Ten years ago, Tony Jefferson was carving up defenses left and right as a top recruit coming out of Eastlake High School. Last Saturday, he returned to his alma matter to give back to the community as he hosted a free kids football camp.
Jefferson, who went on to play three seasons at Oklahoma, is coming off one of his best professional seasons with the NFL Baltimore Ravens. Despite going undrafted in the 2013 NFL Draft, Jefferson has made a name for himself as one of the up-and-coming safeties in the league. He signed a four-year $34 million contract with the Ravens last year.
With all the success Jefferson has enjoyed, he hasn’t lost sight of how he got where he is today. During the off-season, Jefferson comes back to his hometown and pays it forward. This is the second year he’s hosted the free football camp, and to him there’s nothing better.
“It’s a beautiful thing to see all these kids come out here, it makes you think back to when you were a little kid and always wanting to go to an NFL player’s camp so being able to see it come full circle is a great thing,” Jefferson said. “I like to bring in other players from the league but this year it was tough because a lot of them are in OTAs (organized team activities), I was fortunate that (San Diego pros) Kenny Stills (Miami Dolphins) and Tyree Robinson (Dallas Cowboys) were able to make it out here.”
Jefferson’s camp attracted 275 children this year. That speaks to the type of connection Jefferson has with the community, and all the parents who want their child to learn the game from one of San Diego’s own.
Chris Buchanan, a youth football coach, had his son and team partake in the camp.
“These camps Tony puts on are great especially for the kids to see that he was an Eastlake guy himself, and that this could be you one day,” Buchanan said. “I want them to learn that it’s not about individuals out here, ultimately you have to work together as a team to be successful.”
A high school 7-on-7 tournament took place on Sunday with 10 teams competing for a chance to win $10,000. For the second consecutive year, Lincoln earned the hefty donation check.
— Zach Fidel
Photo gallery by Jon Bigornia:
