Dining with the best at Walter Camp banquet

By Albert Chen

ALBERT CHEN/YH All-American and Heisman Trophy winner Ricky Williams was kept busy all weekend signing autographs for admiring fans.

After the 1999 Walter Camp National Awards Dinner at Commons was finally over (the event's emcee, ESPN's Chris Fowler, thought he might have broken a record by keeping the night's festivities to a tidy five-and-a-half hours), Ricky Williams, the University of Texas running back who shredded the NCAA record books this past season, didn't have much choice but to hang around. Mobbed by football fans young and old seeking an autograph or photo, Williams, who is now the NCAA's leading all-time rusher, was kept busy for a good 45 minutes after all the other honorees had left.

"Ricky, I love you, man!" someone yelled as I pushed my way through the crowd. A woman next to me basically smacked Williams on the head with her program. "Ricky, remember me?"

In all, 22 awards were given out at the dinner on Sat., Feb. 27. There was a Man of the Year (legendary Notre Dame coach Lou Holtz), a Distinguished American (San Francisco 49ers quarterback Steve Young), and an Alumnus of the Year (Dallas Cowboy running back Tony Dorsett). There were 15 Walter Camp All-Americans, including Williams, Wisconsin running back Ron Dayne, Georgia defensive end Champ Bailey, and Florida State wide receiver Peter Warrick. In addition to attending Saturday night's festivities, the All-Americans spent Thursday and Friday in the city participating in various community service events.

I arrived at the black-tie event as a reporter and as a fan--but mostly as a fan. And the evening was every football fan's dream. At one moment early on, I somehow found big--really big--Aaron Gibson standing alone in the Woolsey Rotunda. Sure to be a top pick in next month's NFL draft, Gibson--the Wisconsin All-American offensive lineman--was featured in a recent Sports Illustrated and listed as 6'7", 400-plus pounds. His head, which requires a special custom-made helmet (the largest ever made by Riddell) was easily the biggest I've ever had a conversation with.

The banquet's speakers touched on many different themes. Holtz talked about his wife and the importance of always remembering that "everyone needs kind words." Dorsett talked about being awestruck when he himself arrived at Yale 20 years ago and was himself a Walter Camp All-American.

But one thing was clear in all the speeches: the night was, more than anything, a celebration of the game of football. Young entertained the crowd with a hilarious, anecdote-filled speech. He didn't talk about Super Bowls or multimillion dollar contracts, but instead reminisced about why he's always loved the game so much. "I love football," he said. "I've had a passion for the game since I was eight years old. I encourage all eight-year-olds to play tackle football. Football can teach great lessons. It can teach you how to work as a team, fight through depression when things go wrong. I'm grateful to the game of football."

Like a good game, the banquet was full of trash-talking. At one moment during the night, Dayne, who needs 1,700 yards next season to break Williams' mark and become the NCAA's leading all-time rusher, turned to Williams and asked, "Are you going to show up to my game when I break your record like Tony [Dorsett] did when you broke his?"

The night was also a rare time for fierce rivals to meet each other in person, without the helmets and pads. When reminded about their well-publicized on-field rivalry, three-time Camp All-American cornerback from North Carolina Dre' Bly and Warrick could kid around. Before the big UNC-Florida State ACC clash, Warrisck was seen sporting Tarheel sweats and a UNC baseball cap. "I own him," he was quoted as saying, referring to Bly, as he strutted around in Carolina colors. Now, with Bly off to the NFL and Warrick staying for his senior year, the two joke about it. "It's all good," Warrick laughed. "He had a good game one year, I had a good game one year," Bly said. "We're even."

When it was close to midnight, I stood in the Rotunda ready to go home and finally get out of my tux. Suddenly, I found myself standing next to an exhausted Williams, who was waiting to be escorted to his limo. I got out my camera and was ready to ask someone to take a photo of us. But at the end of an evening that had reminded me that most athletes are just regular people doing what they love, I put my camera down with one thought: "Leave the poor man alone."

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