By Darl DeVault
Even with the demands on his time that come with being the best running back in the NFL, All-Pro Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson continues to give back to Oklahoma. In June, at the third annual football camp he conducts for youth in Norman, he added a segment that gives back to the U.S. Army for showcasing his talent coming out of high school. Many remember his play in America’s premier high school all-star game at the 2004 U.S. Army All-American Bowl, after which Peterson announced on national television that he would attend the University of Oklahoma.
Writers have since dubbed Peterson the “immediate impact rookie” for 2007 by comparing him to Eric Dickerson in his record-breaking 1983 NFL rookie season. Peterson’s epic runs against the San Diego Chargers in only his eighth game earned him the NFL single-game rushing record in 2007 with 296 yards. The immediate impact on the league came three weeks after a 224-yard game against Chicago. Peterson was the first NFL rookie to have two 200-yard games in his first season. Dickerson’s rookie big game was a 199-yarder. Peterson earned the Associated Press NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2007, despite only becoming a starter in his sixth game, a week after his big performance against the Bears.
Elected to the NFL Pro-Bowl all three years, Peterson continues to be a punishing, powerful workhorse back with track-star speed. His agility and signature spin moves allow him to be a flashy, open-field tailback while taking bruising hits running through the middle of the line to a 4.5-yard average for his three NFL seasons.
Oklahomans had a preview of Peterson’s immediate impact on the NFL when the 6’2”, 216-pound teen started his OU career by breaking the NCAA freshman rushing record. Those 1,925 yards earned him second in Heisman balloting his first year on campus. To describe power running, just look at that first OU season – of those 1,925 yards, 1,325 came after first contact, many times after making his spin move to break away from tacklers.
“It’s just like coming home here in Norman, the fans, the kids. It’s like a second home.One of my biggest fan bases is here in Norman and the state of Oklahoma,” Peterson said on the first day of camp. “I have to come back and show love to the fans and to the kids. We’ve got close to 500 kids out here who are excited to be a part of this camp, so that makes it fun to be here.”
Another thing Peterson does is give back to organizations that helped him along the way. That explains his addition of the Army Strong Challenge to his camp this year. More than 70 high-school-age Oklahoma athletes were deeply immersed in what it takes to work out at the highest level of college football on the OU Intramural Fields in Norman on June 26.
While the two-day Old Spice Adrian Peterson Football Camp was going on, these older football players took part in the Adrian Peterson Football Camp Army Strong Challenge and ProWorkout Clinic.
These mostly local high school athletes were treated to a free three-hour training session with D1 Sports Training performance trainers courtesy of the U.S. Army. D1 is one of the few athletic preparation and rehab companies that deliver a major college and NFL-quality training regimen to athletes and corporations.
Peterson aided the Army’s ability to reach out to youth by including their presence as sponsors in his first youth camp in 2008. Last year, organizers taught a segment of the camp to high school athletes with the Army’s support.
“I had the opportunity to play in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl coming out of high school, and that’s where the relationship began,” Peterson said. “They awarded me their U.S. Army Player of the Year Award (Ken Hall Trophy). That was quite an honor, and thank God I have been successful and able to do things for the community, like coming back here; partnering with these guys (U.S. Army and D1) is a bonus.”
The U.S. Army Player of the Year Award is high school football’s highest honor. Athletes are selected for their demonstrated commitment to excellence on the field. Having the same strengths and values demonstrated by Army soldiers, including loyalty, respect, honor and integrity, also earn athletes the honor. The award is also known as the Ken Hall Trophy, named for the most successful high school player ever, who set 17 high school national records, including 11,232 yards in four years, that still stands today.
U.S. Army personnel at the camp said they realize that aspects of football such as teamwork, agility and strength are similar to skills needed to be a good Army soldier. They have been promoting recruiting by engaging youth through their support of the premier national high school all-star game.
“Every U.S. Army All-American reflects the characteristics found in the Army Strong soldier and possesses a mental, emotional and physical strength like no other,” said Col. Derik Crotts, Director, Marketing and Outreach, U.S. Army Accessions Command.
The Army sponsored D1 performance trainers to four camps this summer. The one in Norman, the Adrian Peterson Football Camp Army Strong Challenge and ProWorkout Clinic, is similar to those hosted by Reggie Bush, Marvin Lewis and Anthony Munoz around the country this summer.
The crew of four D1 coaches featured speed and agility instruction, focusing on drills that taught footwork mechanics, explosiveness and agility training while teaching the proper mechanics to improve running techniques and sport-specific quickness. The athletes were challenged to sprint rather than run through the drills at the clinic.
These drills were accompanied by a peppering of constant positive reinforcement from the four coaches, who went from being the isolated voices at the beginning of the session shouting encouragement to the athletes, to being joined by several self-evident athlete leaders who took up the constant praise for their fellow athletes’ hard work in the drills.
Hard work, attention to technique and improving football-specific quickness was relentless in the 90-degree heat. Surely, some of these young football players didn’t know what they were getting into when they signed up for the free clinic. That was borne out after overhearing a youngster who ran over to his Dad at a water break. The youth, from Edmond, said, “Boy, I’m not in this kind of shape.” This from an athlete who didn’t appear to have an ounce of body fat.
It was relentless. The coaches kept up a steady stream of correction and attaboys. It was Army Strong. Several of the drills were so grueling, some of the athletes awaited their turns with their hands clasped over their heads to help get that extra bit of oxygen in their lungs.
The clinic atmosphere could be described locally as though OU had held a contest to select their four best football training motivators to expose the youngsters at the clinic to how intensely a big college training camp functions when the coaching is world class.
After their intense exposure to dozens of drills in the span of three hours, the group gathered to meet and interact with Peterson, who accepted questions after asking them to consider their work ethic in life and on the playing field. He shared his message that hard work pays off and good intentions need constant work as well.
This writer has never seen high school athletes coached so intensely in such a positive manner within such a complex drill environment, despite covering high school sports for many years. The D1 coaches were hands-on, reaching down to help athletes up if needed, while constantly moving around the drill area. They also taught the high schoolers several positive chants to motivate them during the hard work.
“I would like to thank the U.S. Army for putting on this camp because these guys (D1 coaches) are definitely doing an amazing job,” Peterson said as he began speaking to the high schoolers. “Just hearing you guys chant ‘I will, I must’ – that is right on point to what I want to encourage you to do in your lives. The key is to have a positive mind set, be focused and strong minded, and work hard – you can accomplish it.”
