World Champion Redskins Making a Difference

As far as football camps go, there are a lot of options, even in Montana. However, when it comes to working with former NFL players, the opportunities are harder to come by.

That's what made the Redskins Football Camp, put on last week at the Havre Middle School, such a unique opportunity for kids in the area and why the Washington Redskins Original American Foundation was so keen to put it on.

"I think that these camps provide kids a chance to work with professional athletes and go to a camp like this, when they otherwise might not be able to," Kendra Brown of the Washington Redskins Original American Foundation said. "We try to have our camps in more remote and rural areas. A lot of these bigger camps are just places that are hard for kids to get to, so we wanted to bring it to them."

The camp, which was held last week at the Middle School for three days, attracted more than 100 football players, with many coming from both Havre and Rocky Boy. In all, the camp in Havre joining others in places like Oklahoma and in all the camps combined, more than 1,500 players were able to attend.

"We have put on camps in Oklahoma, Arizona, South Dakota and Montana," Brown said. "A lot of the focus is on basic fundamentals and things like that, but a lot of it, too, is getting kids a chance to work with some NFL players and also getting them excited about playing football."

Tom Woolworth was another representative of the Redskins Original American Foundation at the camp and he said the camps make an impact in a number of ways.

"In a lot of rural areas like this, these kinds of camps don't happen often," Woolworth said. "And I think the benefits are four or five fold. These kids get to come out and work at a camp with NFL players, many of whom are Super Bowl champions and not only work on their fundamentals, but also get a chance to talk to them and work with the coaches to try and improve."

Over the course of the week, players got the chance to work through drills with two former Washington Redskins, one was former running Ricky Ervins. The other was kicker Mark Moseley.

Ervins played on the Redskins 1992 team that defeated the Buffalo Bills 37-24 in the Super Bowl. He rushed 13 times for 72 yards in the game and was the team's leading rusher. He was drafted by the Redskins out of USC. In 1990, he scored the game winning touchdown for the Trojans in the Rose Bowl and was named the Rose Bowl MVP. He played for Washington until 1994 and retired in 1995.

Moseley also won a Super Bowl title playing for the Redskins, as he was a member of the 1982 team that beat the Dolphins in the big game. That season was Moseley's finest in the NFL, as he made 20-of-21 field goal attempts and was named MVP by The Associated Press. He is the only special teams player in NFL history to ever win the award.

With the two former Super Bowl champions leading the way, the players took part in fundamental drills that were noncontact.

"We are just trying to teach them the fundamentals and the basics of football," Ervins said. "For me, I am a running back coach, so I try to work on footwork, ball handling, attitude, things like that."

Ervins, who also runs his own camp, coached in six of the 10 Redskins camps this summer, while Moseley was there for all 10.

"The kids at these camps don't get a chance to see professional players very often," Ervins said. "So for us to be able to come here and work with them and share our knowledge, that's a wonderful thing. For us as football players, that's what it's all about."

On the surface, a few days at a football camp, might not seem like it would make a big difference. But in Havre last week and across the country, the Redskins Original American Foundation is doing what it can not only to promote the game but also to teach skills that lead to success, both on and off the field.

"The best part about it is that the kids really appreciate it," Ervins said. "Because they don't see us often, so I really try to put myself out there. I want them to learn and be a sponge and realize what it takes to get to this level and all the hard work that you have to put in, not only just to be good at football, but to succeed in life, whether you play football or not."