This past Saturday
(Dec. 10th), Luther "Luke" Campbell’s Pop Warner football team brought
home the Jr. Midget Division I Championship.
Luke’s Liberty
City Warriors defeated the Cedar Crest Comets from San Antonio in the 2005 Pop
Warner Super Bowl.
This was the second
time Campbell’s team has reached the finals and their first time taking home
the title.
Campbell founded
the team 16 years ago, finding it the perfect opportunity to give back to the
league that he once played in.
"When I was
a kid they used to bus us to Miami Beach to play football," Campbell said.
"I always said that when I made some money, I wanted to start a program
right in my own community where kids could play organized football and experience
the game the way it was meant to be taught."
The annual Pop
Warner Super Bowl brings together the top teams from four age/weight divisions:
Jr. Pee Wee, Pee Wee, Jr. Midget and Midget.
Several NFL players
are graduates of the Pop Warner league, including Cincinnati Bengals Wide Receiver
Chad Johnson and Antonio Bryant from the Cleveland Browns.
But as Uncle Luke
says, it’s not even about becoming an NFL star.
"For these
kids, it’s not even about whether they want to go on to play professional football.
It’s about them being able to experience the good life of organized football
and to be part of something in their own community."
Luke is also looking
into bringing together other celebrity-coached teams for a showcase game in
January.
"People have
been asking when my team is gonna play Snoop’s team. Well, we’ll have that answer
for them next month," he said.
