Oregon senior tackle Bo Thran is a family man, on and off the football field. Loves his family. Did we mention family-oriented?
“Really family-oriented,” senior center Jordan Holmes said.
Football teams often compare themselves to family, but when disaster struck close to home, Thran realized how much family really matters.
On February 12, tragedy struck Thran’s hometown of Gresham, Ore. Clackamas County sergeant Jeffrey Grahn shot and killed his wife, Charlotte Grahn, and her two friends, Kathleen Hoffmeister and Victoria Schulmerich at a restaurant. Gresham police said it involved a domestic dispute between Grahn and his wife. It was a shattering moment for this town, a suburb of Portland that rarely sees violent crime. Thran knew everyone involved. Their daughters were cheerleaders at Sam Barlow High School when Thran attended, and all three families were fixtures at Barlow sporting events.
When Thran heard about the shooting, he knew he wanted to help out in some way, but he wasn’t quite sure how. A week after the shooting, Thran said the idea of a football camp, conducted by current and former teammates, with proceeds benefitting the families of the victims, popped into his head.
“All the families have supported me in every sport throughout high school, so I wanted to step up and do something that allowed me to show my support,” Thran said.
He consulted Barlow football coach Terry Summerfield and his mother, who both loved the idea. At that moment, the Summertime Skill & Drill Camp was born. Thran, the family man he is, was quick to credit his mother for helping with the camp.
“I would have been a miserable failure without her,” Thran said.
After the idea was formulated, it was time to recruit teammates to help. Quarterback Nate Costa, center Jordan Holmes, guard Carson York, tackle Darrion Weems, center Max Forer, wide receiver D.J. Davis, defensive linemen Kenny Rowe and Brandon Hanna and offensive lineman Justin Fritz all represented Oregon at the camp. Other camp coaches included tight end Brady Camp and offensive lineman Grant Johnson of Oregon State, running back Malcolm Johnson of Boise State and safety Michael Plummer of Idaho. Costa, Holmes and Forer have all lived with Thran since they all left the dorms, and when approached by Thran, they jumped at the chance to help.
“He just said he we’re putting on this football camp to benefit these families,” Holmes said. “Bo is a good friend of ours, and whenever a friend is in need, we’re gonna help him out.”
“I don’t personally know (the family), but anything I can do to help I’d be more than willing to,” Holmes added.
The next step was getting the word out, which Thran said was the hardest part. He went to local businesses, asking if he could leave registration forms to help spread the word. He did an interview with Portland radio station 95.5 The Game, and also made a Facebook page. After all the publicity, Thran was unsure how many kids would show up to the camp. Would it be worth it for the families?
“I was worried for a bit,” Thran said.
The answer was yes. More than 80 kids from 3rd grade to 8th grade showed up July 24 for the Summertime Skill & Drill Camp at Sam Barlow High School, much to Thran’s surprise.
As for the camp, coaches divided the kids into position groups and did several positional drills, as well as 7-on-7 touch football. At the end of the camp, they staged a punt, pass and kick competition and best touchdown celebration competition.
Overall, the camp was deemed a smashing success. Although it was intended to be a one-time event, many suggested Thran should make it an annual event.
“Kids seemed like they had a lot of fun; hopefully we helped them in their football careers,” Holmes said. “It was fun for the kids, but it was also fun for us. We had a great time.”
Thran was impressed by the camp, and he enjoyed the experience of teaching.
“I had a ton of fun running around and helping teach the youngsters about the game of football,” Thran said.
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