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NFL star Joey Porter provides gridiron training at his alma mater
| Saturday, Jun 21 2008 10:05 PM
Last Updated: Monday, Jun 23 2008 9:34 AM
At first glance it was difficult to see who was more excited -- Shayne Nicklaus or his father Kirk. The elder Nicklaus, decked out in an officially licensed Miami Dolphins baseball cap, a Dolphins T-shirt and a pair of Dolphins orange shorts, anxiously awaited the arrival of the star attraction Saturday morning at Foothill High School.
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Joey Porter huddles up some of the players before a water break Saturday during his Boot Camp at Foothill High.
A Joey Porter Boot Camp participant runs past Joey Porter during a running drill at Foothill.
Ted Ginn of the Miami Dolphins throws some passes to participants at the Joey Porter Boot Camp.
Khadeisya Brown, a BHS student, runs drills Saturday with football in hand at Foothill High during the Joey Porter Boot Camp. Joey Porter is at the left.
The Miami Dolphins' Ronnie Brown, left, and Vernon Carey, right, help Joey Porter Jr., with some hitting drills during the boot camp Saturday at Foothill.
The Miami Dolphins' Ted Ginn, left, throws a few passes to the Joey Porter Boot Camp athletes Saturday at Foothill High School.
Participants work on sprint drills during the Porter Boot Camp.
Young football enthusiasts work on sled training Saturday at Foothill High School during the Joey Porter Boot Camp.
Alex Lopez goes after a pass from the Miami Dolphins' Ted Ginn at the Joey Porter Boot Camp.
"I've been a Dolphins fan since I was 7," said Kirk in explaining how a boy from Bakersfield could grow up and root for a team 2,825 miles away. "It was before Super Bowl VII and I was asking my dad who the team was with the fish on the helmet. He told me the Dolphins. We watched the game, they won and I've been a fan ever since."
The Nicklauses were just two of more than 400 campers and parents who ventured out on one of the hottest days of the year to see Foothill High's most famous football player -- Joey Porter.
"You got to come back home," said Porter, who seemed to be having as much fun on the field as the campers. "... So it only makes sense to come back to where it started.
"I want to help out those who helped me."
The three-time Pro Bowl linebacker brought back his Boot Camp after a one-year hiatus.
It was an opportunity that a young Dolphins fan couldn't pass up.
"I got orange blood running through me," said Shayne as he pulled out a pair of receiver gloves before the camp started. The 13-year-old came to the camp in hopes of picking up a few tips on getting faster for his upcoming season with the Golden Empire Wolverines.
The $50 registration fee was a small penance for what would become a fortuitous encounter. In the first drill of the day, who was it that held Shayne's harness during a speed drill? The camp's namesake -- Joey Porter.
Not everyone at the six-hour camp got the one-on-one attention that Shayne received, but Porter made the rounds and provided plenty of motivation for the Bakersfield-area campers.
"I've got some push-ups for you if you don't run all the way through," Porter barked to a group of campers running a speed drill.
No one disobeyed Porter's order that particular instance, but there were still plenty of push-ups being done throughout the day by campers and by some of Porter's NFL teammates.
Miami running back Ronnie Brown found himself face down a few times during the morning workout as his squad of campers paid for losing in a drills' relay race.
"This is just a good way for NFL guys to interact with the kids," Brown said. "... You never know who might be the next one in the NFL."
Brown was one of 10 Dolphins to make the flight from South Beach to Bakersfield. Running back Ricky Williams, wide receiver Ted Ginn Jr., safety Renaldo Hill, cornerback Will Allen and offensive lineman Vernon Carey along with Porter's former Pittsburgh teammate, Larry Foote, were some of the NFL notables that helped with the camp.
Proceeds of the camp go toward Foothill High School and the football program. Foothill varsity coach Dennis Manning said the camp is vital in helping to raise funds for the program.
"We're grateful that a guy like Joey Porter doesn't forget about where he started and comes back here to help," Manning said.