Former NFL player turns mentor to young footballers

Mark McMillian, former NFL player, wants to do anything he can to provide kids with the opportunity to get better, something he didn't have much of when he was younger.

Former professional athletes often try to find a way to give back to the communities that gave them so much during their playing days. Some do it by holding camps, some do it by mentoring young players and some do it by providing opportunities for players that they may not otherwise get.

Former NFL player Mark McMillian does all three. For the past 10 years, McMillian and a staff full of former NFL and college players run Camp 29, a football camp that allows athletes from the youth level all the way up to the professional level to hone their skills. He also is a part of the Blue-Grey All-American game, which plays four games across the country after the conclusion of the high school football season.

Like many other athletes, McMillian wants to do anything he can to provide kids with the opportunity to get better, something he didn’t have much of when he was younger. He didn’t play youth football. In fact, he didn’t play the sport until his senior year of high school. Even then, he said, he played in only four or five games. It wasn’t until his time at Glendale Community College where he was given the opportunity to prove himself on the gridiron.