OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) - Harrison Phillips is going on his eighth season in the NFL. The Minnesota Vikings defensive lineman is an Omaha native who went to high school at Millard West.
Phillips is also the founder of Harrison’s Playmakers, a nonprofit “committed to coaching and mentoring children facing social, physical, and economic challenges,” according to its mission statement. The camp returned to Omaha Saturday, where around “600-700 total people” showed up.
“I thought it would only be tied to my performance in the NFL,” Phillips told First Alert 6. “Like, if I was an All-Pro, Super Bowl champion, I thought I’d get this welcoming. I’m just one of the guys, but it’s great to see that I could have lost every game this season and these guys still would love and respect me. I could be a Super Bowl champion and they’d love and respect me the same."
The organization has spread out from Omaha to Buffalo, New York, and Minneapolis, Minnesota, the two communities Phillips has played in during his NFL career. He is entering his fourth season with the Vikings and played for the Bills from 2018-21.
“I had a mom come up to me and say, ‘This is going to be the highlight of my kid’s year. Every year, this is the best day of their year,’” Phillips said. “And that’s kind of a high bar and a cross to bear, but that means what we’re doing is super impactful. Seeing the smiling faces of the kids each year just gets more and more rewarding.”
Phillips invites student-athletes from the University of Nebraska to help run his camps. This year, players from the football and volleyball teams came to Millard West to participate.
“I love it as much as the kids do and it’s a great experience for them,” said Maverick Noonan, Nebraska sophomore linebacker and Elkhorn South alum. They’re fun to hang out with, fun to do all these drills and just to see all their reactions is great.”
“This is my first camp, so hearing the stories from my teammates — it’s just been so good to give back and see all the smiles of everyone," added Teraya Sigler, Nebraska freshman outside hitter. “They don’t even know us and they still want to get to know us, and so I’m — just feeling everyone’s love and happiness has just been so nice.”
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