Former Penguins give back

July 17, 2016 at 12:08a.m.

Tim Johnson’s football camp includes advice on life skills

By STEVE WILAJ

YOUNGSTOWN

Late in the day at Tim Johnson’s All-Star Camp inside the WATTS at Youngstown State on Saturday, Johnson — quarterbacking for his team in a 7-on-7 scrimmage — dropped back and hit one of his campers in stride for about a 50-yard touchdown.

Johnson then ran down the field and chest-bumped with the youngster who hauled in the pass and took it to the end zone.

It was an example of the good-natured action Johnson out set to present to the 7-13 year-olds in his third annual event at his alma mater.

“We’re just trying to practice fast at full-speed, but not leading with the head,” Johnson said. “So they learned a lot without equipment today.

“Drills, life-skills, academics — we talked a little bit about that. They had to put their [grade-point averages] on the registration form. And then a lot of skill-work and drills. So it’s been a pretty full-scale. We taught them some things that they probably won’t see until they get to the next level.

“It was a good day overall.”

Johnson, a YSU Athletics Hall of Famer who starred for the Penguins football team as a linebacker in 1999 and 2000, held his camp from 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

Approximately 200 kids attended, as Johnson, his former YSU teammate Russ Stuvaints, Anthony Smith (a Hubbard High School graduate and former Pittsburgh Steeler safety) and others guided them throughout the day.

“My whole mission is to have these kids on campus and have the parents here on campus,” said Johnson, who played in Super Bowl XXXVII with the Oakland Raiders. “I always want to give access to this community and university to let these kids know that this is a great university that they can attend. Right at home, they have a great opportunity.”

Stuvaints, who played at YSU from 1999-2002, assisted Johnson for the third straight year. The two have made a habit of helping at each others youth camps, as the former Penguins defensive back hosts his own in his hometown of McKeesport, Pa.

“I just love giving back,” said Stuvaints, who was also a member of the Steelers’ Super Bowl XL team in 2005. “The kids look up to you — being blessed with an NFL career and being a Super Bowl champion for the Steelers — and when I get a chance to talk and they listen, it’s a great thing.

“YSU has a special place in my heart and it’s always fun to come home. This is my second home, so I really love coming back and giving back to the community.”

Stuvaints’ camp, the fourth one he will host, is set for July 24 in McKeesport.

Also in the future, Johnson will be back at YSU to put on the Tim Johnson All-Star Game. It will take place on Nov. 6 at 6 p.m. and will feature 145-pounders from the area.

Johnson will coach one team, while YSU President Jim Tressel — who coached Johnson with the Penguins and who also made an appearance on Saturday — will coach the opposing team.

“It should be fun and competitive,” Johnson said. “It will be the first time Tressel gets back on the sidelines, wow. We have to pull him out of the president loge and get him out here coaching.”

Johnson lives in the Baltimore area nowadays, making trips back to the area to hold these events. While this was the third camp he hosted in Youngstown, he has done seven in-total.

“It’s catching on,” Johnson said of his efforts. “The more you do it, the more people notice. So it’s just growing more and more.”