Football University (FBU) will be coming to Canada in May with its Vancouver camp (May 4-6) and its Toronto camp (May 18-20). FBU always brings top-notch coaching, but many do not realize how it opens the door for Canadian football athletes to compete with the best America has to offer.
NFL Caliber Coaching and Instruction
The Vancouver camp will be taking place at Vancouver College and will feature some of football’s best coaching minds. These coaches have played and coached at the NFL level and trained some of the game’s best players. Some of the coaches who are scheduled for the Vancouver camp include:
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[*]Chris Miller, who coached Kurt Warner and the Arizona Cardinals for the past three seasons, along with Tony Banks, the former St. Louis Ram, Baltimore Raven and Dallas Cowboy quarterback who was the first quarterback taken in the 1996 NFL Draft.
[*]Cris Dishman will lead the defensive backs. Dishman is a former Pro Bowl defensive back with the Houston Oilers and is currently the assistant secondary coach with the San Diego Chargers.
[*]Defensive line coach Pete Rodriguez has more than 40 years in coaching, including time with the Raiders, Redskins, Seahawks, Cardinals and Jaguars. He also spent time at the major college level with Florida State and USC.
[*]Linebacker coach Ricky Hunley was a two-time All-American from Arizona and spent six seasons in the NFL with Denver, Los Angeles and Phoenix before starting his coaching career and working under coaches Steve Spurrier and Marvin Lewis.
[*]Robert Ford will lead the running back instruction. Ford has spent more than 17 years as a coach in the NFL with the Dallas Cowboys, Miami Dolphins and Arizona Cardinals and trained numerous NFL All-Pros, including former Cowboys Michael Irvin, Jay Novacek and Alvin Harper, Kansas City Chief Chris Chambers, Arizona Cardinal Larry Fitzgerald and Baltimore Raven Anquan Boldin.
[*]FBU core coach Charlie Collins will coach the wide receivers. He has coached wide receivers with the Cincinnati Bengals where he worked with Chad Ochocinco, who still considers Collins his mentor. Collins also has coached with the San Francisco 49ers and has privately trained All-Pro receivers Steve Smith of the Carolina Panthers and New York Giants sensation Victor Cruz.
[*]ESPN broadcaster and 16-year professional veteran David Diaz-Infante will be coaching the offensive line. Diaz-Infante won two Super Bowls with the Denver Broncos and played with the San Diego Chargers and Philadelphia Eagles.
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The Toronto camp will also feature top coaches with long NFL and major collegiate pedigrees. Those include:
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[*]Current Dallas Cowboys defensive backs coach Jerome Henderson.
[*]Carl Hairston, a long-time NFL defensive lineman with the Eagles and Browns and former coach with Kansas City, St. Louis and Green Bay.
[*]Ted Cottrell, one of the game’s master defensive gurus and innovator of the 3-4 defense, who has coached with San Diego, Minnesota, Buffalo and the New York Jets.
[*]David Hack, a five-time CFL East All-Star and six-time nominee of the “Best Offensive Lineman” award with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. He will team with Diaz-Infante.
[*]Former ESPN analyst and NFL quarterback with the Vikings and Chargers, Sean Salisbury.
[*]Rich Bartel, core FBU quarterbacks coach and active quarterback with the Arizona Cardinals.
[*]Mike Wilson, current Cleveland Browns wide receivers coach and four-time Super Bowl champion with the 49ers.
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FBU Opens New Frontiers of Competition
In addition to the excellent roster of coaches, Football University’s reach to Canadian football players extends well beyond regional camps and allows them to compete against top American football athletes in numerous events.
The most notable of these opportunities is the U15 All-Star Game between the Canadians and Americans as part of the Eastbay Youth All-American Bowl games that takes place the day after the prestigious U.S. Army All-American Bowl in the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. The game will be in its third year next January with the series tied at 1-1 after Canada’s surprising win in 2011 and America’s victory this past January. Players are selected based on their FBU camp performance as well as through the advice of regional scouts.
The TOP GUN camp in Williamsburg, Virginia, is the crowning event of the FBU yearly slate. It features the top 750 youth and top 750 high school football players from the FBU season. Several Canadian athletes have competed at TOP GUN, allowing them to go head-to-head with their American counterparts. This allows them to evaluate their game and identify areas to strengthen.
This year, for the first time, regional Canadian teams will be eligible to compete for the second annual Football University National Championship. This first-of-its-kind tournament features a “March Madness” meets Little League Baseball style tournament to determine the top 6[SUP]th[/SUP], 7[SUP]th[/SUP] and 8[SUP]th[/SUP]-grade teams in North America during Bowl Week in San Antonio. Last year, the team from Central Florida defeated the team from Dallas to take home the crown.
FBU also holds combines in Texas, which have included Canadians for the past 2 years.
With all of these opportunities, FBU opens the door for Canadian football athletes to improve their game, challenge themselves and get themselves on the radar with outstanding performances.
Visit [URL]http://www.footballuniversity.org/canada for more info on FBU Canada events.
To register for a FBU Canadian camp, use code NOMTL and sign up at [URL]http://www.footballuniversity.org/dbforms/welcome.php
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