Photo By John Sheppard | 190903-N-CC785-0004 GREAT LAKES, Ill. (September 3, 2019) Competitors posed with...... read more read more
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GREAT LAKES, Ill. (September 3, 2019) – Naval Station Great Lakes (NSGL) Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) teamed up with USAA for a special National Football League (NFL) experience on Sept. 3 with a “Salute to Service Boot Camp” on board the installation.
Special guests Brian Urlacher, retired Chicago Bears linebacker and Hall of Famer, and Jordy Nelson, retired Great Bay Packers wide receiver, led over 100 Sailors in teams of five, in events similar to those used to evaluate NFL talent, including the 40-yard dash, three-cone shuttle, vertical leap, receiving, and the receiving gauntlet.
Before the start of the competition, NSGL Commanding Officer Capt. Ray Leung addressed the competitors. “Fortune favors the bold. Go and show them what we’ve got at Great Lakes,” said Leung.
In addition to the excitement on the field, the NBC Sunday Night Football bus was also parked nearby, with replica locker rooms, augmented reality “game face” stations, a “women in sports” feature and a replica of the Football Night in America set. Over 250 people visited the bus during the two hours it was parked on base.
Ken Endress from Public Works Department Great Lakes enjoyed the NBC Sunday Football bus. “It was neat to see what the bus really looks like up close,” said Endress. “I liked the display of the 2019-2020 Sunday Night Football schedule with the team helmets on the one side of the bus.”
Both Urlacher and Nelson praised the efforts of the Sailors at the end of the competition. “Way to compete and have fun,” said Nelson, addressing the crowd. “And thank you again for everything you guys do for us.”
MWR Director John Prue called the event successful. “Yes, very successful and awesome opportunity to bring NFL legends in with a number of football-related events as the NFL kicks off their 100th season on Thursday with the Bears and Packers in Chicago,” said Prue.
“We hope to host other events like this but honestly this was a perfect storm with USAA and then NBC Sports all reaching out and offering up these opportunities and virtually no cost,” said Prue. “Great effort by the entire MWR team but special thanks to Ellen Weigl (MWR Sponsorship Coordinator) who really worked hard to pull all the moving pieces together for the USAA NFL Boot Camp event.”
| Date Taken: | 09.03.2019 |
| Date Posted: | 09.04.2019 12:42 |
| Story ID: | 338341 |
| Location: | GREAT LAKES, IL, US |
| Hometown: | GREAT LAKES, IL, US |
| Web Views: | 252 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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