Credit to this wonderful story goes to Ryan Mink, the Contributing Writer for BaltimoreRavens.com
Everything that Ravens Offensive Coordinator Cam Cameron has accomplished during his life, he traces back to Terre Haute, Ind. Now Cameron will be remembered forever in turn. On Friday, Cameron had his high school basketball jersey – No. 10 – retired during halftime of a basketball game at his Terre Haute South Vigo High School.
More of "Cam Cameron Day' after the "Jump"
February 26 is officially "Cam Cameron Day" in Terre Haute and the street in front of the school has been named Cam Cameron Way. Cameron's parents drove from North Carolina and his wife and four kids flew to Indiana for the presentation. "I was speechless when [the school] called," said Cameron, who added that he expected the ceremony to be pretty emotional. "To this day, it's important to me to represent Terre Haute and the state of Indiana."
Cameron's coaching career started when he was a sophomore quarterback calling all the plays for his high school varsity team. He turned into an All-American high school football player, a college quarterback and, as we all know, a successful NFL coach. But Cameron was one heck of a basketball player too.
He was the point guard for his high school basketball team, which went to the Indiana state finals three straight years. He was named to Indiana's All-Star team and awarded the state's 1979 Trester Award for excellence in mental attitude, leadership and basketball ability as a senior. "I basically had a chance to live out the movie Hoosiers," Cameron said. "It was a big time at Terre Haute. Between us and Indiana State, the whole town was buzzing." Indiana State then featured a player by the name of Larry Bird. As the son of the football team's head coach, Cameron learned basketball when he started playing against Bird and the rest of the Indiana State basketball team in eighth grade. He soon developed two idols: Roger Staubach and George Karl. "That was my dream as a kid," Cameron said, "to be one of them." Cameron never had to choose between playing football and basketball. At Indiana University, he played basketball under legendary coach Bob Knight and football for current ESPN analyst Lee Corso. Cameron's playing days ended when he tore his ACL in the next to last game of his college football career. That's when he took up coaching football, starting as an assistant at the University of Michigan. "It all turned out great," Cameron said. "My friends, my coaches, my teachers, and obviously my parents, I have all of those people to thank for anything that's transpired since."