Mark WiedmerFumbling only once his entire rookie year last season with the New Orleans Saints, former Tennessee Volunteers running back Alvin Kamara wasn't one to give anything away.
Yet to watch 20 lucky young men navigating the Hamilton Place Academy Sports + Outdoors store Saturday afternoon as easily as they do a football field on Friday night - each of them armed with a $100 gift card courtesy of the retail outlet and Kamara - was to know that he also knows it can be better on occasion to give than receive. Call it Christmas in June, with Santa Claus arriving in Tennessee orange and Saints black and gold.
"Just grateful that Academy agreed to work with us and make this happen," Kamara said of the camp he staged at McCallie School for more than 100 area youngsters before he accompanied the 20 gift-card winners from that camp on a shopping spree.
"I always knew I'd do a football camp, and this was the first one. These gift cards were for the kids who worked the hardest today."
So there they were, ranging in ages from 7-year-old running back Mason Jackson from South Pittsburg to 17-year-old Rhea County quarterback and kicker Haden Frashier, who admitted his gift card wasn't quite enough to buy the Nike tennis shoes he'd chosen.
"I'm going to have to spend a little bit of my own money," Frashier said. "But this whole day meant a lot. It makes you think about what your life could be like one day if you're willing to work hard."
It would be hard to work much harder than Kamara has in going from an Alabama signee out of high school, to junior college, to Tennessee, to the New Orleans Saints, where he wound up as the NFL's offensive rookie of the year after rushing for 728 yards, catching passes totaling 826 yards and scoring 14 total touchdowns by rush, reception or kick return.
"That was last year, though," he said. "Right now we're just trying to get ready for this season."
Academy, Kamara and Kamara's manager David Raymond began getting ready for the camp and the shopping spree several months ago.
"We're extremely excited to be a part of this," said Academy's Cody Reid. "We do a lot of these, and it's nice to have a former UT great such as Alvin want to do this, that he wanted to partner with us as much as we wanted to partner with him."
It also says a lot about what his former Vols teammates think of him that current Cincinnati Bengals wideout Josh Malone and Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Cam Sutton joined him at both the camp and Academy to mentor so many young people.
"I actually grew up here until I was 12 or 13," Malone said. "My mother worked at Chattanooga School for the Arts and Sciences. So it was fun to come back here today."
It was certainly fun for the kids and their parents.
"(Kamara's) giving back to the community, helping out a lot of people who don't have a lot for themselves," 17-year-old Central High School player T.J. Payne said as he held his haul of athletic equipment that he said totaled "93 dollars and 97 cents."
Then there was the South Pittsburg High trio of 16-year-old Ronto Tipton and 15-year-old teammates Javien Beene and Daedae Kelly.
"It's a big thing to have somebody come back and show kids what they can do if they're willing to work," Beene said.
"It was a really good camp," Tipton said. "Strong fundamentals. I respect him so much for doing this."
Kamara certainly seems to respect new UT coach Jeremy Pruitt, who replaced Kamara's coach, Butch Jones, at the close of last season.
"Coach Pruitt and I go way back," said Kamara, who knew him from the player's freshman season with the Crimson Tide. "We've talked several times. I know most of that coaching staff. Coach (John) Lilly recruited me at one time."
Explaining why he thinks Pruitt will be successful, Kamara said, "His ability to relate to players. It comes from how much he cares about them."
Asked if he's spoken to Jones recently, he said, "No."
By 5 p.m. Saturday, Kamara was on his way back to New Orleans, ready to resume preparing for his second season with the Saints, and another chance to show what hard work and determination can accomplish.
Said Jennifer Odom Jackson, whose son 17-year-old son Tracy plays for Central High and won the camp's "defensive back MVP" award: "It was really sweet of (Kamara) to give his time and money to these kids and let them know that anything is possible if you are willing to work for it. It's a message they all need to hear."
Contact Mark Wiedmer at mwiedmer@timesfreepress.com.