Youth football camp in Sacramento honors memory of former Oregon Ducks star Spencer Webb

Spencer Webb wasn’t at the free youth football player and cheer camp in Oak Park last week that bears his name, but he was there in spirit.

In that sense, he was everywhere. His grinning portrait from his senior year at Christian Brothers High School was impossible to miss on the scoreboard, a watchful eye from above. The swag handed out to the giddy campers, ages 6-14, who braved the 108-degree temperatures included his name or likeness.

Webb died two years ago in a cliff-diving accident just west of Triangle Lake in Lane County, Oregon, less than 50 miles from Eugene, where he was preparing for his junior season at tight end for the Oregon Ducks. The NFL prospect who towered at 6-foot-6 and in personality was 22 years old.

Webb’s was a life of promise, fraught with twists and turns and bad breaks from his youth, things he opened up about to The Sacramento Bee in 2016. He was the product of a broken home early in his youth before he found a foundation and football. He spoke of how “my dreams are coming true.” He spoke of how sports helped him build back a shattered confidence. Those who knew him were inspired by his drive but now feel cheated. How could he be gone at just 22?

Everyone lost out, those closest to him said last week. To know Webb was to enjoy him, to love him, to laugh at his quirks, to be inspired by his commitment to make something of himself. The camp coordinator, Cody Webb, was Spencer Webb’s older brother. Cody became Spencer’s legal guardian early in the football star’s Christian Brothers tour, and he laid down the law and a path to success. Football saved a young man headed down a bad path.

Cody and his wife, Alicia, raised Webb. They used the same tenets needed in football success to help guide him: structure, discipline, accountability. Webb responded. He became a star on campus and in games, including the famed Holy Bowl rivalry against Jesuit. He became a Sacramento Bee All-Decade performer. One of his CB coaches, Larry Morla, once said that Webb was “a once-in-a-generation talent.”

It was Webb’s hope to have a football camp at Christian Brothers, to tap into the next generation. He stopped by Christian Brothers weeks before his death to offer inspirational words to student-athletes.

“Spencer loved kids, loved giving back, and he was a big teddy bear,” Alicia Webb said during Wednesday’s camp. “The last conversation I had with Spencer, he said that he wanted to have a youth camp here. We’re fulfilling his dreams.”

Alicia and Spencer Webb had a special bond. She was a fraction of his size, petite yet mighty, and he didn’t look down on her as much as he looked up to her in admiration and appreciation.

“We miss him, and I think of him every day,” she said. “When I drive, I see things — license plates, three numbers in a row, something he lived. I see things like that, and it’s him giving me a wink. It’s bitter sweet.”

Cody said the idea of the free camp was to introduce kids to the joys of football, what it takes to be a teammate, to be the best one can be. The smiles were in abundance. No one seemed to notice the heat. The theme was all about fun.

The campers got to know who and what Webb was all about, his struggles, his joys, his journey. The first day of the three-day camp included videos of Webb’s time in high school and with the Oregon Ducks, testimonials of those who coached him or played with him.

The final day of the camp included a BBQ and more on the life of Webb. Twelve campers received special recognition for their efforts, and not just because they could run faster or jump higher than their peers. They were honored for their attitude. Instead of trophies, Cody and Alicia thought the perfect touch would be sparkling silver dog tags with Webb’s face on one side and the camp name on the other.

Webb during his playing days placed dog tags of his beloved grandfather in his cleats.

“What kid doesn’t like a nice piece of jewelry?” Cody said with a laugh.

On Day 2, Asante Cleveland spoke to the campers, all of them in Christian Brothers blue and red colors. Cleveland wore those colors as a tight end star for the school in the late 2000s. He played on scholarship at the University of Miami and suited up in the NFL from 2014-2017, including two seasons with the San Francisco 49ers.

“Look at all of these kids,” a beaming Cleveland said, peering out at the sea of youth running drills. “This is what football can do. It’s for everyone. You can learn so much from football.”

“We had such a great turnout,” Cody added. “I think of Spencer all the time. There’s so much formality when you lose someone. When it comes to healing, it can be a lifetime thing. You never completely heal. He lived a tough life and we lost him early.”

Cody added: “If this camp helps one kid, about the lessons football can provide, we’ve done our job. We’ll do this every year.”

Webb will be there, in spirit and in memory.