They came to Dormont Memorial Stadium from as far away as California, Texas and Georgia to see what quarterback guru Steve Clarkson would offer.
And they came away fulfilled.
"I haven't been to any other camps, but I think this was a good place for me," said Jeannette High School star Terrelle Pryor, the nation's top-ranked quarterback in the 2008 class, according to USA Today.
Pryor on Saturday was among more than 80 high school football players who took part in the first of two days of workouts at the Air 7 Quarterback University camp, headed by Clarkson, the former San Jose State University quarterback and renowned current quarterback coach from Los Angeles.
Clarkson and a coaching staff that included Cleveland Browns quarterback Ken Dorsey and Pitt quarterback Bill Stull put the campers through rigorous drills that impressed even the best of the best.
"They know what they're talking about, and they put pressure on you to work hard, especially with your mechanics," said the 6-foot-6, 230-pound Pryor. "They teach you a lot of things."
The camp, a product of Clarkson and Garrett Shea, a former director of the U.S. Army All-American Bowl for high school seniors, is aimed at developing the nation's elite quarterbacks, said Clarkson, who played for the late Jack Elway at San Jose State. Shea serves as president of the new company.
"Football is my passion, 24/7," Clarkson told a group of mainly parents of the players. "Your kids are my kids when they come to this camp. They're in great hands. We're going to teach them some things they've not seen before."
Clarkson and his staff met with the players in the morning, and the camp director came away impressed.
"I asked these guys to raise their hand if they didn't want to play in the NFL. There wasn't one hand," Clarkson said.
The camp, the third of eight scheduled to be held nationwide, concludes today, with Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, a former student of an Air 7 Quarterback University camp, scheduled to attend.
"These types of things are great for kids, because you build a great foundation," Dorsey said. "To be able to have someone experienced with the fundamentals teach that is really important, especially with quarterbacks. If you're not correct, fundamentally, you're kind of behind the 8-ball already. It's amazing how something as little as just a step in your throwing motion or your footwork can really change the accuracy on a football."
With a price tag of $800, not everyone can afford the camp, though.
"When I was a kid, I wanted to go to a camp, but I couldn't afford to go," said Tommy Reamon, a former World Football League MVP and Steelers draft choice in 1975 out of the University of Missouri.
Reamon, whose son, Tommy Jr., is a top-rated quarterback in Virginia, where he plays for his father at Newport News Gloucester, gave a thumbs-up as he watched his son go through some drills.
"I said if I ever made pro football, I would start a camp, and I did," said the elder Reamon, who played one season in the NFL with the Kansas City Chiefs. "Franco Harris, Joe Greene, Joe Theismann, they all came to it in the late '70s. So, I am a camp guy for what it tries to teach these kids in a positive and motivating way. It's critical that you surround it with good people. I have positive things to say about it, but not everybody can afford it."
At Gloucester, Reamon also has coached such NFL-bound quarterbacks as Michael Vick and Aaron Brooks and former Virginia Tech quarterback Marcus Vick.
Elsewhere in attendance, Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Montana and actor/musician Will Smith brought sons to the camp, both from California. The fathers kept a low profile, with Montana and his wife sitting quietly against a fence, at times videotaping, and Smith chatting with Dorsey for an extended time before the start of the camp and also entertaining questions from others in the crowd throughout.
"Things like this provide a really good experience for kids and a great base for them to grow," Dorsey said. "Even if you have an experienced coach, it never hurts to have another set of eyes. Someone might see what someone else isn't seeing."
