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Falcons to kick off
summer camp July 29
Sixty golf carts.
A mini-amusement park.
A giant helmet.
And food, lots and lots of it.
They will all be part of the Atlanta Falcons summer training camp at Furman July 29 through August 20. The camp is expected to attract thousands to campus and will feature a controlled practice August 7 against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Paladin Stadium.
Catherine Johnson, who is helping to coordinate the camp, says the Falcons’ surprising 14-2 1998 regular-season record, NFC Championship and Super Bowl XXIII appearance is creating new interest in the NFL team, which called Furman its summer home from 1971 through 1977 but has spent the last two decades at the Falcon Inn in Suwanee, Ga.
"Many football fans will realize that they can drive to the Upstate and watch two NFL training camps in one day — the Falcons at Furman and the [Charlotte] Panthers at Wofford," says Johnson, who formerly served as associate director of Continuing Education and is married to Furman football coach Bobby Johnson. "We are expecting a lot of people but won’t know quite how many until camp gets started."
The Smith family, owners of the Falcons, decided last year to sell the Falcon Inn property, leaving the team without a summer home. Team officials selected Furman over Middle Georgia College (Cochran), Mercer University (Macon), Life University (Marietta), Georgia Southwestern University (Americus) and the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga.
The team’s contingent of about 80 players and 70 coaches, staff and other personnel will begin arriving on campus July 28, with the first practice scheduled the next morning at 9 o’clock.
Johnson says that North Village C will house players and trainers, while coaches and other Falcon personnel will live in North Village B. Practices will be held on the football practice fields behind the PAC, as well as on the track infield and the new athletic field near Cherrydale.
Crowds will watch from the bank overlooking the practice fields and track area. A miniature amusement park with interactive games, refreshments and merchandise for sale will be set up in F lot (in front of Paladin Stadium). Included in the merchandise will be Falcons and Furman apparel as well as T-shirts incorporating Falcon and Furman logos that have been designed specifically for the 1999 training camp.
There may be some fan-friendly autograph sessions, but Johnson says that most of the players will be focused on the drills and on making the Falcon roster. The regular season begins September 12 against Minnesota.
"This will be a boot camp-like experience," she says. "Many of these guys will be fighting for their professional lives."
A typical day for the Falcon player will begin at 6:30 a.m. with treatments and a mandatory breakfast from 7 to 8:30 a.m. The first practice from 9 to 11:30 a.m. is followed by lunch, treatments and taping.
The second practice will be held 3 to 5:30 p.m. with dinner to follow. Team meetings will be held nightly from 7:30 to 9:30 in Johns and Furman halls. Some players may enjoy a snack of hot dogs, pizza, hamburgers and ice cream before returning to North Village. Curfew is 11 p.m.
The Falcons will have 60 golf carts available for players to shuttle themselves around campus.
The team will eat buffet-style in the Watkins Great Room of the University Center, says David Randolph, director of dining services. Items on the menu will include filet mignon, prime rib, swordfish and lobster.
"We expect these guys to eat double what a growing male college student would," says Randolph. "But they burn it all up. We’ll also be tailoring some of the meals for individual players."
The Falcons signed a one-year contract with Furman, which includes an option to renew if the team decides to return in the year 2000.
Johnson says the Falcons are studying plans to relocate their headquarters and summer camp to Stone Mountain, north of Atlanta. But it would be unlikely for that facility, if approved, to be completed before the 2000 summer camp.
In addition to the revenue generated by the camp, Furman will also benefit from publicity and press coverage. The university recruits heavily among students in the Atlanta area.
For more training camp information, visit the Falcons link on the Furman Athletics World Wide Web page (www.furman.edu/athletics).
Things you’ll need to know
• Access to Johns Hall during the evenings, when teams meetings are held, will be restricted to those with Furman identification. Access to the Watkins Great Room, where the players will eat, will also be limited.
• All practices will be free and open to the public. Spectator parking will be in the Timmons Arena parking areas.
• Practice schedules are subject to change.
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