More than football
Clinton-Dix’s camp at Dr. Phillips also promotes education, doing the right thing
Chicago Bears safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix had a message for the young football players at his first annual Ha Ha’s HERO Foundation Football Camp on Saturday.
Sure, there was plenty of football at the camp, but that’s not all it was about for the nearly 200 campers aged 7-14 and the vast assortment of NFL players who gathered to help during the camp at Dr. Phillips High.
Former Dr. Phillips standout Clinton-Dix was joined by numerous former Orlando youth, Pop Warner and high school stars who all have been there. Many of them have made it to the NFL in addition to Clinton-Dix (Packers, Redskins, Bears), including Sanford Seminole’s Kadeem Edwards (Bucs), but it’s sometimes a short-lived stint at the highest football camp held at Dr. of levels.
So the message was for these young players to not only work hard on honing their skills but to also stay focused in the classroom and use their skills to eventually earn a free education. Above all, the NFL stars urged the campers to always do the right thing.
“What are you doing when no one is looking at you, when no one is watching?” Clinton-Dix asked the group. “It’s called having integrity … and doing the right thing.”
That’s why Clinton-Dix and the other camp coaches were pleased when they all learned about the unselfish gesture by 12-year-old Jermichael Villis, who had won the MVP honor for his age group. The MVP winners were given an assortment of goodies, which included a pair of
Nike Vapor football gloves. Villis noticed one of his competitors was sad about missing out and, without hesitation, he handed the gloves over to him.
“That shows character and leadership for doing that,” Clinton-Dix told the campers.
The mission statement for Ha Ha’s HERO Foundation is to provide economically challenged students a voice of motivation, empowerment and encouragement so they can be heroes by achieving academic excellence, developing positive personal skills and making positive decisions to avoid high-risk behavior.
Villis embraced theme.
“This [is] about being a hero and I just felt like I needed to be a hero at that time,” Villis said of ClintonDix’s foundation name HERO, which stands for Hope, Education, Resources and Opportunity.
“It was a good camp. … I feel like I got better and I want to thank Coach Lo Wood [of Excel Speed].”
That has always been how Clinton-Dix has carried himself and a big reason he was able to stay the course through any trials he encountered on his way to becoming an NFL All-Pro during his second year in the league in 2015.
“It was a great day today,” Clinton-Dix said. “I had a lot of support from some of my NFL teammates, to my high school coaches and my high school trainer. It was a good turnout and I had a great time today.
“It definitely feels good to finally get the first one out of the way after so many years of thinking about doing the camp and just being involved in so many guys’ camps. It felt good to come back and host my own, and I have a great support system to be able to do it.”
Edwards made his way to the NFL via the long route. He was part of Seminole’s 2008 state championship the team with stars Andre Dubose, Dyron Dye and Ray Ray Armstrong. He wasn’t as lauded as the others, but he went to Tennessee State and eventually made it to the big time, Edwards was a 2014 draft pick of the Bucs, the same year Clinton-Dix was picked in the first round by the Packers.
“It’s a great opportunity and Ha has roots in the Sanford community with his father, so we’ve known each other,” Edwards said of helping at the camp. “It’s just about being out here and showing these kids you can make it and giving them hope.
“We’re also here to let them now you’ve got to be real good in the classroom and listen to your mama, listen to your coaches. Smart things like that we just try to instill in these kids.”
Dix also got some help from Brandon Brown Dukes of Winter Park (Mercyhurst/Steelers), Trey Griffey of Dr. Phillips (Arizona/ Steelers), Darryl Monroe of Olympia (Washington State/ Akron/CFL), Drico Johnson of Agape Christian (UCF/ Cardinals), Kenny Shaw of Dr. Phillips (FSU/Browns/ CFL), Kermit Whitfield of Jones (FSU/Bengals), former Clinton-Dix teammate DeAndrew White (Panthers), and current Edgewater assistant coach Aaron Jones.
The supporting cast of coaches included CintonDix’s former high school defensive coach and current Dr. Phillips head coach Rodney Wells, his trainer Boris Jackson and Wood, as well as DP assistant coach Riki Smith, who were instrumental in Clinton-Dix’s rise to NFL prominence.
None of that is lost Clinton-Dix.
“Man, it’s a blessing,” he said. “You don’t take anything for granted. It’s about having a strong faith and staying committed to what you started. Everything has just unfolded for me and everything has come to light and I’m blessed to be in this position.”
Clinton-Dix joined the Bears as a free agent this offseason and can’t wait to get to work with his new team, which is a top-10 pick by many experts to make a run at the Super Bowl this upcoming season.
“Man, it feels good,” he said. “I’m glad to be a part of something special going on in Chicago right now. We have a chance to be special and I’m glad to be a part of this unit.”
HERO Award age-group winners at the camp were: 14-15 Brandon Jacobs, 11-12 Anthony Bethune, 13-14 Sammy Feliciano, 11-12 Jermichael Villis, 13-14 Jakeem Jackson, 7-8 Gavin Pritzkau, 7-8 Jamai Brown, 7-8 Jayden Brown, 7-8 Cameron Tooley, and 7-8 Cameron Monroe.
The fastest campers, or Fast Cats, were: overall winner Jakovi Bryant (15) of Ocoee, Donovan Daniels (8), J’deyaun Jackson (9), Jaiden Morgan (10), Jordan Elmontus (11), Jermichael Villis (12), Kalen Meadows (13), Brandon Jacobs (14) and Anthony Bethune (14). on