Old Training Camp Stories

[PeytsBlocker]

As the title suggests this thread is dedicated to old Colt Training camps and the adventures as fans and sometimes workers experienced. In another thread (Claim DT) I talk about some of my experiences, a person who worked food service had a cool story about Edge, and a fan a simple but funny story about Peyton wearing pink in a bar. So if you had sometihng neat with a player happen or just a great memory of having cool tailgates at camp let's hear about it. 

[PeytsBlocker]

So the Colts are really generous with their time and money when it comes to charity. Once again years ago I was working player security and after practice a local high school football coach was allowed to hang near the locker room after practice. He had a football to get autographs with the purpose of auctioning it off during a Friday night game. Very nice charitable cause. 

 

So it's coach ????? of Terre Haute North, Phil Wilson (I think Indy Star at the time), and I talking as players come and go. The coach kind or reaches out but kind of hesistate in asking, plus it seems the players really have no interest in signing the football. Actually they're giving him some weird looks. Phil Wilson chimes in he knows how the guy feels because he (Wilson) is on the outs with Dallas Clark for something he had written. The goes on for a while with one exception. Robert Mathis signs the ball and gives a shrug of the head. 

 

I felt bad for the coach and finally had to give him some advice. Coach, the guys are usually really nice and  not anti charity. Let me give you a suggestion. You may want to remove that Terre Haute North fighting Patriots  baseball cap and you might get a few more takers. Yep his teams mascot looks like that former Brady lead Chowder team (yes I''m jealous of their championships) sitting on top of his noggin. Anyway after he removed the cap anyone he asked after that was willing to sign. I still find it funny only Robert Mathis was the only willing player to sign (with Pat cap on). So either he was not dedicated enough to the Colts or he's such a good dude to heck with it I'll sign for charity even for the bad guys. I think it was the latter. #98 use to sign autographs all the time during camp.

[RollerColt]

19 minutes ago, PeytsBlocker said:

So the Colts are really generous with their time and money when it comes to charity. Once again years ago I was working player security and after practice a local high school football coach was allowed to hang near the locker room after practice. He had a football to get autographs with the purpose of auctioning it off during a Friday night game. Very nice charitable cause. 

 

So it's coach ????? of Terre Haute North, Phil Wilson (I think Indy Star at the time), and I talking as players come and go. The coach kind or reaches out but kind of hesistate in asking, plus it seems the players really have no interest in signing the football. Actually they're giving him some weird looks. Phil Wilson chimes in he knows how the guy feels because he (Wilson) is on the outs with Dallas Clark for something he had written. The goes on for a while with one exception. Robert Mathis signs the ball and gives a shrug of the head. 

 

I felt bad for the coach and finally had to give him some advice. Coach, the guys are usually really nice and  not anti charity. Let me give you a suggestion. You may want to remove that Terre Haute North fighting Patriots  baseball cap and you might get a few more takers. Yep his teams mascot looks like that former Brady lead Chowder team (yes I''m jealous of their championships) sitting on top of his noggin. Anyway after he removed the cap anyone he asked after that was willing to sign. I still find it funny only Robert Mathis was the only willing player to sign (with Pat cap on). So either he was not dedicated enough to the Colts or he's such a good dude to heck with it I'll sign for charity even for the bad guys. I think it was the latter. #98 use to sign autographs all the time during camp.

They probably thought the guy was a Belichick spy. 

[csmopar]

I just miss the way Reggie Wayne would show up to camp!

[PeytsBlocker]

56 minutes ago, RollerColt said:

They probably thought the guy was a Belichick spy. 

That was a real thing with the Colts or I should say with Bill Polian. Can't remember the year but I personally had Bill Polian approach me to make sure no fans were around as they had a QB coming in for a tryout during the evening. It was the first time I had heard of other teams having spies (I did not officially work for the team rather the college) and had no clue of such things. I do remember the players name (not sure of spelling) was Mark Rypien and the alleged spiers were New England folks. This would have been way before deflate gate.

[PeytsBlocker]

Final story for today. I really do not mean to hog this thread and do not want folks to think I'm some kind of narcissist. Please others post your stories. I have posted this before and promise this is the last time for this one. I was smply reminded of this from Pat McAfee going pretty crazy on his show last week about bad/fake fans getting autographs or pushy adults.

 

For six years of training camp I was the guy standing on the sidelines waiting for Peyton to come over and watch while Peyton signed autographs. I would love to say it was because i was the best at the job but actually I was efficent and Peyton didn't like change and a creature of habit. In other words he knew my face, knew where I wold be waiting, and did what was asked.

 

I'll give Peyton big credit for taking a lot of time to sign for fans. This particular time this kid kept trying to force Peyton to sign his football. Peyton keeps going down the line and ignoring him. I'm kind of confused as I've never seen this side of Peyton where he ignores a young fan. The kid is really pushy, kept cutting in line, but I figure he's just so excited to see his hero.

 

This went on for a good 45 minutes and the kid keeps trying. Finally I'm kind of frustrated and under my breath ask Peyton "hey are you going to sign for this kid or not". Peyton to me "Hand me the ball". So I get the ball, Peyton signs it, and I give it back proudly saying there you go young man. The kid grabs the football, raises it, and says and I quote "woohoo I just made $20 bucks". I know my mouth just dropped. I look at Peyton, he looks at me and says "I signed for him last year. Now you no why I didn't want to sign the ball". Holy cow i couldn't remember who he signed for 45 minutes ago let alone the folloing year. So lesson learned for me, never question Peyton's motives cause I sure didn't have a clue. To reinforce that he also told me how a guy was hanging out in a hotel lobby (Carolina if I remember right) sitting on a couch with his arm in a sling. Guy pulls a football out of the sling to get Peyton to sign..... I guess the moral to the story is if these guys refuse sometimes to sign they're not prima donnas. Rather the lengths some go to ruin it for legit fans is amazing.

[PeytsBlocker]

This story is about the love of being a fan. With the THaute training camp campus being on a smaller facility parking could be a pain on bigger fan days. No way could we handle what was just experienced at Westfield. Largest crowd we had was 6000 and it was organized chaos to put it mildly. 

 

On this particular day we had run out of limited handicap parking and while I was out monitoring lot activity there were a couple of ladies walking from a lot some distance from the practice field. The older lady was having extreme difficulty walking and would take a few steps and then have to stop for a breather. I couldn't offer them a closer parking spot but I could at least offer them a ride. They gladly accepted and it was a mother and daughter dressed in their Colts gear and even had some blue and white face paint too. We're talking mom was maybe 60 and daughter mid 30s. The daughter explains mom suffers from MS and doesn't get out much but insisted she could make it to Colts camp. They watch the Colts every Sunday during the season. 

 

At this point I have time to waste before I have to get to get the practice fields and offer the ladies a quick driving tour of the campus where the players eat, sleep, and some of the wild vehicles they drive. They really enjoy this and appreciate feeling klind of special for the tour. I let them know it was a real honor and started heading toward the practice area to let them off. But before getting there this happened.

 

This particular camp (can't remember the year) Peyton was hurt with a knee (or leg?) injury. Media wise there were articles in the newspapers and radio about Peyton not being in camp and he may be overseas getting Frankenstein injections and all kinds of speculation. They were all wrong. Peyton was in camp like everyone else but pretty much hidden behind the scenes.

 

We're driving around the back side to the Sports/Rec Center and right at the moment Peyton on crutches crosses in front of us, waves, and says "hi ladies", and continues into the building. The gals are really excited and the next thing I know the mom has tears streaming down her face and says this is one of the best days I have had in ages. She says I can't wait to tell my friends I saw Peyton today. Of course she couldn't help but ask if there was a way to get an autograph and I had to unfortunately tell her no. That actually we (staff) were not to talk about Peyton even being there at camp. She said she understood and I told her thanks and I'm sure the world will know Peyton is here soon enough and be sure to tell her family and friends when that happens.

 

The above was the best experience I had at camp for all those years. I mean it was neat to see all the players but meeting the fans was the best. During my time I asked Peyton for an autograph three different times. Once for my own collection (yes I'm a Colts fan), once for a charity project (future camp story), and once for a really nice kid/family from Tennesse who had driven up for camp and just missed out on getting Peyton's autograph. Was able to send it to them later. Hope they're still Colt fans and not Titan (lol).

 

 

[Jackie Daytona]

Lots of the guys were picky about what they ate.... Dietician guides etc....

 

By far the worst/most insane was Freeney.  He had everything to the T planned out.  He only drank water with one lemon slice.... lots of rice, fish, chicken.... Not bad so far right?

 

But.... He actually sent water back once because the lemon slice was on the glass.  Reason being.... He only added a certain amount to the water each time, and I kid you not.... The slice being placed on the glass rim threw off his "ratio". 

 

That wasn't the only thing he was super anal about with his food /prep/service by any means.  It was the farthest out there one that I ever saw, and definitely remember lol.

 

A lot of the guys would eat at Homies BBQ when off campus.  Man..... I miss Landis and Homies.

[Jackie Daytona]

Knew a local gal who was a massage therapist (legit deep tissue/muscle therapy, not the racy "therapist" type)

 

Anyway, Gary Bracket I think it was.... Was a huge fan of her treatments, and even set up routine apts. With her out of her home office.  Again, totally legit and above board, I know cause she would always have at least one other licensed person present with her so there was never any question for her or the player/Gary?

 

Anyway, they scheduled her every year during camp, like every other day or something..... He actually fell asleep on the table between practice or before practice one time and having said nothing about needing to be anywhere, ( she also was not a fan at all, let alone big enough to know anything about TC schedule) she let him rest....wasn't hurting anything, and he paid for the time and tipped quite generously..... 

 

You see where this is going, he overslept, missed a good portion if not all of the practice session, and didn't really get in trouble, but I'm sure as a team captain he had some living it down to do....lol.

 

[PeytsBlocker]

3 hours ago, Jackie Daytona said:

Lots of the guys were picky about what they ate.... Dietician guides etc....

 

By far the worst/most insane was Freeney.  He had everything to the T planned out.  He only drank water with one lemon slice.... lots of rice, fish, chicken.... Not bad so far right?

 

But.... He actually sent water back once because the lemon slice was on the glass.  Reason being.... He only added a certain amount to the water each time, and I kid you not.... The slice being placed on the glass rim threw off his "ratio". 

 

That wasn't the only thing he was super anal about with his food /prep/service by any means.  It was the farthest out there one that I ever saw, and definitely remember lol.

 

A lot of the guys would eat at Homies BBQ when off campus.  Man..... I miss Landis and Homies.

What a great story. Looks good to folks watching I guess on how dedicated Dwight was to his craft. However I know he liked to dip into the devil's drink due to the bottle of Crown Royal he would bring to camp. So much for my body is a temple I guess.... PS folks I'm not being a prude here. A grown man can do anything he wants.

 

[PeytsBlocker]

Have a lot of good memories from camp and very few bad (once in awhile you had to deal with over the board *s). One thing that wasn't fun was Peyton's official autograph tent day. This was usually after a Saturday practice and fans got to a point they knew which day that would be. There was an elderly couple who pretty much showed up every day to camp hoping to get Peyton's autograph. I would be standing on the sideline waiting and they would hit me up to see if Peyton was signing. I really didn't know he picked the days and I simply just waited until he walked over or waved like not today. Anyway I would try to help them out and explain I'll be standing over here, be ready. Of course by the time practice was over it would take Peyton a couple of minutes to walk over. By that time the spot the old folks were in was swamped with people. They would finally back out, of course disappointed, but were happy others got that cherished keep sake.

 

So on this particular day I broke rule and let them know Peyton would be signing in the autograph tent that day. Figured why not since it seemed everyone already knew it somehow the way the line was so full even before practice had started. So the lady of the couple get's in line and being not prepared (many folks were professional at this and would bring lawn chairs while waiting) had to stand all before, during, and a little after practice for Peyton and three other players to arrive at the tent. Older lady and we're talking at least two hours. So the players are realy trying to sign as quick as possible to get the crowd through (once again really, really big autograph line) and I hear one of the main interns tell the guys two minutes. So there's my elderly lady finally in that first cue of fans. She is so close and I think thankgoodness she's going to make it. Next thing I know the intern says "sorry folks this is the end of the line the guys have to eat and meetings to go to". Holy smokes NOOOO yep that poor lady was the cut off point. It was heartbreaking to me knowing how hard they had tried to get Peyton's autograph. I did try and talk to the intern and he of course he was right when he said man I wish but then would that be fair to others still in line? 

 

So the players left the tent and hopped on the golf cart. The fans were all disappointed with some going that's ok what a great day at camp, others really ticked cause they had waited so long. My older lady just kind of stood there with her head down. She tells me well that's kind of our luck  but we sure have fun coming out that's ok, thanks for trying. I say well maybe next time but I'm going to suggest something to you. I hope it's not too gross and if so I apologize. But do you know while Peyton and the guys were up here signing they drink Gatorade. You see that bottle of Gatorade sitting in the middle of the table. That was Peyton's and I can say this. Not one fan today actually got something that belonged to Peyton but you can. With that she grabbed up that bootle with the biggest smile you ever seen and off she went. 

 

I saw the couple a few times after that but they never did try to get an autograph again. Owning something from Peyton must have been just enough. That is what's great about sports and sports fans. It is something that brings people together and takes us away from life's craziness at times. 

 

 

[PeytsBlocker]

Being born and bred in Indiana my first love was basketball. So before it turned into a football state (thanks Peyton) I steered my sons toward playing bball while in school. As many parents experienced depending on what sport your son or daughter played parents were expected to work the concession stand. I did so on Friday games so come winter it was my turn to watch my boys play ball instead missing games cooking the popcorn. I decided go go one step further to help our high school football team by getting a cap signed by some players so they could auction it off.

 

Like stated above I asked Peyton (no problem), was able to get Marvin (actually stood in line for his, he would rather give out a Tasty Cake for some reason), but I still needed Edge to make the big three. During camp we had an ATV to get in and out of tight spots, plus the campus has several wooded areas near the practice fields. Before practice it was a little distance from the locker room to the fields. During the transition from Mora to Dungy the Colts cut back a lot on players having their own golf carts to use. So either an intern with a cart would take a player down to the field or they would hop on a 14 passenger bus for a quick trip down. On this particular day I was behind the bus waiting and driving an ATV.

 

Edge comes out of the locker room, heads toward the bus, and then makes a quick turn and walks over to me. He then asks if he could ride the ATV down to the practice fields and promises he'll be careful with it. I explain to him it's not my vehicle to give out and not only that if he was to wreck his season could be over and I would be the most hated man in Indiana. He once again said he had 10 ATVs at home and knows how to handle them. I simply had to apologize and decline again. He was really cool about it, said he understood, and hoped on the bus.

 

Afterwards I'm thinking wow I probably blew the chance to get Edge's autograph on the cap since I turned him down. I'm talking to my supervisor and Mike Zunk (was the Colts head security person at the time) and told them about Edge asking to ride the ATV. To my surprise they both said you should have. He's a grown man and if he messed up that's on him. I double downed and asked you're kidding right? No, they were serious and next time if he asks let him.

 

So I do my daily waiting at the sideline for Peyton and he decides not to sign that day. Guys are getting on the bus and I'm thinking I'm going to lose my chance to pull off a quick scheme. Amazing my luck is pretty good as Edge does not get on the bus and it looks like he is going to walk back to the lockers. I pull up next to Edge and turn off the ATV. Me "Edge, you still want to drive this thing"? Edge "Yeah dawg, like I said I own 10, no problem". So I lay it on thick. "Edge I'm going to make a deal with you". I point to the ball cap and a sharpie tucked into a nylon bag attached to the ATV. "I'm going to let you take the ATV under a big risk I could be fired for doing this. I trust you" "If you wouldn't mind signing that ball cap when you're done I would really appreciate it. Just park outside the locker area when you're done and leave the key in the ignition". He just said one word "deal" and boom he was gone. He knew how to start it up without showing him and there was no doubt he probably did have 10 at home. I about had a heart attack as I watched him weave in and out around players as they walked the trail to the locker room and seemed to have real delight in playing chicken with the 14 passenger bus. So as I walk the 200 yards I pray he makes it back alive and what a dumb thing I just did.

 

I finally make it to the building and there is the parked ATV. Oh man I don't see the cap. Im thinking it either fell off or someone grabbed it. All good stories end well. Edge had zipped up in the bag and there was the precious item with Peyton, Marvin, and Edge's signature in all their glory. The cap was a big hit at the high school football where the school's AD sold raffle tickets for it. I heard they got $430 dollars by the time they pulled the winning ticket. Normally I wouldn't have pulled a stunt like that but it sure helped the schools sports budget thanks to the Colts big three.