Sports

Kenny Dillingham Steals S’mores From His Players At Arizona State’s Picturesque Training Camp In Mountains

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Camp Tontozona Arizona State Football
Arizona State University Athletics

Arizona State head coach Kenny Dillingham gets the short end of the stick when it comes to Camp Tontozona. He does not get to participate in all of the fun activities at college football training camp.

The Sun Devils travel north to the mountains each summer for one of the coolest traditions in sports that people do not know enough about!

Camp Tontozona provides the most beautiful backdrop in college football smack dab in the middle of the woods. (Mind you, that statement only applies to practice fields— not actual stadiums.) It’s gorgeous.

What is Camp Tontozona?

This whole thing started when Arizona State University acquired eight acres of land near Payson, Arizona in the Tonto National Forest in 1951. It was originally developed as an outdoor learning and retreat facility for students with cabins, a dining hall, recreational fields, hiking trails, etc.

That continues to be the case today.

However, Camp Tontozona is most prominently used for the Sun Devils’ preseason training camp. Legendary head coach Frank Kush introduced the camp’s most iconic role in 1959. He brought the team up to the mountains — away from all of the distractions — for practice. The tradition stuck!

Arizona State spends a four days of practice on the turf field in the middle of nowhere.

It is a scene unlike any other.

I cannot get enough of the photos and videos coming out of Camp T.

Players are able to escape the desert to focus only on each other and football.

You cannot ask for a more picturesque setting to play football. Even if it gets

The Arizona State football team goes to summer camp!

Arrival to Camp T looks a lot like move-in day at summer camp. Players unload the busses, move into their cabins, and split off into their various cliques to explore nature. Each day is structured a lot like summer camp. The only difference is the football-related activities, which are the whole point.

The Sun Devils work hard during the morning to play hard in the afternoon and evening. Redshirt sophomore wide receiver Derek Eusebio secured the win for his team in dodgeball on Friday.

As fun as it is for the players, Kenny Dillingham feels left out. The head coach doesn’t get to participate in all of the skits or dodgeball. He came to the realization earlier this week that this was his third time at Camp T but he never had a S’more so he took matters into his own hands.

Even though the coaching staff has a lot more work to do than play, there are much worse places to work. Arizona State caps off the week with a public scrimmage on Saturday.