In 1971, T.C. Williams High School coach Herman Boone took his football team 85 miles away from its Alexandria, Va., campus to Gettysburg, Pa. In one of the memorable scenes from the film “Remember the Titans,” Boone explained the two-week stay in Gettysburg was an essential bonding experience for the team.
The concept of taking a football team to a remote location where football is the sole focus and distractions are hard to come by is nothing new. In fact, when Boone’s Titans were making their trek, ASU coach Frank Kush was taking the Sun Devils to Camp Tontozona for the 11th time.
Kush began taking the Sun Devils to Tontozona, located in Payson, in 1960. The team continued to use the facilities until the completion of the Verde Dickey Dome in 2008.
While the air-conditioned dome was a pleasant addition to the Tempe campus, fans wanted the team to make efforts to return.
If the team raises the necessary funds to return, the Sun Devils will attend Camp Tontozona from Aug. 14 to 18, with a scrimmage set to take place on the final day.
Although the football program needs to raise $150,000, coach Todd Graham is a traditionalist — and Tontozona is an ASU tradition.
“I love the tradition of college football,” Graham said. “That is one of the reasons I coach at the collegiate level. Camp Tontozona is one of the famous icons in the history of college football. I want to take my first team there because the tradition begins at Tontozona, just like it did in 1960.”
While no players on the current roster have experienced a fall camp at Tontozona, former players have illustrated the importance of returning.
“Camp Tontozona was simply about a bonding experience for us, especially as freshmen,” former quarterback Jake Plummer said. “For me, it was my indoctrination to college football. It culminated in a Rose Bowl for us in 1996. It was Camp Tontozona that brought us together.”
If the funds are met, the five-day camp is projected to bring the city of Payson $1.5 million, according to Mayor Kenny Evans. The city will contribute an undisclosed amount to restore Camp Tontozona with the help of outside resources.
The deal is for five years, but all sides are for a long-term commitment to continuing the tradition. Discussions of expanding Camp Tontozona past five days have been discussed in the future, but it will likely not run longer than 11 days.
“For many of us, more important than any financial impact was that Camp Tontozona created a link between our state’s university and the rural communities that too often felt estranged from the metropolitan centers,” Evans said. “Even though it is only just over an hour from the Valley, Camp Tontozona put a world-class athletic program in touch with our little piece of rural Arizona. More importantly, (it) gave all of rural Arizona a claim to cheer for a winning program.”
While Graham likes the concept of his players spending time together away from the usage of technology, there are preliminary plans to allow filtered Internet access so players can complete any online classwork during the camp.
“It’s all about (the) team,” Graham said. “I think this camp represents something that is a lot bigger than any coach or any player. It’s ASU football.
“I’m looking forward to taking this team back there and creating the memories that they’re going to be talking about 20 (to) 30 years from now.”
Reach the reporters at william.boor@asu.edu and mtesfats@asu.edu
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