Images from defensive end Calais Campbell's Career Day for lower-income students, presented by the Philadelphia Eagles Road Trip Crew
DE Calais Campbell listens to the Career Day presentation by the Eagles fans
Campbell lifts a student for a dunk
Campbell smiles after the dunk
A personalized football from Campbell for the Eagles fans
Campbell signs an autograph
The Eagles fans set up the hoop
Campbell with the group
Campbell plays basketball with the students
Campbell goes up for the dunk
Campbell and the students listen to the Career Day presentations from the Eagles fans
Campbell gives encouragement
The Eagles fans sing their fight song
Campbell laughs as he's handed an Eagles shirt
Calais Campbell turned a corner at the Black Family and Child Services Center on Friday afternoon and walked straight into a sea of black and green.
"Uh oh," the Cardinals' star defensive end said. "All these Eagles fans in here are making me nervous."
The 14 men gazing back at him will indeed be rooting for Philadelphia on Sunday, but on this day, they were all there for a common goal.
The Philadelphia Eagles' Road Trip Crew joined with Campbell for CRC Foundation Career Day, an afternoon spent talking to lower-income students about their future, followed up by basketball and pizza.
Campbell regularly does events for kids in the area, and the Eagles fans wanted their chance to help. For 13 years, they've been traveling once a year to a road game to cheer on their team. Four years ago, Howard Brooks had the idea of adding a charitable endeavor on the trip.
"A lot of us grew up in inner-city Philadelphia just like Calais and his family grew up in inner-city Denver, and just like they're supporting inner-city Phoenix," Brooks said. "There's a common ground here, and all of us are extraordinarily passionate about giving back to our community."
The Road Trip Crew supplied two basketball hoops and the Eagles bought six basketballs for the center. The Eagles fans spent half an hour telling the students about their careers and stressing the importance of finding a job you love.
Campbell later played a game of "knockout" basketball with the kids, which brought back memories of his high school days as a star on the hardwood.
"Oh yeah," he said with a gleam in his eye. "I was pretty good at basketball. I had some scholarship offers."
He lifted one youngster so he could dunk, signed autographs and chatted with the kids.
"This is what it's all about," Campbell said. "You want to give back."
Campbell said joining up with the Eagles fans was a great opportunity.
"One thing I do respect about the game of football is the passion in the fans," Campbell said. "That's what makes it so much fun. This is awesome to have a group of distinguished gentlemen who have big hearts and want to help out with the opposing team. The one thing about the NFL is, we're one big family."
