Nearly 500 student-athletes representing 120 area high schools participated in the Greater Houston Senior Football Showcase, an event for local area high school seniors who did not sign Division I scholarship letters. The athletes had the opportunity to showcase their skills and academic prowess to 43 different Division II, III and NAIA colleges on Feb. 15 at the Houston Methodist Training Center.
From its inception in 2009, the number of participants has quadrupled in size and included 112 coaches on site. Of the 412 students who participated last year, 349 received scholarship offers.
"These kids know that if they don't sign with a big school on signing day that it's OK, they've got another chance," Senior Showcase Founder Phil Camp said. "They know that we're going to bring college coaches down here to take a look at them, and that they could walk away with a scholarship to play football."
Saturday's showcase was a life-changing experience for many of these young men. Camp expressed his gratitude to all who make the event possible, claiming that he was only "lucky enough to have the idea."
"The whole community of Houston gets behind it," he said. "We had 150 volunteers that gave up their morning to be here, you had high school coaches from all across the state working it so that their kids can get an opportunity. When a kid comes up to you to say 'thank you very much, I had an opportunity to get a scholarship,' that is the second best day of my life."
