Hartford

Hartford's Mangini reflects on 20 years of storied football camp

NBC Universal, Inc.

For the past 20 years, former NFL head coach Eric Mangini has spent a Saturday in June back in his home town.

“I wanted to do it in Hartford, we've had chances to move it multiple times but I wanted it in Hartford,” said Mangini. “And I wanted a big cross section of society so we can break down some stereotypes and break down some barriers that are there.”

Mangini is the president of the Carmine and Frank Mangini Foundation. The event he wanted to keep in Hartford? His annual Football Fundamentals Camp.

One day a year, the camp is open to middle and high school kids across Connecticut or anywhere, really. Mangini said they’ve hosted 50 different towns and five different states. It is geared toward underserved kids, though, and this is something Mangini stressed: it is open to anyone.

“When I sit up at the top of the hill at Colt Park and look out over all the fields,” Mangini said of his favorite part of each camp. “And there's kids playing everywhere and you know that none of these kids, or very few of these kids knew each other before they came there.”

But this year will be the last. Mangini said the CFM Foundation will continue to be involved in the Hartford community and won’t be hanging up the football camp forever – just in its current form. Though there’s still one more Saturday for kids to learn the lesson he hopes each camper walks away with.

“Whether you're from Hartford, Bridgeport, New Haven, it's possible and there's a lot of people that want to help you achieve that goal,” said Mangini.

Throughout the years, Mangini has brought in college coaches, NFL players and coaches like Brian Daboll and Josh McDaniels. That won’t change this year, either.

The camp is Saturday, June 10 at Colt Park in Hartford. You can learn more about the camp and how to register here.

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