Former Cowboys DB Teague hopes to inspire youths at Alamo camp

ALAMO - Nowadays, it's become common to see former NFL players continue to have ties with the game of football. Whether it's becoming a sports analyst or football commentator, it seems as though all players yearn for is the opportunity of finding a way to stay in the game somehow.

Former Dallas Cowboys safety George Teague took a different approach to ensure the game was still significant in his life. After playing his final game in 2001, Teague went on to coach high school football in a small city of the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolis.

There, he created a football camp to help the youth in various skills and knowledge of the sport. Teague said the camp caught on well with the public and decided to throw multiple football camps around the state.

The city of Alamo will host the George Teague 5th Annual Pro-Players Football Camp beginning tomorrow, which Teague brought to the Rio Grande Valley four years ago to further develop the area's athletes.

"I'm very excited about the football camp," Teague said. "This will be our fifth year doing the camp for the city of Alamo. It just keeps getting bigger and better every year. I'm looking forward to going down there and working with the youth."

The two-day camp is a no-contact event, where athletes learn fundamentals and advanced skills of football from former NFL players and coaches. Among some of the instructors are former Cowboys Larry Brown and Everson Walls, Pittsburgh's Barry Foster, and New England's Scooter McGruder and Paul Alsbury, also an Edinburg native. The camp is open to ages 8 to 18 and is broken into grade sections (3rd-5th, 6th-8th, 9th-12th).

Teague added that another important aspect to the camp is to build good athlete character to allow the individuals to prosper in their respective communities. Motivational speeches are incorporated during designated break times or at the start of the camp.

"There's so many negative things kids can be involved in," said Foster, who played with the Pittsburgh Steelers from 1990-1994. "Sports experience can open so many doors for all the coaches and players that are participating in this camp. You want to go ahead and motivate those kids in a positive way and let them know that keeping a positive attitude and being in a positive environment, and playing sports can lead to a better life."

This is the first time Foster will traveling to the RGV to participate in the football camp as a wide receivers coach.

The camp is divided up into two days with the first day involving most of the skills and techniques. The following day, athletes get the opportunity to compete more competitively with 7-on-7 workouts, and receive an autograph session with the instructors at the camp's conclusion.

"What people would want to know is that it's a very fun camp," Teague said. "We are serious about the game of football, but we're also serious about developing kids in their character values."