ROCKINGHAM — “Once a Raider, always a Raider.” That’s what the Richmond Senior High School football program tweeted out following Tuesday’s reception of the National Football League Foundation’s Pro Bowl Champions Grant.
The donation of $10,000 was awarded to the Raiders as part of a second-year initiative by the NFL Foundation. According to its website, the financial grants are “made on behalf of our current players who were members of the 2019 Pro Bowl Champion AFC Team.”
Current Los Angeles Chargers’ defensive end Melvin Ingram, who was raised in Hamlet and graduated from Richmond in 2006, earned his second career Pro Bowl selection after playing in all 16 regular season games.
During the 2018 season, Ingram recorded seven sacks, 43 tackles and one interception. The Richmond County native went off against the Baltimore Ravens in the Wild Card round, collecting a team-high seven tackles, adding two sacks and two tackles for loss,
He also had two quarterback hits on Lamar Jackson in that game, and ended the performance with a forced fumble and fumble recovery.
During the NFL all-star game in Orlando, Fla., Ingram and the American Football Conference team crushed the National Football Conference 26-7. Ingram recorded a sack on Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson.
On hand to deliver the check to Raider head coach Bryan Till and a swarm of players on his behalf was Ingram’s sister, Callie Ingram, who is a teacher at Hamlet Middle School.
In order to receive the grant from the NFL foundation, the Raider program had to apply, and Till explained part of the process was to include RSHS’ demographics and what the program would spend the money on.
Since Ingram was on the winning team, it was his decision to donate it to his alma mater.
“We are planning to use the money to buy a video setup on the sideline,” TIll explained. “We’ll hook our iPads up to a television monitor, and in order to do that we need a battery supply. And then we’ll need a tent to protect it from the heat and water elements.
“We’ll also use the money to address needs as they arise, like equipment and a new paint machine,” he added. “It’s going to help us out tremendously.”
To make his players feel the direct link to Ingram and the NFL Foundation’s impact, Till also hopes to use the money to buy t-shirts. That, he said, would “benefit the kids and let them see (the donation) was meant for them.”
During his State of the Program address in February, Till made it know that the tradition-rich Raider program succeeds when the community becomes immersed in going-ons of the student-athletes and coaches.
He noted receiving the grant was a reflection of the former Raider standout giving back to his community.
“It’s big that Melvin still cares about this place,” Till said. “We got him on the phone today on speakerphone and he was very encouraging to our boys. He told them to keep working hard and it showed it was more than just about the money.”
The Raiders will start to put the donation money to good use as the first day of official spring practices start on Monday, May 13.
Melvin Ingram was contacted but not available for comment at the time of publication.
