Bears Camp Speaks to Buffalo Grove Youth's Football Dreams

Caleb Milbut is a quarterback with professional aspirations.

“I’m here to get better so I can be a QB,” said Milbut, 7, of Buffalo Grove. “It’s fun to be QB. That’s what I want to do if I get to the NFL.” 

Knowing how challenging the quest to become a professional athlete can be, former Chicago Bear Robin Earl brings in former teammates to the annual summer youth football camp he runs through the This year’s ran last week at in Lake Forest.

Earl, who lived in Lincolnshire for years and now resides in Buffalo Grove, was a fullback and tight end with the Bears from 1977 to 1983.

"All I can do as an educator is encourage them to keep a positive mental attitude and ecourage them to compete in everything they do," Earl said.

"My high school coach said, 'When I stop paying attention to you it mean's I'm giving up on you,'" Earl added. "If a kid is coachable he'll accept that and continue to work hard."

Former Bear Emery Moorehead of Lake Forest appeared June 30 to talk to the players and sign autographs. A tight end on the 1985 Bears Super Bowl team, Moorehead stoked the players’ dreams with hope while explaining the lessons he took from football into other areas of his life, including his current successful real estate career. 

“Don’t be afraid to change,” said Morehead, who is president of the North Shore Barrington Association of Realtors. “Coaches move you around to find the right fit.”

Moorehead said he played at running back and wide receiver before becoming a tight end and earning a Super Bowl Ring. 

“It’s all the same thing,” Moorehead said. “On offense it’s running, blocking and catching. On defense it’s hitting and tackling.”

Morehead also told the youngsters about the value of lasting friendships with his former teammates and the essence of continual hard work. 

“You’re putting something extra in when others are not,” Morehead told the players taking part of their summer to improve their football skills. “When you’re part of a winning team, it helps you bond with your teammates.”

Morehead’s words were not lost on Milbut, who was a nose guard his first two seasons after first playing football as a kindergartner. Before hearing the former Bear, he could only think about being a quarterback.

“I like being a nose guard, too,” Milbut said. “You can make a move to fake somebody and then go make a tackle. Once two guys were on me and I ran through them to sack the QB.” 

Milbut is not alone in his aspirations. Earls’ two sons, Preston and Kevin, are both at different stages of that pro dream. Preston quarterbacked Illinois Benedictine College and is now hoping for a professional career when the NFL lockout ends. Kevin quarterbacked the last three seasons and will call signals for the University of South Dakota in the fall.

In addition, Michael Garrity, Robin Earl’s nephew, was part of the camp staff as well. He is a quarterback at Harper College after calling signals at .

During the camp, the trip focused on helping the youngsters realize dreams in football or elsewhere.

“If you give them the lesson of learning how to love the people you work with or play with they will be successful,” Preston Earl said.