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Award-winning columnist Tom Archdeacon — an old-school storyteller in a brand-new venue — writes about sports, the city, southwest Ohio and anything else that catches his fancy… or yours.Home > Blogs > Through the Arch > Archives > 2009 > June > 09 > Entry
Who will carry the Martin Bayless torch?
Few people know Martin Bayless better than Ron Todd.
They went to the same Belmont High and both played football at Bowling Green State University‚ albeit some four years apart. Most importantly, they’ve worked side by side at the free football camp Bayless has put on for Dayton-area youth since 1986.
Last Sunday, Todd, now a Dayton sports agent, joined Bayless — who played 13 seasons in the NFL and now is the assistant defensive coordinator (Denny Green is the head coach) of the San Francisco team in the new United Football League — eight NFL players and dozens of volunteers at Welcome Stadium for a camp that drew close to 1,400 kids from grades 3-12.
There is not another athlete from the Dayton area who has made this kind of commitment to his hometown and the young people here. Not for this long, not impacting so many thousands of lives and all done without a charge to any of the youngsters.
Why does Bayless — who grew up on Enroe Drive, now Martin Bayless Drive — do it?
“He was taught to never forget where you came from,” Todd said. “He made a promise to his mother and father (Stella and Charles) that he’d do this camp as long as he can. He wants to make an impact on young people’s lives and show them if you hang around good people you can do good, too.
“And what’s interesting when he first started, those kids are now bringing their own children to the camp. He’s made an impact on a couple of generations.”
Over the years — back when Bayless launched the effort with fellow Daytonian and NFL player Keith Byars and since 1994 when he’s run it by himself — his camp has always featured NFL players to teach the local kids, laugh with them, hug them and give them someone to look up to.
Pros like Boomer Esiason, Reggie White, Marcus Allen, Jim Kelly, Derrick Thomas, Cris Carter, Jerome Brown and Randall Cunningham all have taken part here.
This year’s NFL attendees included St. Louis Rams defensive tackle LaRoi Glover, the 13-year vet and four-time All Pro, 13-year fullback Zack Crockett, Browns safety Brandon Mitchell, Tampa Bay safety Will Allen, New England’s Shawne Crable, Detroit’s Marcus Demps, Bengals receiver Greg Orton and Tampa Bay quarterback Josh Johnson.
“Every kid is not as fortunate as I was to be raised by two parents,” Bayless said. “A lot of kids are raised by one parent, their grandmother, their aunt or uncle and sometimes those folks have their hands full and can use some help instilling great values.
“As for me, I’m just carrying the torch and one day it will be someone else running the Martin Bayless camp.”
As to who picks up that challenge, I don’t know?
One positive sign is Daequan Cook — the Dunbar High product who is about to start his third season with the Miami Heat — launching a camp for area youth that will run June 22-23.
It will cost $20 and features Greg Oden (Portland Trail Blazers), Mike Conley (Memphis Grizzlies) and Heat teammates Michael Beasley, Udonis Haslem and Mario Chalmers.
And then there is the Chaminade Julienne girls basketball camp that’s running this week and features Eagle alums Megan Duffy (Minnesota Lynx and New York Liberty) and Brandie Hoskins (Seattle Storm) and Lindsey Goldsberry, who just finished a stellar career at Bowling Green. That camp costs $80.
But for its longevity, its no-cost proviso and the overall sheer impact it has made, nothing compares to the Bayless camp.
“I came to this camp when I was a little kid and ran around and had lots of fun, and then when I got to high school I came back again and learned some things,” said Orton, who went from Wayne High to Purdue to the Bengals. “This camp helped me see a dream …a nd I’ll never forget that. Martin Bayless has taught me what it means to really be a pro and hopefully one day I’ll be able to do the same thing here for kids.”
That, too, would be part of Bayless’ legacy.
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By Buggs
June 19, 2009 10:31 AM | Link to this
Thanks for doing this article. Time will tell. Who will step up to the plate? Martin Bayless did!