Jason Campbell

By | Sunday, July 27, 2008

• Print
• [-][+] Font Size
• E-Mail Alerts
• Tell a Friend
• Got a Question?
• You Report
• Click-2-Listen

While the young Redskins' quarterback learns his way in the NFL, he has also taken up golf, and he admits he has a long way to go before catching up with the Super Bowl-winning quarterbacks that came before him - on the field and on the course.

Joe Theismann and Mark Rypien each quarterbacked the Washington Redskins to Super Bowl victories. They were each fine golfers as well, playing on the professional celebrity circuit in the offseason. Jason Campbell has a long way to go before achieving either feat, but he doesn't shy away from the challenge.

He is also doing his part in the community by hosting the Jason Campbell Golf Classic at Lowes Island this spring. We caught up with him at the event, which raises money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's fight against blood cancers.

My game: "I haven't been playing very long, just a couple of years, about four or five times a year. I'm still in the swing of what they call 'fresh mode.' I'll be trying to establish a handicap at some point. There are so many good golfers out there. I'm just trying to get to their level."

Getting started: "My first time playing golf was at the University of the Virgin Islands in the Caribbean. I went over there for a celebrity golf tournament and I really didn't know how to hit the ball or anything and they gave me some pointers and I ended up playing well. As a matter of fact, it was my best game since playing golf."

On what Redskins history shows: "It shows I've got some huge shoes to fill."

On Theismann: "It would be a hard competition. I haven't seen Joe play, but I've heard about his game. I heard he can play a little bit, that he can hit the ball really well. So I look forward to getting out on the course with him."

On Rypien: "Mark's a pretty good golfer. He's in Jacksonville and he lives close to a golf course, which means a lot. I never wanted to play beside him. I used to tell him he looks so much more advanced when he plays golf than me."

Golf vs. football: "Golf is relaxing. When you are on the football field, you are thinking about a million things going on around you. When you are on the course, you just try and stay focused on trying to hit the ball down the middle or making a good putt. On the football field, it's loud and crazy. There are people hollering at each other constantly. So they are two totally different atmospheres."

On golf: "Golf is a great tool. It provides an opportunity to meet a lot of different people, and it's good for the community to meet the players and the players to meet the community. Once we all come together as one, it makes us stronger on the field and off the field. I don't belong to a club. I just go out and play with friends. I've played Lowes Island and Lansdowne and would like to get out to Congressional and RTJ."

On NFL player involvement: "It's a great cause the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society works for. We are raising money for funding for the society so that it can continue its lifesaving work. When you get a lot of guys willing to come out into the community and participate in events like this, it means a lot. It shows that they care. Anything that is successful has a lot of work to it. But the committee that is behind me did most of the work. My job here is basically to get the players to come out and participate."

Click here for reprint permissions!
Copyright 2009 The Washington Times, LLC

Do you have another point of view, photos, audio, video or more information about a story?