The campers gathered around and perked up their ears as DuJuan Harris relayed a message of working hard and ignoring the naysayers.
He was in their shoes once, and the former Central High Bear and current San Francisco 49ers running back knows a thing or two about overcoming the same obstacles.
“None of those kids could stand up there and say it’s impossible to make it being from Brooksville,” Harris said. “I’m living proof right there in front of you.”
The 2007 Central grad has a son who lives in Tampa and still spends a great deal of time in the area. In a month, he’ll report to training camp, embarking on his sixth season in the NFL.
He’s coming off a tumultuous 2015 campaign in which he spent time with five different organizations and played for two teams, appearing in two games for the Seattle Seahawks before ending up with the Niners right before Christmas.
In San Francisco, the 5-foot-8, 203-pound back saw significant action over the final two weeks, rushing 27 times for 140 yards and catching nine passes for 97 yards, and he’ll return to a team guided by new head coach and offensive guru Chip Kelly.
“I’ll take it one day at a time. I’ll try to have a good day every day. If I do have a good day, come back and have a better one,” Harris said. “It’s the same goals, make the team. Once I do that, get ready and take it one day at a time.
“I have to get the job done. If I don’t (make the team), maybe I’ll end up somewhere else. I’m going into Year 6 now and at my age (27) at running back, people start to think a little bit. Teams start to hesitate to bring you in.
“I’ve just got to focus on what I’ve got to do and not focus on the fact I’m an older back. I’ve just got to come in and work.”
Harris knows all about having to prove himself, persevering every step of the way. In high school, it wasn’t until his senior year following a coaching change that he finally became the featured back and put up phenomenal numbers. The top college programs still passed him over and he ended at Troy University in Alabama.
As a sophomore he rushed for 1,077 yards, but gradually lost carries his last two years with the Trojans and went undrafted. He spent his first season as a professional on the Jacksonville Jaguars practice squad, then the 2012 preseason in the Pittsburgh Steelers training camp.
Later that season he was signed to the Green Bay Packers practice squad, and injuries finally provided an opportunity for consistent playing time. He worked his way into a starting role for the final two games in the regular season and additionally started two playoff contests, scoring two postseason touchdowns.
Then in 2013, after having a noncancerous cyst pressing up against one of his lungs removed, a preseason injury to the patellar tendon in his right knee necessitated season-ending surgery. When he returned in 2014, the Packers mostly used him as a kick returner and released him the following spring.
Last year he spent the preseason with the Minnesota Vikings, then was picked up by the New Orleans Saints, Seahawks and Baltimore Ravens prior to latching on with San Francisco.
“I can play at the level still, I proved that already,” Harris said. “It’s been an uphill battle ever since (the injury), trying to get back in the mix, get my name out there and become a starter. It can happen again.
“Things happen for a reason, I’m a firm believer of it. Having the injury and having to sit out, I had a lot of time to think about things. I learned from it. I lost people I thought were in my corner that really weren’t. A lot of things became clear to me. I’m thankful for it. I roll with the punches and control what I can control.”
As he makes the transition to veteran player, Harris said he finds himself trying to pass on some wisdom to younger teammates, especially the ones who went undrafted as he did.
“It’s a different world for highly drafted guys and undrafted guys,” Harris said. “Nothing has been given to me in my football career. Even if I’m at a place where my spot is solidified, I’ll have the same mindset because that’s all I know.
“I’m not going to hold back. I’m not going to get comfortable. I’ll have the same mindset as when I came in. I’m smarter now. I’ll use my experience along with my motivation to keep going until I reach my goal.”
In the meantime, Harris was at Ernie Wever Youth Park on Monday, speaking to campers at the ninth annual It Is All About The Youth football training camp, which has taken place from 6 to 8 p.m. every Monday and Tuesday since June 6 and will continue through July 26. There’s a one-time cost of $50 to join.
Eric Riggins, a former Hernando High standout who later coached at both Nature Coast and his alma mater, runs the camp and reached out to Harris, with whom he remains in contact.
“It’s good for him as well as the kids. The kids were real excited. They really enjoyed that,” Riggins said. “They were asking a lot of questions. They were thrilled. We had a good day.
“What I wanted him to do is let the kids see where he came from to where he’s at now. I think that was the biggest message that came across. They hear it from their parents, they hear it from the coaches, but to hear it coming from him it carries a whole lot of weight.”
For more information or to register for the camp, contact Riggins at 352-340-6132 or riggins_e@yahoo.com.
Follow Chris Bernhardt Jr. on Twitter @cpbernhardtjr.