MUNCIE, Ind. — For the second summer in a row, a veteran National Football League coach will return to his hometown of Muncie to offer a free football camp to local youth.
Pittsburgh Steelers running backs coach and Muncie native Eddie Faulkner will host the second annual Team Faulk Youth Development Camp at Muncie Central High School, 801 North Walnut Street, on Saturday, June 14.
You can sign up for the camp here.
“Last year was a huge success,” Faulkner said in a phone interview with The Star Press. “It gave us a bridge and an opportunity to make it even bigger than that.”
The camp will be divided into two sessions. The first session will be for ages 8 to 12 and is set for 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., with check-in and walk-up registration beginning at 9:30 a.m.
The second session will be for ages 13-18 and is set for 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m., with check-in and walk-up registration beginning at 1 p.m.
A liability waiver must be signed by a parent or guardian at registration. Sneakers are required, and cleats are recommended. Participants will receive a camp T-shirt. Pre-registration is available.
This year’s event will also feature a special Indiana Football Hall of Fame induction ceremony for Faulkner, who was selected as a member of the Class of 2025. Faulkner — a 1996 Muncie Central graduate — wanted to share his accomplishment with the city.
“The Muncie community did so much for me from the standpoint of raising me to be well-rounded,” Faulkner said. “I went to school with all different types of people, different races, religions, socioeconomic situations, and they had a way to blend that really gave me a great snapshot of what life looks like moving forward.”
In the last year, Faulkner has founded Team Faulk, Inc., a non-profit organization with a mission statement “to positively impact young lives by providing structured exposure to accomplished professionals across educational, athletic, relational and societal platforms to support the achievement of their maximum potential.”
The Team Faulk Camp is the non-profit’s marquee event. In addition to a current NFL coach in Faulkner, the camp will also feature former NFL players and current college football players leading the youths in football drills and activities. The event will also feature activities for those in the stands and food trucks from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
“I want to show these kids, with some hard work, something is bigger out there for you to achieve,” Faulkner said. “If you can dream it, you can make it happen. It’s not just football players and coaches there; there are several different types of volunteers, but it’s also people who, once upon a time, played at Muncie Central, sat in their shoes, who are now going on and making a good life for themselves in several different fields.
“From that standpoint, that’s what we’re trying to drive home and show these young kids.”
Faulkner is entering his seventh season as the Steelers’ running backs coach. Upon graduating from Muncie Central in 1996, Faulkner played four seasons for the Wisconsin Badgers and was a member of two Big Ten championship teams.
Faulkner coached at Ball State in a variety of roles from 2003 through 2010 and was briefly interim head coach for the Cardinals. He has also coached at Anderson University, Northern Illinois, Wisconsin and North Carolina State.
While the camp is free, donations will be accepted. Any donations will go to the Edgar Faulkner Sr./Ermal S. Roundtree Fund at the Community Foundation of Muncie and Delaware County. The fund is named after Eddie Faulkner’s grandfathers.
Contact Cade Hampton via email at cbhampton@muncie.gannett.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @CadeHamp10.
This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: NFL coach, Muncie native Eddie Faulkner to host 2nd annual football camp at Central
Reporting by Cade Hampton, Muncie Star Press / Muncie Star Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
