Bartrum-Brown Football Camp May 17

Former Marshall stars and MU Hall of Fame members Mike Bartrum, formerly of the Philadelphia Eagles and four other NFL clubs, and Troy Brown, who has won three Super Bowl rings with the New England Patriots, are proud to announce their annual camp for children in the Tri-State on Saturday, May 17, at Marshall’s Joan C. Edwards Stadium, at Third Avenue and 20th Street, in Huntington, West Virginia.

The Bartrum & Brown Football Camp is open to children, both boys and girls, from the first through the eighth grade. There are two sessions, 8:30 a.m.-Noon for children in grades first through fourth. After a lunch break for the staff, session two for grades five through eighth will be from 1:30-4:30 p.m. The cost is $30 if the child is pre-registered or $40 if registering at the stadium. Each addition child registered is only $20, and early registration must be postmarked by May 3. The camp is in its second decade and is part of a full weekend of activities, including the B&B Celebrity Golf Classic at Twin Silos Golf Course at Lavalette, W.Va., on Sunday, May 18, and the B&B Celebrity Auction at the Don Morris Room of the Marshall Memorial Student Center on Saturday, May 17, from 6-10 p.m.

Forms on both the camp and the celebrity events are on the web at www.bartrumandbrown.com, or find brochures distributed all around the Tri-State area.

Mike Bartrum, formerly of the Philadelphia Eagles and one of the NFL's top long snappers in a 12-year career, teams up again with Troy Brown for the Bartrum-Brown Football Camp at Marshall's football stadium on May 17. photo courtesy of Philadelphia Eagles

Mike Bartrum played in two Super Bowls, one each with the Eagles and the Patriots, and was regarded as one of the league’s top long snappers. Over 13 seasons, he also served as a tight end, with six touchdowns in 11 career catches, and served as a back-up kicker as well. Bartrum played in the 2006 Pro Bowl before retiring before the 2007 season due to an injury. Bartrum was an All-Southern Conference tight end and long snapper for the Herd who arrived in 1988 as a quarterback out of Meigs High School in Pomeroy.

Troy Brown, shown during a 15-year career with the Patriots, is looking for a new team as New England will not re-sign the veteran. He will be at the Bartrum-Brown Football Camp in Huntington, W.Va. on May 17. photo courtesy of New England Patriots.

Troy Brown, who has made his home in Huntington for 17 years, has just finished his 15th year with the Pats, and during that time the team won three Super Bowls and played in two others. The versatile Brown served as a defensive back and back-up quarterback for New England in addition to playing receiver and running back kickoffs and punts, just as he did at MU. He is the all-time reception leader and leading punt returner in New England, is second in receiving yards and holds both Southern Conference and NCAA records for his two-time All-American career at Marshall.

Brown and Bartrum were part of the National Championship team at Marshall in 1992, knocking off current Ohio State coach Jim Tressel’s Youngstown State Penguins at MU Stadium, 31-28, and winning 12 games for the first time in school history. Both Bartrum and Brown have been elected to the Marshall University Athletic Hall of Fame.

One change is this year’s registration/check-in will be held under the East stands of the Edwards Stadium, the non-press box side beside the MU weight room. The West side of the stadium will be closed throughout the day to prepare for another event, but parents can still use the West parking lot and just walk up Third Avenue to the East concourse. It is suggested parent and children plan on bringing sunscreen because that side of the stadium faces the afternoon sun.

The decade-old camp has funded youth programs and charities in both Huntington, where Brown has his home with his family since coming to Marshall in 1991, and also in Pomeroy, Ohio, where Bartrum lives, in the area he grew up in. Marshall University also profits from the closer association of the camp at the home of Herd football. “Marshall received about about four to five figures from the camp each year,” said Brown, “and children love the chance to come to camp on the Herd’s FieldTurf. We are glad to have Marshall on board, and Dr. Stephen Kopp, President of MU, and head football coach Mark Snyder’s help have been invaluable.” Other donations are made to the A.D. Lewis Youth Center in Huntington, the New Horizons Day Care Center, the Rutland (Ohio) Little League and additional charities in the Tri-State.

Former Marshall players, some of whom still play in the NFL who are expected to be in attendance at the camp include:
Ahmad Bradshaw, the former Bluefield, Va., Graham H.S. and Marshall running back (2004-06), who was All-Conference USA for the Herd in 2006, then a key contributor at running back as a rookie seventh-round draft selection for the Super Bowl champions, the New York Giants;
Chad Pennington, the former Marshall signal caller for the Herd in 1995, then 1997-99, when he was a Heisman finalist, who is still battling to be the starter for the New York Jets in 2008;
Chris Massey, the former East Bank Pioneer and Herd (1998-2001) long-snapper, who now snaps and plays running back for the St. Louis Rams;
Jason Rader, who played tight end for the St. Albans Red Dragon and Marshall (2003-04), played this year on the AFC Champions, the New England Patriots, playing alongside fellow MU alums Chris Hanson, Randy Moss and Brown for the Pats;
Carl Lee, a former South Charleston Black Eagle and Herd (1979-82) safety for Coach Sonny Randle, who was a member of the 40th Anniversary Minnesota Vikings team and a 12-year All-Pro at cornerback with the Vikes (11 years) and Saints;
John Wade, the former MU (1993-97) and All-Mid-American Conference center who will be the starter at for the Oakland Raiders after a ten year career at Jacksonville and Tampa Bay;
Andre O’Neal, one of the key defenders on the 1999 Herd (1995-99), who were 13-0 and No. 10 in the nation, who played for the Chiefs and Vikings;
Billy Lyon is a former defensive tackle at Marshall (1993-96), a captain on the National Championship, 15-0 team in ‘96, who played for the Vikes and Packer and entered the MU Hall of Fame in 2007. Lyon is an assistant college football coach at Thomas More College in his native Kentucky;
Reggie Oliver, a former MU (1970-73) quarterback who played in the NFL and World Football League in the 1970s. Oliver and was one of the key characters portrayed in the Warner Bros. movie, “We Are Marshall.”

Jack Lengyel (1971-74) and Red Dawson (1968-71) who will also both be at the camp for the second-consecutive year, while Jim Donnan (1990-95) and Bob Pruett (1996-2004), both former MU head coaches, were in attendance last year and they and Mark Snyder, Marshall’s current head coach, may also expected to be at the camp.

Other NFL stars have attended the camp over the years and are expected this year, including former and current teammates of Bartrum and Brown like:
Mike Vrable, linebacker, New England Patriots;
Rodney Harrison, safety, New England Patriots;
Jevon Kearse, defensive end, Tennessee Titans (and formerly with Eagles);
Lee Vickers, tight end, Baltimore Ravens (formerly with Eagles) and
Brian Westbrook, running back, Philadelphia Eagles. Former pro players who are expected to join the camp again include:
Matt Blundin, quarterback, Kansas City Chiefs and Detroit Lions;
Allen DeGraffenreid, receiver, Green Bay Packers and Kansas City Chiefs;
Will Shields, guard, Kansas City Chiefs and
Max Lane, New England Patriots.

In case of rain, the camp will move indoors to the Henderson Center Arena and the Gullickson Hall Gymnasium on the Marshall campus. Campers should bring tennis shoes appropriate for the hardwood floors if they are planning on wearing cleats on the FieldTurf. Return forms to and make checks payable to:
Bartrum and Brown Football Camp, P.O. Box 9497, Huntington, W.Va. 25704-0497. Please include shirt size for pre-registration, along with current grade and name of school/team where the camper attends/participates, along with normal name, address, phone number and emergency contacts. For the adults, there are two events that have raised a great deal of money while participants have had a great time at dinner and golfing at one of the Tri-State areas top courses.

The Bartrum and Brown Celebrity Auction and Dinner is on Saturday night at the Marshall Memorial Student Center (Don Morris Room) for the second consecutive year. Tickets are available for this event on the website, as well as at Stadium Frame and Art on Third Avenue, across from the Marshall stadium. Nearly 100 items are expected to be auctioned off, both live and in the silent auction prior to the live action, raising in the neighborhood of nearly $100,000 for the camp in past years.

The Bartrum-Brown Celebrity Golf Classic will be Sunday, May 18 at the Twin Silos Golf Course located on Route 527 in Lavalette, just minutes north of Huntington. A continental breakfast is provided and food is available throughout the day. Golfers tee off at 9 a.m. with many of the NFL and MU stars playing in foursomes. Prizes will be awarded to foursomes for first, second and third. There will also be closest to the pin, longest drive and three opportunities to win a new automobile or $10,000 for a hole in one.

There are numerous sponsorship levels for interested individuals or organizations:
The Super Bowl Sponsor level of $7,500 includes three team entries in the golf tournament, 8x10 photo with Bartrum and Brown, company-organization logo on camp t-shirt, company -organization sign on the golf course for the tournament, 20 tickets to Saturday night’s auction and nine VIP gift packs. You must bid for a celebrity at the auction on Saturday night or pay an additional $175 for the fourth golfer;
The Pro Bowl Sponsor level of $5,000 includes two team entries into the golf tournament, 10 tickets to Saturday night’s auction, six VIP gift packs, sign on the golf course for the tournament, company-organization Logo on camp t-shirt and 8x10 photo with Bartrum and Brown. You must win a celebrity at the auction or pay an additional $175 for the fourth golfer;
The NFL Sponsor level of $2,000 will give you one team entry into the golf tournament, 8x10 photo with Bartrum and Brown, company-organizational logo on camp t-shirts, company/organizational logo on sign at golf course and six tickets to Saturday night’s auction. You must win a celebrity at the auction or pay an additional $175 for the fourth golfer;
The Eagles Sponsor level at $750 get four tickets to Saturday night’s auction, company-organizational logo on camp t-shirts, company-organizational logo on sign at course, and an 8x10 photo with Bartrum and Brown;
The Patriots Sponsor level is also $750 and gives you three entries in the golf tournament and six invitations to Friday’s auction. You must win a celebrity at the auction or pay an additional $175 for the fourth golfer;
The Thundering Herd level is $175. For that you will receive an individual entry into the golf tournament and two tickets for Saturday’s night auction.

All pictures with Bartrum and Brown will be taken Sunday morning at 8:30 a.m. of each group. Sponsor money must be in by May 1 to have camera-ready logos put onto camp t-shirts. For information, visit the website at: www.bartrumandbrown.com or call Rich & Mary Gannon (304-697-5640), Mike Chancey (740-992-2158).