LOCAL SPORTS

When DJ Clark interviewed for his office job in Soda Springs, the employer paused early in the conversation. He thought he recognized Clark, the former Idaho State defensive back who went on to play two seasons in the NFL.

"I remember you," the interviewer said. "There was another guy too, named Eddie. I loved you guys. You guys did this camp. You gave my son some gloves, and Eddie signed his ball."

Clark hardly expected to get recognized in a job interview, but years later, he understands why it happened. Participating in those ISU camps, he realized, left an impact on the kids he helped. They looked up to him, appreciated his advice.

To them, he might as well have been Santa.

Which is why this weekend, Clark teamed up with a cadre of former Pocatello-area football players to put on a camp, joining forces with former Century quarterback Nate Manning and former ISU players Eddie Thompson and Emery Beckles. They worked with kids from sixth grade and up, passing on skills, advice, technique and a lot more.

The interesting part is that each coach offered something unique. Let's start with Clark. He played four seasons with the Bengals in the 2000s, leading the team in interceptions for four straight seasons. Then, as an undrafted free agent, he joined the Carolina Panthers. He was soon released, but the Green Bay Packers came along and took a flier on the DB. That stint lasted about a year before an injury derailed his pro career.

Then there's Thompson, a four-year ISU starter who earned all-conference honors each of those seasons. Thompson, who checks in second-all time in ISU history with 219 career receptions, joined the Arena Football League's Spokane Shock back in 2010. He played one more AFL season, this one with the Pittsburgh Power.

Also on the offensive side: Manning, the former Century signal-caller who walked on to Arizona State's team in 2020. He spent two years with the Sun Devils. This offseason, he entered the transfer portal. "I didn't see myself as a fit to the team there, being that piece that they needed," Manning said. "(So I said), you know what, my talents are probably better (used) elsewhere. So I should go find that." His next stop is Pikeville University in Kentucky, where he'll head in about a week.

Rounding out the group of coaches at this weekend's camps was Beckles, who might have the most interesting career trajectory of all. No typo here: At 40 years old, Beckles is an active player for the Rapid City Marshals of Champions Indoor Football, a league created in 2014. He starred for Idaho State in the early 2000s. Somehow, he's still playing — and doing so well.

So that's the group that made this weekend's camps possible. When they chatted about why they wanted to do it, a certain theme kept resurfacing.

"I would love to help the younger generation in Pocatello," Manning said.

"For me, it's almost like I owe it back to the game," Clark said. "Football has done so much for my life. Even if you look at my job, I feel like football has something to do with me having that job. Just trying to teach the kids that football can take you a long way, even if you just play in high school, the network, the friends you build."

That's exactly how these four guys got to know each other. Clark now coaches at Century, Thompson at Blackfoot. They used to have an Idaho State connection. Now they have one coaching local high school teams.

"The things that we didn't know when we went into college, that we wish we would have known while we were in high school," Clark said, "that's what we're trying to pass on."

On that front, Clark and his three friends shared an array of lessons with their campers, from teaching them proper press coverage to breaking quickly on a ball. They hope that will give the campers more confidence, more comfort playing more aggressively.

But they wanted to share advice that stretches off the field, too. When Clark wore a Packers uniform, he noticed something about his teammates, about other players: Not everyone is having fun. To Clark, it seemed like they kept playing because of the nice paycheck and because their bodies could perform. "Most of the guys, you get tired of that," Clark said.

So all four coaches stressed to their campers to have fun, to keep it fun. That's something Clark admires about Beckles: After all these years, after playing for what seems like a million teams, he keeps things fun. "I look at that, and I'm like, I couldn't do that," Clark laughed. "I couldn't be 40 years old and still playing."

If any of their campers pull that off in the future, the coaches will likely consider this weekend a success.

Greg Woods is a sports reporter at the Idaho State Journal. Follow him on Twitter at GregWWoods.