious said. ``We don't want this to be one of those things where only our name is associated. We will be working at this camp, spending the night there and really helping these kids out as best as we can.
``This is something the area really needs.''
Goganious also said it is an added bonus for young athletes to come in contact with some of the players they see on television.
``It's an important situation when kids can see some of these guys up close and in person, and even get the chance to sit and talk to them,'' Goganious said.
``In the big cities where there are pro teams, the kids get the chance to see these athletes all the time,'' Perry added. ``But in our area, where we have no pro teams, the kids don't get the chance.
``Maybe our camp will give them that opportunity and teach them some good fundamentals or football at the same time.'' ILLUSTRATION: AP file photo
The Buffalo Bills' Keith Goganious, former star at Green Run High
and Penn State, says: ``We don't want this to be one of those things
where only our name is associated. We will be working at this camp,
spending the night there and really helping these kids out as best
as we can.''
The Bills' Matt Darby, ex-Green Run teammate of Keith Goganious, is
committed to the camp.
Photo
Ex-Deep Creek and Penn State star Darren Perry is now with the
Steelers.
by CNB