Cliff Crosby Gives Advice to Erie High School Royals

Former NFL player Cliff Crosby is back in Erie for his annual football camp.  Crosby is a former East High School star who went on to win a Super Bowl ring with the St. Louis Rams.

In the past six years that Crosby ran his football camp in Erie, he would instruct players from East High School, Strong Vincent, and Central Tech. This year, because of a building consolidation project, all of those schools no longer exist.  Athletes from the Erie School District will play for one school..Erie High School.

Crosby was a star player at East.   He knows all about Erie football traditions, the history, and the rivalries. The high school players, who are attending his camp this week at Veterans Memorial Stadium, are asking him, not only about how to be a better football player, but also how he feels about the consolidation of the athletic teams.
         

Crosby admits that he never thought East, Central, and Strong Vincent, would no longer be high schools. But, he says Erie, like many school districts across the country, have to deal with tough budget decisions. His advice to the athletes who will play football for the new Erie High School this season, is to rally around each other, and embrace the fact that the team will be making history.

"We have a lot of those kids from Central, East, and Vincent here, and I said, 'Man you guys have an awesome opportunity.  You're the first.  So whatever you want that first season to be, it's yours.  You can have  the first winning season, the first losing season,  the first championship.  But, whatever it is, it's going to be remembered as the first class," Crosby said.
          

Crosby now lives in the Washington D.C. area, but enjoys coming back to Erie to conduct his annual camp.