MUNCIE — Eddie Faulkner is entering a new era of his football career.
After seven seasons as the running backs coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Faulkner is now serving in the same role for the Baltimore Ravens, finding himself on the opposite side of one of the National Football League’s fiercest rivalries. The last few months have been a time of transition for the Faulkner family as they relocated from Pittsburgh to Baltimore — a transition that was only just recently completed.
As Faulkner spent time settling into his new home, he remained focused on giving back to his original home by planning and coordinating the Team Faulk Football Camp at his alma mater, Muncie Central High School. The third annual camp was held at Central on Saturday, June 20, and was once again a successful day of youth development.
“We completed that transition a couple weeks ago, and so we were able to shift all our thoughts towards this,” Faulkner said. “It was almost kind of like a release, an opportunity to take a deep breath. It was refreshing being here, it was a great turnout today and was a great day. Couldn’t ask for more.”
This year’s camp deviated from the previous two in that there was one large session for kids of all ages. The previous two camps featured a morning session for ages 6-12 and an afternoon session for ages 13-18, but the third camp was one session for all ages. All in all, over 200 kids attended the camp with some even traveling from as far as California to participate.
“I love the new format, and we’re going to continue to do that. The energy levels are high,” Faulkner said.
As usual, Faulkner brought back some former Muncie Central and Muncie Southside football players as volunteer coaches. Many of them recalled attending similar camps during their own youths in Muncie and were grateful to Faulkner for giving them the opportunity to give back as coaches.
“It’s beautiful to see a lot of Muncie people committed to helping support it,” said Brandon Gorin, a former Southside offensive lineman who went on to become a two-time Super Bowl champion. “He’s done well, done great for the kids. I remember coming to these types of camps when I was younger, whether Dave Duerson or some of the other camps around at Ball State. It’s so important and meaningful as you grow up remembering these events and seeing some of these older guys come back to commit their time. It’s a beautiful thing.”
The current Muncie Central coaching staff also devoted their time to the camp, as did many of their current and former players. Head coach Kyle Buresh only has one season of Bearcat football under his belt, but he and Faulkner have cultivated a fast friendship through the camp and through Faulkner’s loyalty to the purple and white.
“It’s the power of football,” Buresh said. “When people from your hometown go out and do great things, and they’re able to be at the highest level like Coach Faulk, and then they have the heart to come and give back — it means a ton. He’ll actually text me on Thursday or Friday before a game like, ‘What’s the message this week?’ and then he’ll send a message reinforcing that. It’s become a really good friendship.”
Ball State was also well-represented at the Team Faulk camp. There were members of the 2008 Cardinals that went undefeated in Mid-American Conference play, including running back MiQuale Lewis, tight end Darius Hill and wide receiver Louis Johnson (also a Muncie Central product). There were also two current Cardinals in attendance — redshirt freshman offensive guard Brady Barrowman and true freshman offensive tackle Nolan Cicero.
“It’s awesome because there’s so many people from around the community here,” Barrowman said. “There’s 200 kids, and I think it’s important for them, living in a college town, to see Ball State athletes. I feel like personally, if I lived here, I would want to see Ball State athletes around because I think we should try to be role models to the younger kids here.”
By far the most popular volunteer coach was four-year NFL veteran Jaylen Warren. When he wasn’t actively helping out with a drill, he looked like the Pied Piper with a crowd of awestruck kids tailing him everywhere he went. Although he and Faulkner are no longer together in Pittsburgh, the Steelers running back flew in from Utah to volunteer at the camp for the second year in a row.
That level of commitment by Warren to the Team Faulk Football Camp tells you all you need to know about the man who started it.
“It’s more than football. I think it speaks about him more than it speaks about me,” Warren said. “He’s been one of the few people in my life that kept it real with me, just always a loving person, genuine, and I love surrounding myself with people like that. I’m fortunate enough to have met him and crossed paths with him.”
Contact Cade Hampton via email at cbhampton@usatodayco.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @CadeHamp10.
This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: ‘The power of football’ on display at annual Team Faulk Football Camp
Reporting by Cade Hampton, Muncie Star Press / Muncie Star Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Cade Hampton, Muncie Star Press | USA TODAY Network
