COWBOYS CONNECTION
Crawford visits Catholic Central, bringing NFL friends for special camp
Dallas cowboys defensive lineman Tyrone crawford played some basketball on thursday At catholic central High school, where he was A multi-sport star As A teenager. The nfler returned to reconnect with his former teachers And coach Before helping out At A football camp on saturday At the University of Windsor.
Kelsey Crawford is the one who’s expecting but it’s her husband, NFL player and Windsor native Tyrone Crawford, who has all the food cravings.
A defensive lineman for the Dallas Cowboys, Tyrone is back in Windsor for a few days visiting family and friends and taking part Saturday in the annual Windsor’s Finest Football Academy he co-founded with cousin Daryl Townsend, a member of the CFL’s Montreal Alouettes. Crawford and Townsend dropped by Catholic Central, their high school alma mater, Thursday to reconnect with several former teachers, including Comets’ foot- ball coach Jalil Khoury. When here, Crawford likes to hit all his favourite eateries, including a couple of nearby high school haunts. “I love seeing everyone, reminiscing and tasting food that I haven’t had in a long time,” the 28-year-old said. “I’ve definitely got to get some Italian and some Lebanese.”
Crawford always brings along several Dallas teammates and other NFLers to the football camp. This year’s lineup includes two of the biggest names on the Cowboys’ roster in franchise player of the year DeMarcus Lawrence and three-time Pro Bowl selection Dez Bryant.
Also slated to be on the field at the University of Windsor are Cowboys’ Tyron Smith and Maliek Collins, the Oakland Raiders’ Kyle Wilber and the Atlanta Falcons’ Jack Crawford (no relation). Tyrone’s brother, Tarrance, a former standout running back for the University of Windsor Lance rs, is helping out as a camp coach. Asked how he manages to lure such big time talent to Canada in April, Crawford said many of them aren’t aware of how cold it might be on the field.
“They really don’t know what the weather is like here,” he said with a smile. “We try to make it a good atmosphere and show them the best of Windsor. Windsor is talked about in our locker-room. We show them a good time.” Crawford certainly had a good time at Catholic Central Thursday. “It’s a downtown school, it’s a melting pot school and it grew me as a person and made me a stronger person,” he said. “I definitely gained a lot of mentors here. The teachers here care for the kids. It was a blessing coming to this high school.”
He got to catch up with a few of those teachers in Khoury, Jason George and Dave Walls.
A visit by Crawford “really sets the tone for our school community,” Khoury said. “This is a young man who walked the same halls and grew up in the same neighbourhood as these kids. He provides them an opportunity for hope. Young people look to and aspire to emulate someone in a position of success. Who better than this guy?” Saturday’s camp is run in conjunction with NFL Canada’s Play 60 program to promote health and wellness among youths. Townsend said there’s already 250 kids signed up but they will take walk-up registrations Saturday.
“We’re not going to turn anybody away,” he said. The camp is divided into two sessions based on age. Those between seven and 12 years old are on the field from 9 a.m. to noon and those 13to19yearsoldgofrom12:30to 4:30 p.m. Camp day registration is $75 per player and includes a guest speaker and anti-bullying session at the end of the day. “That’s one of the things that makes our camp a little different,” Townsend said. “We promote respect, leadership and goal setting. We like to say it’s the NFL and the CFL coming together to tackle bullying.”
Friday, Townsend and Crawford will work with 250 kids participating in Canadian Tire’s Jumpstart Games activities at the university ’s Dennis Fairall Fieldhouse. Then Friday night, they ’ll join the other NFL and CFL players for a fundraising event at Casino Windsor’s Ariius Nightclub for the benefit of the Jumpstart charities. More information on the football camp and the nightclub event is available on the Windsor’s Finest Football Academy’s Facebook page.