MUNCIE—Summer football camps are an opportunity for players and coaches alike to surround themselves with like-minded individuals who share their goals for growth and development in the sport.
The Team Faulk Youth Development Camp, held at Muncie Central High School on Saturday, June 14, was no different. Hosted by veteran National Football League coach and 1996 Muncie Central graduate Eddie Faulkner, the second annual camp was a successful follow-up to last year’s inaugural event.
“We had a great day, man, had a good time,” Faulkner said. “I think the kids ran around and had fun. That’s what really is important. It’s about being able to kind of shower some love on them. A way to come in, work, apply yourself, and good things can happen to you. It’s all in the spirit of giving back.”
The free-to-attend camp was divided into two sessions — a morning session for 8-to-12-year-olds and an afternoon session for 13-to-18-year-olds. With plenty of drills and scrimmages on the schedule and food trucks and activities available for spectators, there was fun to be had for everyone in attendance.
The weather also added to the entertainment for the younger group, as they spent part of their day playing in the rain.
“We were going back and forth on whether we should go in the gym or not,” Faulkner said. “It rained a little bit for about five minutes there. We got a pretty good pour, but it actually is what gave the energy to the camp. It was right as we were getting ready to do the competition periods, it actually couldn’t have been any better that it worked out like that.”
Between the two sessions, Faulkner was officially inducted into the Indiana Football Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 2025. The induction ceremony made the Team Faulk camp more than just a camp—it was a celebration of the community that means so much to the Bearcat legend.
“The people around here in the community is why I wanted to do it here and make them a part of it for two reasons,” Faulkner said. “One, the reason that I was able to do what I was able to do was from that support and in the community I grew up in, giving me such a well-rounded background.
“And for number two, it was to shower some love on these kids and show them, ‘Hey, I was right where you were at and was able to do these things, and there’s no reason why you shouldn’t be able to do the same.'”
Faulkner, now entering his seventh season as the Pittsburgh Steelers’ running backs coach, founded Team Faulk, Inc., a nonprofit with the 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 Youth Development Camp represents the nonprofit’s marquee event and features many coaches and players from the high school, college, and professional levels.
Faulkner wasn’t the only local legend in attendance as a mentor. Former Muncie Southside star and two-time Super Bowl champion Brandon Gorin was there, as was former Central and Ball State wide receiver Louis Johnson, a member of the Bearcats’ 2002 sectional championship team.
Ball State football was also well-represented on the coaching roster. In addition to Johnson, former Cardinals like tight end Darius Hill, defensive back Chris Allen and linebacker Wendell Brown were also in attendance. There was even a current Cardinal on the field Saturday — quarterback Kiael Kelly.
“It was fun getting out here,” Kelly said. “Being able to see the kids in the community and just get out in the community and help. We all were kids like this one day, and it’s good to put a smile on their face and have a good day.”
Faulkner also brought in plenty of connections from outside of Muncie. These included an active NFL player in Steelers running back Jaylen Warren, a 40-year college coaching veteran in Bowling Green RBs coach Brian White, and an NFL front office member in Colts assistant director of player personnel Jamie Moore.
Naturally, Muncie Central football had plenty of representation. According to Bearcats head coach Kyle Buresh, about three-fourths of the current Central roster attended the camp. The entire coaching staff was also there to put in work and gain valuable experience from the accomplished coaches surrounding them.
Even Kyle Padgett, who resigned as the Bearcats’ head coach in April, knew he wanted to remain involved in the event despite no longer being part of the Central program.
“It’s bigger than football,” Padgett said. “When I resigned, I called Coach Faulkner and said, ‘I still want to be involved because this is great for the Muncie community.’ You got all these great people from around the country that come back and just give back to this community. It touches a lot of lives, and it’s something that I couldn’t resist still being a part of.”
Team Faulk didn’t just provide an opportunity for the campers to grow as football players. They also had the chance to grow as young men. For the last 30 minutes of the older session, Faulkner had multiple coaches speak to the players about the importance of education and doing what they need to do off the field in order to stay successful on the field.
“Being able to emphasize how important education is, like I said, student comes before athlete for a reason,” said Eddie Faulkner IV, a two-time D-II All-American defensive back at Slippery Rock University and Faulkner’s eldest son.
“If you can’t get the grades and you’re ineligible, you know, you can’t play, then you flunk out of school. Now, you can’t play sports, and you can’t get a degree. That’s why education is the most important thing, above all.”
In just two years, the Team Faulk Youth Development Camp has become one of the most popular and exciting football camps in the area. Faulkner plans to continue hosting the camp annually on Father’s Day weekend.
“Every year, we’re going to do this on Father’s Day weekend,” Faulkner said. “I don’t care what camps or whatever else is going on around it, it’s not even about numbers. For me, it’s about the opportunity, so every year, we’ll be back. Next year will be our third year, we’ll always tweak it to get better on things we can do, maybe organizationally, to make the camp even better and we’ll continue to do that.”
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: ‘Bigger than football’: Eddie Faulkner’s Team Faulk Youth Football Camp is so much more
Reporting by Cade Hampton, Muncie Star Press / Muncie Star Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
