Super Bowl LVII: NFL legends inspire kids at football skills clinic

PHOENIX -- A trio of NFL legends helped inspire a group of Phoenix area kids during a special skills clinic held Thursday afternoon at the Super Bowl Experience.

Held by sports apparel company New Era, the event brought in about 100 middle school students from nearby schools to teach them proper football fundamentals and techniques.

“Football was meant to be played a certain way," said Jim Stoll, an instructor from Cincinnati. "When you walk around here, you'll see all the Hall of Fame exhibits. Those guys learned how to play the fundamentals at about the 9, 10, 11 or 12-year-old age, so we'll focus in on the fundamentals, but we'll also have a lot of fun.”

The most popular part of the event was certainly the appearance of three former football standouts, Larry Fitzgerald, Carson Palmer and Marshawn Lynch.

Fitzgerald played his entire 17-year career with the Arizona Cardinals, where he established himself as one of the greatest wide receivers in NFL history.

With this retirement in 2021, Fitzpatrick is expected to earn enshrinement into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility in 2016.

Palmer spent the final five years of his 14-year career with the Cardinals after playing with the Cincinnati Bengals, where he was the number one overall pick in the NFL Draft in 2003. He also played two years for the Oakland Raiders, who traded him to Arizona in 2013.

Lynch played most of the prime of his career with the Seattle Seahawks. In seven seasons with the Seahawks, his hard-hitting running style earned him the nickname "Beast Mode." Lynch also played two seasons for his hometown Oakland Raiders and the the first four years of his career with the Buffalo Bills.

As excited as the kids were to meet the legends, the players said they were just eager to take part in the two-hour event.'

“I'm excited to see kids playing flag football, excited about the game, excited about the sport, it's just great to see. I did it as an amateur. I did it as a professional, and my best and most fun and fond memories are from my amateur years and you're just playing for love of the game and the love of competition and a chance to win. That's what excites me and that's what I'm excited to see today.”

After the players spent a little time playing touch football with the kids, they each spoke to the students, inspiring them to be the best they can be both on and off the field.

Each of them took the field to play a little touch football and later provide some words of wisdom and inspiration.