Rookies awed by trip to Canton

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Monday, Jun 16, 2008
By Casey Pearce, Chargers.com

For Marcus Thomas, it was original copies of the contracts signed by Bill Willis and Marion Motley in 1946, signifying the breaking of the NFL’s color barrier.

For 2007 Jim Thorpe Award winner Antoine Cason, it was a display of Thorpe, for whom Cason’s honor as college football’s best defensive back is named after.

For Jacob Hester, it was a helmet from the Shreveport Stingrays.

“At one time my hometown had a professional team and I didn’t even know it,” Hester said. “I saw the helmet and had to take a little picture with it.”

Last weekend as the Chargers rookies visited the Pro Football Hall of Fame, each one of them encountered items that made them stop, read and be thankful.”

“The whole experience of being in the Hall of Fame was incredible,” Cason said. “It’s really something special to see. The most amazing part of it to me was being in the room with all the busts. Some of those guys I grew up watching.”

As part of the NFL’s rookie orientation, each team scheduled a trip to Canton, Ohio this spring. The trips are designed to teach incoming players about the history of pro football and give them a greater appreciation of the NFL and the opportunities and responsibilities ahead.

“They wanted to let us know where we came from,” Hester said. “It’s a privilege to play in this league. The videos and displays they had set up really helped you appreciate everything that has happened before you. It was a great trip.”

The Chargers rookies took a redeye flight from San Diego to Cleveland last Thursday night. Friday evening, the Bolts visited Jacobs Field to watch the Padres play the Cleveland Indians. Saturday morning, they loaded a bus and made the one-hour drive to Canton to visit the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

“There was a lot about the history of the game that I didn’t know about,” Thomas said. “It was cool to see all the little things that showed you how far our game has come. I’d never been to the Hall of Fame before and it was a great experience.”

Each team was led through the museum by a member of the Hall of Fame staff, and the Chargers took a special guest with them to provide some unique perspective. Wide receivers Coach Charlie Joiner, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1996, joined the Chargers rookies on their trip.

“Hearing Coach Joiner talk about how the league has changed since he played and listening to his stories was cool,” Thomas said. “That’s a guy that we work with every day. I got to see some videos of him. I knew he was a really good player, but I didn’t know he was that good.”

The idea for the trips was inspired by 2007 Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee Michael Irvin in a conversation with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell last August in Canton. Irvin told Goodell that he thought the young players could greatly benefit from learning about the league’s history, and Joiner agreed with Irvin’s thinking.

“They may not know (the history) as well as they should, but they certainly appreciate it,” Joiner said. “The point of the trip was to help them get to know more about the other leagues, how they started and who the pioneers were. I think it’s a very good idea for the league.”

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