Tampa Bay quarterback Josh Freeman held his first ProCamps football camp on Saturday at Wesley Chapel High School with over 200 kids aged seven to 14 learning the fundamentals of football. The Josh Freeman ProCamps football camp is a two-day event directed by former Bucs wide receiver and kick returner Frank Murphy. Freeman was excited by the turnout.

“This is great. Frank and ProCamps did a great job of setting this up and putting this together,” Freeman said. “We had a great turnout and the kids are having a great time. We put together a great staff. I’m real excited about this year’s camp.”

Freeman’s father, Ron, a former USFL star linebacker, who also played for the Bills in the 1980s, was also in attendance to address the campers and observe his son working with the kids and playing quarterback for a few snaps on every team during the seven-on-seven sessions.

“When I was young and coming up I had my dad, so I basically had football every day as much as I wanted because of his background as a player in the USFL and a stint in the NFL,” Freeman said. “He was there teaching me all the time. But I remember coming to camps like this and learning so much. As a kid you think you know what to do and you know what’s up, but coming to camps like this you get the fundamental work – the work that is oftentimes passed up at an early age.

“It’s all about fundamentals and work ethic with life lessons tied in. I was fortunate it. It’s crazy to think that every kid playing football is getting it. What you see all the time is it is about the most talented. You have the kids that are talented and you let them go out and win the game for you. It’s not about, ‘Hey, let’s get the team better and let’s start with fundamentals.’ This is a great opportunity to do that and for all these kids to come out and get the fundamental work and have some fun.”

Freeman spoke to the campers during three breaks in Saturday’s event and answered some questions from the kids, one of which asked when he started playing football.

“My dad didn’t let me play tackle football until fifth grade,” Freeman said. “I’ve got some second graders here and they said they knocked somebody out at their last game.”

The two-day camp is non-contact, so there won’t be any knockouts, but Freeman stressed the importance of teaching the fundamentals during the ProCamps event.

“Fundamentals, footwork drills, blocking and tackling [technique] – we do it all,” Freeman said. “I’d like to think that some of the best fundamentals making me a football player came from camps like this. I think it’s great to give these kids the opportunity to get some great coaching from some great coaches and learn from them.”