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NORFOLK — Growing up in the suburbs of Atlanta, Taylor Heinicke remembers going to youth football camps.
He remembers how they motivated him after he was told he was too small and too short to play quarterback.
Those camps helped him become the High School Player of the Year in Georgia.
Not big enough to play in the eyes of some major college programs, he played for Old Dominion and became the most prolific passer in the history of the Football Championship Subdivision. He won the Walter Payton Award, the FCS equivalent of the Heisman Trophy.
Not good enough to be drafted, he signed as an undrafted free agent with the Minnesota Vikings in 2015.
He’s also played with New England, Houston, Carolina and the past three seasons with Washington. He signed a two-year contract with Atlanta in the offseason as he begins his eighth season in the NFL.
He said it all goes back to those youth camps that inspired him.
That’s also why he was back in Hampton Roads this weekend for his two-day youth football camp — Saturday at Norfolk Christian and Sunday at Virginia Wesleyan. The camps were arranged by Ron Whitcomb, his former quarterbacks coach at Old Dominion.
“I remember being a kid and going to these types of camps. It meant a lot to me,” Heinicke said. “So, hopefully I’m just trying to give back to them, and hopefully they’ll enjoy it.”
He said it’s also special to do the camps in Hampton Roads, his second home.
“Every time I have a chance to come back here and give back, I’m always willing to take the time to do that,” he said. “Norfolk and Virginia Beach is a special place for me, it feels like home. So any way I can give back to the fans or the kids, I’m willing to do so.”
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Heinicke admits it’s unreal to see the love he still gets from ODU fans.
“I never thought I could have that kind of impact on people,” he said. “It’s still kind of weird for me. People are so excited about it, but it’s cool. It means you’re kind of doing something right.”
The camp was open to kids from first to eighth grades.
He hopes all of them can take something away that will inspire and make them better.
“One, I want them to have fun and be safe. But at the same time, to challenge the kids,” he said. “What I do at practice, I just try to get better at one thing. So, hopefully I can challenge these kids to focus on one thing to get better at.”
Harrison Williams, an 11-year-old from Chesapeake, was so excited to see Heinicke that he yelled his name and waved 20 yards away to get the former ODU star’s attention.
“I was really excited. I just wanted to come here and have fun with other kids,” Williams said. “I just want to learn new stuff and continue to get better.”
But Heinicke’s impact wasn’t just felt by the youth. The adults loved him, too.
Brandon Byrum, who brought his nephew, Mason, showed up wearing a Falcons No. 4 jersey with Heinicke’s name on the back.
“I had to get it customized, but I got to support him,” Byrum said about Heinicke. “I’ve been supporting him since ODU. The fact that he still supports this community and makes it his second home, it means everything. He doesn’t forget where he’s come from.”
Eric Schweizer, an ODU season-ticket holder, showed up in his “The Legend of Taylor Heinicke” T-shirt, which shows Heinicke diving for the end-zone pylon.
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But his relationship with Heinicke goes further back to his days at ODU.
In 2015, he took a photo with Heinicke at the Big Blue 5K, right before the NFL draft. His son, Jake, was just a year old.
“Eight years later, here we are,” said Schweizer, as he pointed to his son running around on the football field at the camp. “Now he gets to meet him again. He was real excited.
“We root for Taylor wherever he goes. He’s so popular that he could run for mayor in Virginia Beach,” he added. “What’s really cool is that we grew at the same time, ODU’s program and him. Watching him get out there now is really awesome. Him playing in the NFL is like a piece of ODU there.”
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Larry Rubama, 757-575-6449, larry.rubama@pilotonline.com Follow @LHRubama on Twitter.