Marcus Paschal holds Third annual Football Camp
By Phillip Haywood
LARGO, FL- How many guys do you know that really have plenty of love for his community the way Marcus Paschal does? Paschal was reared in the Largo area where his indoctrination came through the Largo Junior Packers.
After learning the basic foundations of football, Paschal took his talents to Largo High where he was an outstanding football player. He also earned a football scholarship to the University of Iowa, where he graduated, majoring in Health and Sports Studies and with a minor in African American Studies.
In 2005, Paschal was an Honorable Mention All Big Ten, as a safety, and the following year he was a Second Team Big Ten pick. Paschal later signed with the Philadelphia Eagles as a free agent in 2007. He later had brief stints with the Falcons and the Colts in 2009. The last team that Paschal played with was the Baltimore Ravens. He is now a free agent. There are several teams vying for the services of Paschal, including the Cowboys who are in hot pursuit.
When asked what inspired him to start his camp, he replied, “When I was growing up we never had professional athletes to come into our community to educate us about the pitfalls of life and education.” He also said, “I really wanted to do this camp, because it gives the youth of Largo and beyond someone positive to look up to,” Paschal said, “True role models are hard to find.” While he awaits calls from NFL teams Paschal spends the majority of his time staying in shape. On the flip side, he mentors future collegians at Largo High and assists his old high school coach Rich Rodriguez. If I did not know any better I’d say that maybe Paschal is getting groomed to become the next Largo High coach when Rodriguez retires.
During the camp there were five different stations where the players got a chance to work on form tackling which was led by Jeremy Frioud (Defensive Coordinator, Largo High). The ladder drill was instructed by Harry Brown. Agility drills directed by Robert Whiting and a three way tug of war directed by Alton Reynolds.
Paschal’s old youth league football coaches stepped up and volunteered their time to help assist with the camp. Before the camp Paschal and people in the community participated in a neighborhood cleanup.
The camp is now in its 3rd year and over that time period he has served over 500 children. There were a multitude of sponsors such as Walgreen’s, YMCA of Largo, CNC Barbershop and St. James AME of Clearwater.
Final point, Largo is a very small area but over the years they have been producing some very good football players. Dexter McCluster (KC Chief, Largo High) Lyndon Ro-wells ( Carolina Panthers, Seminole) DQwell Jackson (Seminole, Cleveland Browns) Leonard Johnson (Largo High, Bucs) Brynn and Greg Harvey (Largo High, UCF, AFL) Colton Miller (Largo High, AFL).
In Pinellas County Largo is quietly producing potential NFL players and also colleges are always scouring the area. What separates Largo from the rest is that their youth leaguers are very loyal and is a pipeline for its high school program.
