by LISA REISMAN The new haven independent
Known for his lightning-quick reflexes and prodigious strength, Tyler Booker, the freshman All-American offensive lineman for the vaunted University of Alabama Crimson Tide, is about as close as you can get to a sure thing for NFL stardom.
But these days the New Haven native, who was indulging in a blueberry muffin on a recent afternoon at Whalley Avenue’s Westville Diner with his father William, seems just as interested in making a difference in his hometown as leveraging would-be tacklers out of the way.
Booker was spending part of his spring break promoting his second annual one-day Tyler Booker Football Camp at Hopkins School in May. Registration opened this past Monday. It’s free for anyone from fifth to eighth grade, girls included.
“Everybody is welcome: parents, spectators, everybody,” said the soft-spoken 18-year-old amid the bustle of the diner. “There’s going to be great food, a deejay. We want to make this a community event.”
Tyler Booker, with the New Haven Steelers Cheer Team.
There was that same sense of community back in November, when Booker showed up at Pizza House on Howe Street on the team’s bye week, partnering with the Eat Up Foundation to help the state champ New Haven Steelers Cheer and Dance Team raise funds to get to the national championships in Orlando, Florida.
“This is about giving back to a group of girls that are already making our community proud and have the chance to make an even bigger impact,” he said, while enjoying pizza with the squad and their families.
William Booker, who grew up in Newhallville, recalled taking his son to the annual Walter Camp Football Foundation dinners at Woolsey Hall, a star-studded event that features both college All-Americans and legends of the gridiron.
“He’d be in line and he’d be excited to meet certain players, and by the time he got to the beginning of the line, they’d be getting up to take a break, and sometimes they wouldn’t even come back,” he said.
“That was heartbreaking for me so I said, ‘Son, if you ever get in that position, I want you to be approachable because you can really have an impact on that kid’s life.’”
By then, Angelo Fox was coaching Tyler as a Mighty Mite in Pop Warner football.
“The athletic ability was there, you could see right away he had that bloodline in football,” he said, referring to Tyler’s uncle, Ulish Booker, an offensive lineman who played football at Michigan State before going on to win a championship ring with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2006.
“Even as a little kid, Tyler worked at football, he loved it, he had a true love for the game, and he shared that energy with his teammates, he encouraged them, he motivated them,” said Fox, who’s been coaching Pop Warner for over 25 years, or longer. He’s lost count.
“What I love about coaching kids in that age group, 9, 10, 11, is the chance you have to mentor them, to encourage them, to be inspirational to them,” he said. “I think Tyler is recognizing that.”
Read More This article was originally posted to New Haven Independent