Horace Copeland spent seven seasons from 1993-99 as a wide receiver in the NFL, six of them with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In more recent years, as a resident of Spring Hill he has made an effort to impact the local community, most notably running an annual youth football camp.
“I just try to do my part,” Copeland said. “I think everybody can give back in their own special way. If it’s an opportunity to have a camp or go to a youth league or speak at a school, or whatever to do with youth, I want to do my part. Those kids are our next generation and they need a lot of help.” To that end, on Saturday Copeland paid a visit to another team named the Bucs, of the Spring Hill Athletic Association at Veterans Memorial Park in Spring Hill.
He performed a pregame coin toss, posed for pictures and generally interacted with the players, coaches and parents involved with the league. “It was awesome,” Copeland said. “Every time I go to see these kids out there playing football, it brings me back to when I was a kid. Watching them competing and having fun and excited. It’s amazing to see these kids play football and knowing what to do at a young age, it impresses me.”
Across 60 career games, Copeland caught 115 passes for 1,977 yards and seven touchdowns. SHAA president Greg Bass had nothing but positive reviews of the appearance made by Copeland, who he said was “wonderful.” “We had a good day,” Bass said. “The kids loved it. The parents loved it. It was really cool for our league. Not many people know about us. To have Horace come out was amazing.”
While one team was named after his primary professional franchise, Copeland noted that there was also a squad dubbed the Miami Hurricanes, after his alma mater. “To me it’s not a matter of who wins and who loses,” Copeland said. “The fact that they’re working together as a team and giving all they’ve got; to be so young. The most rewarding part is to see these kids give all they’ve got and have fun.”
