By Tim Kelly
Vinny Curry was talking about playing football. Playing football in general, and playing football for a living.
“When football is no longer fun, that’s the day you should stop playing,” said Curry, a Philadelphia Eagles defensive end.
From the look of the infectious grin on Curry’s face Saturday at his Fourth Annual Vinny Curry Football Camp, that day might be far into the future.
“(NFL players) perform at a high level, but it’s still a game. It’s supposed to be fun,” said Curry, who is preparing for his eighth pro season.
“At this level,” he said, gesturing toward the more than 200 kids in attendance, it should be all about fun.”
Saturday at Ocean City’s Carey Stadium, that was certainly the case. A DJ blared hip-hop, a man chopped up fresh fruit and made smoothies, and Swoop, the Eagles mascot, led cheers. Each child received a free T-shirt.
Ocean City 97.3 ESPN did a remote broadcast of “The Locker Room With Billy Schweim” from the field, and several Philadelphia TV outlets recorded the proceedings.
The free one-day camp for kids in kindergarten through eighth grade “is my way to give something back to the community,” said Curry, who started every game in the Eagles 2017 Super Bowl-winning season. “We’ll try to teach them a few fundamentals. It’s really about getting out here with their friends and having a great time.”
Bright sunshine, balmy temperatures and a cooling ocean breeze created the perfect atmosphere for the event.
“Weather is the one thing you cannot control and I couldn’t have asked for a nicer day,” Curry said.
About a dozen members of the Upper Township Indians youth league teams were among the kids, many girls included, in the stands. Michelle Drewnowski, a team mom, was smiling along with the players.
“This is great,” she said. “When we heard Vinny Curry was doing a free camp in Ocean City, we thought it would be a good team activity before we start actual practice.”
The Indians were not alone. A number of other youth squads were in attendance, as well as a large number of individual campers. Counting parents, more than 300 people were on hand, organizers said.
There were several dozen volunteer coaches on hand, including former Eagles wide receiver Freddie Mitchell, who caught the famous “Fourth and 26” pass from Donovan McNabb to help defeat the Green Bay Packers in the playoffs in January 2004. It stands as one of the most famous plays in Eagles history.
Curry also thanked Ocean City officials for their cooperation, which helped make this year’s event the largest in its history, he said.
It was the first time the camp was held in Ocean City. Curry, who has a home in the area, also works out at a local gym.
“I love Ocean City,” he said. “I’ll be here all summer.”
At least, he said, until the start of training camp.
“It means a lot that so many people came out to help, especially a member of the family, who is Eagles alumni,” Curry said, in reference to Mitchell.
Curry was briefly an Eagles alumnus himself. He spent last season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after six seasons with the Birds, who selected him in the second round of the 2012 draft out of Marshall University.
With the retirement of Chris Long and departure of free agent Michael Bennett in the off-season, the Eagles found themselves short at the defensive end position, paving the way for Curry’s return. For his part, there was no hesitation, even though it was reported he could have made more money on offers from other teams.
“This is home, man,” said Curry, a native of Neptune, Ocean County. “When you bleed green as much as I do, it was an easy decision. I love the players in that locker room. I love the coaches. I love the fans.”
If there were any remaining doubts of that, Curry laid those to rest when he got on the microphone and exhorted the crowd – which didn’t take much prodding, to do some “E-A-G-L-E-S” chants.
“That’s what I’m talking about!” he exclaimed after a spirited chant rang out.
