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Eighty-three aspiring gridiron stars took to the McAndrew Stadium turf Tuesday to learn how to perform on and off of it.
The students, ages 13 to 18, took tips from the SIU football coaching staff as part of the third annual Fellowship of Christian Athletes Football Camp. The goal of the two-day session was to provide young athletes with the fundamentals of the sport and spirituality, coordinator Roger Lipe said.
“You don’t have to divorce yourself from your faith in order to play great football, or vice versa. You can be exactly who you want to be and experience the game at its fullest with your faith totally engaged,” Lipe said.
Lipe, a representative with the Southern Illinois Fellowship of Christian Athletes, has worked with the SIU football team for the past 15 seasons as the team’s chaplain. Three years ago, he started the camp under former SIU head coach Jerry Kill.
The camp continued this season with second-year head coach Dale Lennon’s staff and hasn’t skipped a beat, Lipe said.
Lennon opened the morning practice Tuesday morning with defensive drills and continued in the afternoon session with offensive position breakdowns. In between the on-field work, the athletes were given advice about life and football from Lipe and SIU junior safety Mike McElroy.
McElroy joins a host of former SIU stars to speak at the camp, including quarterback Nick Hill, tight end Byron Gettis and center Mike Farrell. The time with the athletes is especially inspiring to the students, Lipe said.
“When they speak, it has an authenticity that really rings true for kids,” Lipe said. “It’s not a guy talking through his hat — this guy’s really done it. It means more to them that way.”
As the lone remaining coach from Kill’s staff, secondary coach Travis Stepps is the only coach who has taught at the camp since its inception. Stepps said he appreciates the ability to help the students and Lipe, who gives so much to the team as chaplain.
When coaching the students, Stepps said he tries to focus on fundamentals and leadership skills, which will carry over no matter what offensive or defensive system their high school coaches run.
He said it has been rewarding to watch the maturation of the students who return every year.
“They become familiar with us as a coach mainly because I’ve been around so long that I’ve seen a lot of these kids. You get to see them grow from 7th, 8th grade to juniors in high school. They improve every year,” he said.
Students participating in the camp are mostly local, but some travel from as far away as Mount Carmel.
A native of southern Illinois, Lipe said he follows many of the students throughout their high school careers and watches them develop in multiple facets of their lives.
“I’ve watched that kid as a sophomore, then he’s a junior, here he is coming into his senior year and his team is counting on him,” he said. “To see them grow in terms of physical skill, confidence and leadership skill — that’s a big deal to me.”
