ROCKINGHAM — For two-time Super Bowl winning linebacker Dannell Ellerbe, and his wife Shervella Ellerbe, their eighth annual homecoming was “the best one yet.”
The pair of Richmond County natives held their eighth annual Dannell Ellerbe Football FUNdamentals Camp on Richmond Senior High School’s practice fields Saturday. Approximately 250 campers attended the free event, making it another successful year of introducing and instructing the game of football to area youth.
“It was a really good camp,” Ellerbe, 33, shared. “The kids came out, had fun, put forth great effort and I commend them for battling through this heat.
“I enjoy coming back and giving back to the kids of my hometown,” he added with a smile. “I want to show them that they can do whatever they want to do if they believe in themselves. I love to do this — this is home for me and this camp is bigger than football. I want to keep the tradition alive of showing kids that people from (Richmond County) can play in the NFL.”
RSHS’ National Beta Club was on hand to assist with registration, as well as provide campers with water throughout the day. Following breakfast and a welcome speech from Ellerbe, participants were broken up into four age groups: 6-8, 9-11, 12-14 and 15-17.
For the next three hours, Ellerbe circulated the practice field from one group to the next, jumping in and participating in several drills, while also giving pointers. Campers made rounds between various stations, working on speed and agility, footwork, passing, catching, and stance and tackling drills, among others.
Like he has for the previous seven camps, Ellerbe had a handful of current and former high school, college and NFL teammates working with the kids. Some of those in attendance were Jonathan Freeny (New England Patriots), Jameel McClain (former Baltimore Ravens teammate) and Tariq Edwards (former Miami Dolphins teammate).
Ellerbe also had former RSHS teammates Alex Coulthard and Timothy McCaskill helping out. Members of the Richmond Raider football team and coaching staff usually help out with the event, but the team was participating in the Powerade Invitational 7-on-7 in Matthews, N.C. However, several players made an appearance once the team returned.
Once the workouts were done, Ellerbe challenged his campers to one final task: a 50-yard race by age group to determine the top four fastest runners at camp. The winners were Santana Sumner (6-8), Domanick Felton (9-11), Jason Hedgepeth (12-14) and Joshua Ellerbe (15-17).
Following the races, Ellerbe held a short awards ceremony while the kids ate lunch. Ellerbe recognized the race winners with a trophy, as well as the following categories: hardest worker and leadership.
The hardest worker recipients were: Riley Noble (6-8), Brion Mayfield (9-11), Anthony Quinn (12-14) and Jaques Wilson (15-17). Winners of the leadership award were: Xavier Gladen (6-8), Deonta Bagesse (9-11), Damian Hall (12-14) and Ethan Rainwater (15-17).
Shervella Ellerbe, who handles most of the logistics and behind-the-scenes aspects of the camp, was really impressed with the event’s success.
“I was really excited that we went home base with everything this year,” she explained. “All the tents, sponsors and volunteers were local. This was the first year where we’ve had everything done (within) Richmond County, so we’re really proud of that.
“This is a beautiful experience,” she added. “This was the best one yet. Beta members are able to get hours from this, and we’re able to come home and pour back into the community. This is our way of showing our love back — our children are the future.”
She also said it was a “family affair,” noting that many of her and Dannell’s family members were on hand to assist in the planning and carrying out of the event.
The day was capped by an autograph session by Ellerbe and his NFL teammates, followed by photos with the campers and fans.
“I have to thank my wife because she does so much for the camp and deals with the madness of setting it up,” Ellerbe closed. “I want to thank all the sponsors, coaches, family members and people who helped cook and made this year a success.”
A full photo gallery from Saturday’s event can be found on the Richmond Observer’s Facebook page, or by clicking here.
Note: Ellerbe mentioned that the winner of the 6-8 leadership award left his trophy at the event.
