LAURELT, Miss. (WDAM) – Akeem Davis stands as one of the most beloved football players from Laurel, Mississippi.
A graduate of Laurel High School, Davis played for seven teams in the National Football as one of only five football players from the city to make it to the league.
Every year, he comes home to run his AD47 Football Leadership Academy at Laurel High School.
Another native and the latest of Laurel’s five NFL players, Seattle Seahawks offensive lineman Charles Cross, was one of the coaches helping out Saturday.
This year, 100 children from 6 years old to 12 years old went through football drills.
Six of them won awards.
For more than a decade, Davis said he has taught children lifelong lessons through football.
His football camp is dedicated to implementing the “Five Pillars” core curriculum of character, leadership, discipline, follow-through and grit.
He said he hoped Saturday might inspires kids to go after their dreams.
“Athletic ability will take you far, but, character, leadership, discipline, follow-through and grit has a much higher ceiling,” Davis said after his camp at Laurel High School on Saturday. “We’re instilling that into these men because they’ll be able to do everything they want to do athletically, but in order to get the edge they’re going to have to be above reproach in their character.
“There’s diamonds, man. There’s jewels in the Pine Belt. They just need coaches like me and Charles Cross to come back and say you can do it and show them the picture of what that looks like.”
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