Buffalo Bills Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly brought his "A" game to Rochester on July 26 when the Inaugural Jim Kelly One-Day Football Clinic was held at St. John Fisher College in Pittsford, NY.
Similar to his week-long camp held in early July at Ralph Wilson Stadium in Orchard Park, Kelly was hands-on and present throughout the day working with the kids and teaching them life lessons along with football skills.
"I hosted my first football camp which was a dream come true back in 1988 and it has been going strong ever since," said Kelly. "I know there is an unbelievable Buffalo Bills fan base in Rochester and the neighboring communities so I thought it would be a great idea to introduce the format of my football camp to St. John Fisher College."
The one-day camp in Rochester was held on the artificial turf field at Growney Stadium at Fisher, and the demand for attending Kelly's camp was so high that it was capped at 150 kids. The camp was basically a non-contact clinic that stressed football fundamentals for quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers, linebackers, defensive backs and lineman. Kelly was impressed with the college and facilities.
"I have had the privilege of visiting St. John Fisher College several times during the Bills Training Camps and I am truly amazed of how beautiful their facilities are," said Kelly.
There were two divisions where kids were broken up by age group into junior and senior divisions. The kids were provided an introduction to the game of football, including demonstrations and fundamentals for the offensive and defensive positions that the athlete chose. The coaching staff focused on both individual skills and team concepts and catered to the individual athlete based on their specific abilities. A skill competition for both passing and punting also took place for all attendees and the afternoon session included 7-on-7 drills focusing on the techniques the campers learned during the day.
Kelly's popular week-long football camp has been running for 23 years in Buffalo and he wanted to branch out to Rochester where many Bills fans may not have the opportunity to travel to Buffalo. The camp in Buffalo annually hosts nearly 600 kids per camp and utilizes Ralph Wilson Stadium and all of their practice fields.
"Throughout the years of holding my camp we have had thousands of kids participate and seeing the smiles and enjoyment of every kid makes it worthwhile," said Kelly.
The camp at St. John Fisher College was added to address the interest that Rochester area kids have expressed in the Jim Kelly Football Camp, and the proximity and timing with the Bills Training Camp made the camp a great way to kick off the 2010 season.
For more information on the Jim Kelly Football Camp, visit www.jimkellyfootballcamp.com.
