The Drop: Giants legend Victor Cruz holds football camp for children in Paterson

The Super Bowl champ offered first-hand advice and training for the campers aged 7-14.

Amanda Eustice

Jun 8, 2024, 4:56 PM

Updated 119 days ago

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More than 150 kids turned out at the Dr. Gerald Glisson/Bauerle Field House Saturday for a football camp run by Paterson native and Giants legend Victor Cruz.
The Super Bowl champ offered first-hand advice and training for the campers aged 7-14.
Their skills were put to the test during offensive and defensive drills.
Suzanne Allen brought her son and nephew to learn from the local legend.
"It's inspirational. They have somebody to look up to too,” she said. “There are bigger goals in life. In Paterson, we do have a lot of crime and things that happen in the city, but there's a bright side.”
Cruz said the event provides an opportunity for kids to learn skills from some of the same coaches and even former teammates he trained alongside with.
The Victor Cruz Foundation, which hosted the event, was founded in 2012. He hopes kids took away some of the same skills and lessons that the game taught him.
"Work ethic, understanding that nothing comes easy – you got to work at it, you got to practice,” he said. “…I think the biggest thing is discipline…understanding it, processing it, applying it.”
This is the ninth year for the camp in Paterson. Cruz says he hopes it continues for years to come.
News 12 and its parent company Altice USA are sponsors of the event, which is a part of The Drop – a program that gives back to local youth-based organizations.
Cruz says what makes hosting the event even sweeter is he's training kids in the same community he grew up in on the same field.
"This is home. I come here and everybody treats me the same as I did when I was in high school and it's just a beautiful feeling so to have these kids share this experience with me out here is ever better," said Cruz.