Bay City Tribune

The Andrew Smith Jr. Football Camp is back for its fifth year and is on tap for Saturday, May 23 at Bay City's Memorial Stadium. The camp hopes to bring back several fixtures, including pros Adrian Awasom, Patrick Cobbs, Tommie Harris and former coach O'Neal Gilbert.

The event will be held from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and is open to all boys ages 6-17. The camp will end at 1 p.m. for all participants in grades 1-6.

Registration is open for the camp and forms will be available at the Bay City Tribune or can be obtained by emailing as555(at)sw-bell.net or calling 979-245-9000. The cost to register is $15, or $20 on the day of the camp. Participants will receive a t-shirt, lunch and certificate of completion.

Several professional athletes have been invited to help with the camp, including Awasom of the NY Giants, Cobbs of the Miami Dolphins and Harris of the Chicago Bears.

Michael Smith, former Blackcat and younger brother to Andrew Smith Jr., is currently playing football for Rice University and will help lead the camp along with a few of his teammates.

Former pro Robert Blackmon has attended the camp in the past, and now, as the Bay City athletic director, he and his staff will also be on hand to coach the camp participants. More special guests will be announced as the camp draws closer.

The family of Andrew Smith Jr., a former Blackcat and University of North Texas quarterback, started the camp in 2005 as a tribute to continue his legacy.

Smith led the Blackcats to a state championship season in 2000 and, while playing on scholarship, took UNT's Mean Green to an undefeated conference title and New Orleans Bowl victory as a redshirt freshman. Smith passed for 1,206 yards that season and led the team to a 24-19 win over Cincinnati in the teams first bowl victory since 1946.

He was killed in a car accident on his way to the campus to begin preseason training at UNT and since then, his family has strived, successfully, to organize an event that would give back to the community in the spirit of their son and brother.

In addition to the camp, a scholarship is given each year to Bay City athletes in Smith's name with any profits made and volunteers pour out to support the yearly event.

Over the last three years, attendance at the camp has averaged around 200 while athletes and coaches, pros and amateurs, at the local, state and national levels have turned in appearances to staff the camp. Vince Young, then a University of Texas Longhorn, showed up in 2005 for the inaugural camp.