Camon’s Bio From The Daytona Team Site

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TAMPA – University of South Florida football coach Jim Leavitt received the telephone call from former player J.R. Reed early Tuesday morning.

‘’I’m glad it came from him. If anyone was going to tell me, I’m glad it was J.R.,’’ Leavitt said.

Reed was not calling to talk about the Atlanta Falcons, his current team. It was to inform Leavitt that the USF family had suffered another loss.

Javan Camon, a former USF standout defensive back, died after being knocked unconscious from a helmet-to-helmet block late in a game while playing for the Daytona Beach Thunder of the World Indoor Football League. He was 25.

Dave Byron, Volusia County spokesperson speaking on behalf of the medical examiner’s office, said Camon died from a broken neck. Byron also said Camon’s death is going to be ruled an accident and the official explanation possibly could be determined in a few days.

Camon’s death is the third USF has dealt with during the last four months. Andre Waters, a former NFL player and Bulls assistant, committed suicide last November, and running back Keeley Dorsey died in January during off-season workouts.

In addition, former Hillsborough Community College basketball player Kenie Freeman died last November during practice at Owens Community College in Toledo, Ohio. Freeman had been strongly considering playing for USF next season.

‘’There is no question our team is really strong. Strong in our faith and support for each other, but it doesn’t mean we don’t hurt,’’ Leavitt said. ‘’It doesn’t mean we don’t go through tough periods, or have to take time to pause and reflect with our families.’’

USF Athletic Director Doug Woolard struggled to put Camon’s death in perspective on Tuesday.

‘’As soon as I heard it this morning, I was taken back,’’ Woolard said. ‘’I had several athletic directors across the country call me when Keeley passed away to say they had lost an athlete, but I haven’t had anybody call today to say they had a prior athlete pass away in such a unique situation.’’

Camon, 6-foot-1, 180 pounds, tried to tackle a ball carrier in the fourth quarter Monday. A Columbus Lions receiver blocked Camon on the play, sending him to the turf.

He went into cardiac arrest, police said. Paramedics and doctors at the arena tried to revive him on the field for 10 minutes before taking him to a hospital. He was pronounced dead on arrival at 9:18 p.m., ambulance spokesman Mark O’Keefe said.

There was no bleeding or other outward signs of trauma, Daytona Beach police Lt. Greg Grayson said.

‘’There was no evidence that would suggest the pursuit of a criminal investigation,’’ a police news release stated. ‘’This tragic event was an accident that occurred during the normal course of the game.’’

Camon was a four-year letterman for USF from 2001-2004. He signed with Daytona Beach before the 2006 season. Injuries and strong competition limited him to just five games in 2006, where he registered 20 tackles and one interception.

Camon was involved in an eerily similar situation as a senior at USF. Camon and former cornerback Mike Jenkins took part in the hit against former Tennessee Tech receiver Drew Hixon at Raymond James Stadium in 2004. Hixon was in a medically induced coma for 12 days before beginning his slow recovery process.

Camon’s death came as a shock to Drew’s father, Stan, a Lakeland High alumnus who is currently the Washington Redskins receivers coach.

‘’I really feel for the kid and the family. As we said then, football is a dangerous sport, but we all know the danger when you play,’’ Hixon said. ‘’Somebody is going to get hurt, but you always hope that somebody doesn’t get seriously hurt. What happen to Javan is just tragic.

‘’When you see a bad hit, you just don’t know what. Sometimes a person gets hit and it doesn’t seem major, but they don’t get up. Other times a person takes a major hit and they bounce right back up … I can only hope the family had God in their life and know he’s taking care of everything.’’

A graduate of Charlotte High School in Port Charlotte, Camon started at free safety for USF in 2004, when he was a team captain. He had a team-high 101 tackles that season among his 174 career stops, plus was a team captain. He also was USF’s special teams MVP in 2003.

‘’I remember going to his house seven years ago. I was so impressed by the way he played on film,’’ Leavitt said. ‘’I sat down with him even though he had already committed to play for UCF [University of Central Florida]. He was undersized, but always played hard. He was a fun, energizing person who always tried to do the best he could.’’

The World Indoor Football League is a four-team league with squads in Columbus and Augusta, Ga., plus Daytona and Kissimmee. It is not affiliated with the Arena Football League, the indoor league of the Tampa Bay Storm.

Storm coach and general manager Tim Marcum, who had a former player die while playing in a game, defended the sport’s safety.

In April 2005, Marcum had to attend the funeral of former player Al Lucas, who died while making a tackle on special teams for the Los Angeles Avengers.

On that play, Lucas was attempting to make a tackle while on the kickoff team against the New York Dragons. Lucas took on a blocker and the ball carrier. The blocker’s leg appeared to strike Lucas on the top of the helmet. Both the blocker and the ball carrier tumbled over Lucas’ head and back. Lucas, who did not move after falling to the ground, was rushed to California Hospital where he was pronounced dead. It was later determined Lucas’ death was caused by blunt-force trauma to the spinal cord.

The previous season, Lucas was a key defensive lineman, who helped the Storm secure its Arena Football League best fifth ArenaBowl championship against the Arizona Rattlers. His No. 76 jersey was retired by the Storm in 2005.

‘’That’s not Arena Football. That’s the [World Indoor Football League],’’ Marcum said on hearing the news of Camon’s death and it being related to the safety of arena-style football. ‘’That has nothing to do with us. There are 10,000 leagues now.

‘’This is a violent sport, no question about it. A vicious sport. It’s a sport of collisions - you certainly hate to hear something like that - but I bet you there have been a lot more kids collapsed and died from basketball. That just happened the other day. The guy had a benefit for his brother and he died. A football player, who died [after] playing basketball.’’

Denver Broncos running back Damien Nash collapsed Feb. 24 after playing in a charity basketball game in St. Louis, Mo., benefiting The Darris Nash Find a Heart Foundation - a program started after Darris Nash, the older brother of Damien Nash, required a heart transplant. The organization raises money for heart transplant research. A cause of death has yet to be released.

Lucas’ death is believed to be the first in the AFL, which began in 1987. Lucas, who left behind his wife, DeShonda and daughter Mariah, was 26.

‘’We take every measure possible,’’ Marcum said of the AFL. ‘’The dashers are well padded, knock on wood, we’ve never had a serious injury into those pads, but it’s football and you’re going to have some injuries - you just hope, certainly, nothing that serious.’’

Reporters Eddie Daniels and Joe Henderson contributed to this report. Information from Tribune wires were used to compile this report.

Reporter Anwar S. Richardson can be reached at (813) 259-8425 or arichardson@tampatrib.com

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