As Ronnie Harrison walked on to the field of Florida State University School, his alma mater, a dream was fulfilled Saturday.
The Jacksonville Jaguars safety held the first Ronnie Harrison Football Camp and gave 104 kids an opportunity he longed for when he was growing up.
“They don’t have a lot of stuff like this in Tallahassee, so that’s really why I’m trying to do this,” Harrison said.
He added the event meant just as much to him as the kids.
“It feels great. It’s a dream come true. This is something I’ve been wanting to do since I was young,” he said. “I said if I ever made it, I want to give back to the community. That’s what me and my mom agreed on and this is one of the first ways I want to do it, with my first camp.”
Florida State defensive end Janarius Robinson, Buffalo Bills offensive lineman Garrett McGhin and Arizona Cardinals safety Deionte Thompson joined Harrison leading kids through a workout Saturday.
The campers were divided by age group and after stretching together broke off to do different position drills, with Harrison helping out at different stations.
The camp was composed of boys and girls, something Harrison said was important as he tries to unify the community and give kids a safe environment to meet their neighbors and possibly their future coaches.
“It’s really just to get them all out here and have them run around and have them have fun like that. I wanted the girls to come as well,” said Harrison, who played college football at Alabama. “I don’t want them to feel left out. They’re a part of this community as well, so I wanted them to come out and have fun.”
The kids were eager to participate and meet Harrison, which he said came as a surprise.
“It’s just really shocking how in awe they are, how excited that they are over me,” he said. “I feel like I’m just a regular person unless I’m in a helmet playing football. I feel just like them, like a regular kid. I still feel like a kid and when they run up like they do, it’s just a lot of love and I love it. I just show them a lot of love because I was in their shoes.”
The camps served as an inspiration for not only the kids, but for volunteers like Robinson, who grew up in neighboring Panama City.
“People just want to give back to their hometown, somewhere you grew up in and you know the struggles of the youth getting out,” Robinson said. “Him coming back and giving back, I can see it means a lot to him. It inspires me a lot. It’s something I would like to do in my hometown. Go back and give back to the kids, especially with the tragedy that happened in my hometown last year.”
As FSU looks to fill voids while developing leaders on the defensive side of the ball this year, Robinson said doing things in the offseason like assisting with the camp helps him sharpen his skills.
“If I can teach them what I’m doing, that means I’m getting better and I know what I’m doing if I can come out here and help and coach these guys in the position I play,” he said.
While fun and unity were at the forefront of Harrison’s mind when he put the camp together, he noted he wanted to bring more exposure to the area.
“It’s a lot of talent. It’s like a hidden gold mine,” he said. “A lot younger guys now are starting to get recognition coming out. Back in the day, we had a lot of great players that came through here, a lot of great players that didn’t get recruited just because colleges didn’t come through here. If it weren’t for me going to camps and putting my film out there, I don’t know if I would’ve been at Alabama. You’ve just got to push hard, but it’s a lot of talent out around this way. A lot of kids can play.”
