By Andy Furman
NKyTribune reporter
Once a Northern Kentuckian – always a Northern Kentuckian. And there’s no better proof than Mike Polly.
He grew up in Northern Kentucky, attended Dixie Heights High School and later Georgetown College.
Oh, did we forget to mention he played football at Dixie and for the Tigers of Georgetown.
Seems like he never did get the football bug out of his system – the 39-year-old Polly enters his 12th season – and third as offensive line coach and run game coordinator – for the Blue Raiders of Middle Tennessee State.
Polly returns home this week for a one-day three-and-half-hour football camp at – where else – his alma mater, Dixie Heights High School.
“The Mike Polly Youth Football Camp will make its debut, Thursday, July 13 at 5:30 p.m.,” he told the Northern Kentucky Tribune. “And it’s free.”
Registration, he notes, will commence at 4:30 p.m. at the school.
“I’ve been in touch with just about every high school football coach in Northern Kentucky,” Polly said, “and even some in Cincinnati. We have a graphics guy putting signs all-over Kenton County.”
The totally-free experience is open to all rising third through eighth graders, he said.
“This is the inaugural camp,” he said, “but I want to see it grow to more than one evening.”
The three-and-a-half-hour program will consist of eight-station drills, with eight groups, Polly said. “We’ll move to offensive skills, and practice individual skills; and do the same on the defensive side of the football.”
Polly said the program will conclude with teams playing speedball.
“We’ll have just about 15 coaches handling the skills,” Polly said. “Some are college guys and some high school coaches and some former players.”
One, particular is Polly’s college team at Georgetown – quarterback Jeff Smith, who was briefly with the Cincinnati Bengals.
Speaking of teammates – well, make that classmates – Polly said Dixie Heights principal, Roddy Stainforth, was “awesome” in helping pave the way for the camp.
“He may be a few years older than me,” Polly said of Stainforth, “but he, too is a Dixie guy and was a tremendous help along with the Dixie athletic department.”
One of the “selling points” for the free camp, according to Polly: “We’ll be giving kids football experience from people who really know the game – guys who played and/or coach for a living.”
Polly remembers.
“I played for the Northern Kentucky Raiders, and NKY FB as well as Dixie,” he said. “All those coaches developed my love for the game. They did a lot for me. This is the least I can do to give back.”