Former Minnesota Vikings linebacker Chad Greenway hosts skills camp in Bismarck

BISMARCK, N.D. (KFYR) – Former Minnesota Vikings linebacker Chad Greenway shared his experiences and helped lead a football camp at the Sanford Sports location in north Bismarck on Sunday.

Athletes worked at seven different stations during the camp, focusing on a combination of skills and drills to help improve their game. Greenway was there to sign autographs, take pictures and close the camp by answering all sorts of questions from campers and their parents.

“It’s fun. You get to do these exercises that most of the time you would never do. It’s just, you can see him, seeing an actual Hall of Fame player is scary but it’s just having fun really,” said Owen Schick, a camper at the event.

After growing up a four-sport athlete, Greenway played four years of football at Iowa, winning two Big Ten Championships. In 2006, he was picked 17th overall in the NFL draft by the Minnesota Vikings, where he’d spend his entire 11-year career.

Greenway hasn’t been inducted into the Hall of Fame just yet, but he hopes his story helps inspire kids to reach heights like him.

“The reality is that athletes come from everywhere, it doesn’t really matter the size of your town, it’s about your will to want to be good, your persistence in wanting to be good and just overcoming any odds that might be in front of you. Odds might be injuries, odds might be being from a small town, North Dakota, South Dakota, whatever it is. Because everybody has some level of odds. Can your persistence in how you think and how you attack workouts and how you attack sports and your will to want to improve and get better, that’s just everything. So, I think that just to try to relay that not only to the kids but to the parents and say, ‘There is a reality that this can happen,’” said Greenway.

Greenway was also a pro-bowler and was named Man of the Year four times by the Minnesota Vikings.

Sara Haugen, vice president of the Sanford Health Foundation, saID that being able to host events like this in Bismarck is a huge advantage, showing kids and parents that you can find success by not only being a great athlete, but a great person as well.

“Oh gosh, it was awesome to have Chad Greenway with us here today. His ability to inspire the community and inspire the kids that he was able to train with today, it was just a great experience to bring someone of his caliber to town. I think the coolest thing I heard Chad say today to both groups that he spoke with was that you have to work really hard to achieve the goals that you set for yourself and to just always strive to be the best person that you possibly can be, whether that’s the best athlete, or the best friend or the best colleague. So, just great messages,” said Haugen.