On the field at Jordan-Hare Stadium for Auburn football coach Tommy Tuberville’s annual fantasy camp on Saturday, Elliot Martin participated in drills with enthusiasm. If a pass was thrown to him, he caught it. If there was blocking dummy to be hit, he hit it.
And he is 82 years old.
“He’s the oldest rookie we’ve ever had,” chortled Vince Saia, a lifelong Auburn supporter who has been a camp regular for all of Tuberville’s 10 seasons.
Martin, from Birmingham, has two degrees from Auburn. He earned an agriculture degree in 1951 and finished veterinary school in 1955. His first trip to the camp was a gift from his son Craig, also an Auburn graduate and a Birmingham veterinarian.
“We gave it to him for a birthday present,” said Craig Martin, who attended the camp for the third time. “He’s had a good time. He’s been out there scrapping with everybody. I just wanted him to enjoy the experience.
“This is really fun. We get to be around all the coaches in a laidback setting, get to ask them questions. We get a little inside information on how the football program runs.”
The Martins were among 62 participants who paid to spend two days visiting with coaches and getting a least a small taste of what players are asked to do on the practice field.
“I’ve enjoyed it,” Elliot Martin said. “I had no idea what it was, but it’s been a lot of fun.”
Tuberville got the idea for a fantasy camp when Texas A&M had one when he was defensive coordinator in 1994. He took the idea with him to Ole Miss the next season and brought it with him to Auburn.
“This gets us started as coaches,” Tuberville said. "These guys don’t just like Auburn football, they love it. It’s their passion. Being around them for two days, that’s all they want to talk about. It kind of gets us back in the spirit after vacation and all our camps.”
