As announced today, Sun Devil Athletics succeeded in raising the $150,000 necessary to allow the team to spend 5 days at Camp Tontozona this Fall. The team will visit Camp T from August 14-18, concluding with a public scrimmage on August 18th. Thank you to everyone that helped us get there!
The funds will be used toward Camp Tontozona capital expenses including, but not limited to:
- Renovating the upper practice field ($50,000)
- Installing a video editing network for the coaching staff ($30,000)
- Rental fees ($26,000)
- Food service ($25,000)
- Bus Transportation ($12,500)
- Vehicle rental fees ($6,000)
- Main practice field maintenance ($5,000)
- Laundry, bedding, scrimmage management and much more
The $150,000 figure is for a return to Camp Tontozona for this 2012 only. Camp T has an aging infrastructure that will require continuous upgrading and repair for the site to remain viable as an annual destination for Sun Devil Football. The funds generated for this season will be a starting point, but continual support will be required to maintain and improve the facilities to maximize the benefits for our football program.
Click here to support the Return to Camp T Campaign
Donors of $100 or more receive a "Return to Camp T" bumper sticker, and $250 or more will earn a "Return to Camp T" T-shirt. Donors of $500 or more will receive a T-shirt and are eligible to go on a turnaround trip to the scrimmage at Camp Tontozona. All donations go through the Sun Devil Club. The Sun Devil Club is a 501(c)3 charitable organization whose mission is to sustain a culture that promotes and protects Arizona State University through Sun Devil Athletics. The Sun Devil Club annually provides Sun Devil Athletics with financial assistance for operating expenses, scholarships, academic support, facility maintenance and more. Additionally, the Sun Devil Club spearheads special fundraising projects, such as "Return to Camp T", based on the needs of each sport. Contributions to the Return to Camp T program are 100% tax-deductible.
History of Camp T
Camp T Video
To escape the Phoenix area's high summer temperatures, starting in 1960 under legendary Head Coach Frank Kush, the Arizona State football team made an annual trek 100 miles northeast to Camp Tontozona, a University-owned recreation and camping area, for its preseason workouts. For the players and coaches, Camp Tontozona was about getting away from much more than the heat, it was a time to bond with teammates and eat, sleep and breathe football.
From 1960 to 2008, every Sun Devil Football team had the opportunity to enjoy the unique fall camp experience of Camp T. The team has not returned to Tontozona since 2008 due to the expense of necessary repairs at the Camp along with the ability to practice at their new indoor practice facility, the Dickey Dome, on the Tempe campus. The Dickey Dome is a multi-purpose indoor facility that serves several teams, team camps and clinics and the marching band. The Dickey Dome allows our team to practice in the afternoons in August and September, which enables them to have a better schedule to perform academically. The Dickey Dome is essential to the continued preparation of our team, but the experience of Camp T cannot be replicated.
What They're Saying About Camp T
"Camp Tontozona unites Sun Devil football players from every generation and we want to return to that tradition. We invite former football players, fans and anyone that believes in Camp T and what it stands for to participate by donating money or services. We need the Sun Devil Football family to unite behind this goal." - Athletics Director Steve Patterson
"I love the tradition of college football. That is one of the reasons I coach at the college level. Camp Tontozona is one of the famous icons of the history of college football. I want to take my first team there. When I visited there earlier this year I saw a lot of potential. But a lot of work needs to be completed in order to make it happen." - Head Football Coach Todd Graham
"The first thing we did was climb that mountain as a group. When we got to the top the rookies sang their high school fight songs. I thought the whole concept started us out with a lot of togetherness." - Legendary Coach Frank Kush
"I think it will be awesome for the team to go back to Camp Tontozona, and it will be a great time to bond and get away from Tempe. You have to bond with your teammates in the woods; there's no cell phone reception there or anything like that. I just think it will become a great place to bond and a great place to work." - Senior Linebacker Brandon Magee
"Camp Tontozona was simply about a bonding experience for us, especially as freshmen. For me, it was my indoctrination to college football. It culminated in a Rose Bowl for us in 1996. It was Camp Tontozona that brought us together." - Jake Plummer, ASU quarterback (1994-97), All-American (1996), NFL quarterback (1997-2006)
"Tontozona is the genesis for all the great ASU football teams. The ability to take players from all geographies and ethnicities and leave behind our former lives to all come together as brothers and Sun Devils in the mountains East of Payson... Tontozona is a very special place." - Jeff Van Raaphorst, ASU quarterback (1985-87), 1987 Rose Bowl MVP, Rose Bowl Hall of Fame inductee
"Camp Tontozona was the glue that held us together. That's where all of the bonding took place. That's where you got to know each other. It was boot camp, but it created a bond. You go to Camp Tontozona and whether you like it or not, you become brothers." - Danny White, ASU quarterback (1971-73), All-American (1973), 1997 NFF College Hall of Fame inductee, NFL Quarterback (1976-88)
"If there was one thing that represented ASU football, something that was a tradition that brought every ASU football player together throughout the course of the decade, Camp Tontozona was that thing. It was that one thing you could look forward to every year, where every single teammate and all of your coaching staff could go up there, get away, bond, and start to build a football program." - Adam Archuleta, ASU linebacker (1997-99), two-time First-Team All-Pac-10 (1998-99), NFL safety (2001-08)
"Camp Tontozona was a great experience for me. It was an opportunity for us to first get out of the heat, as it was so hot here for the beginning of the year. But the bonding period was the one part of football that you all need. You come together as a collection of individuals, but it's the people who come together as a team first who probably have the most success. Those kinds of things are unforgettable, and it's a great opportunity again for the team to really bond and get together." - Eric Allen, ASU cornerback (1983-87), NFL cornerback (1988-2001), six-time Pro Bowl selection, ASU Athletics Hall of Fame inductee
"Camp Tontozona is a great place to bond as a team. You're up there and there's nothing but the woods and the field. It's 100% football, and a chance to get to know the new guys coming in, bond with players and even the coaches. I thought it was just a great experience for a team." - Mark Tingstad, ASU linebacker (1986-89)
"For me, as a player, I didn't enjoy it, but stepping away from it, it's something that you really can't replicate. The team building, the camaraderie, and everything that goes on there is great, because it's only you. It's you and your teammates going through it and fighting through it together. It's also a part of our tradition that we've always done, so it's one thing I can look at and I can talk to a former player from the sixties or the seventies, and I wasn't a part of that team but we have that camaraderie because we experienced the same thing."- Kevin Miniefield, ASU cornerback (1989-92), Sun Devil Club Coordinator of Former Student-Athlete Outreach, NFL Cornerback (1993-97)
"When I came to Arizona State University and had the opportunity that first fall to go to Camp Tontozona, first and foremost I recognized it was one of the most unique experiences in sports period, not just in football or college football. To get away from distractions and be there and focus on football with really what was becoming my family was very powerful, and has impacted me from that point forward, even to today. To have an opportunity to possibly go back I think would make a great impression on these young men who are currently Sun Devils and create some of the same memories for them." - Jean Boyd, Associate Athletic Director of Student-Athlete Development, former ASU letterwinner
"Camp Tontozona meant a lot to me as a former player because that's where you really get the bonding and camaraderie that you need as a team. I think for the past few years without going there, we kind of lost that tradition. I think it's a good thing that we're going to get the opportunity to try and go back up there this year." - Rudy Burgess, ASU wide receiver (2004-07), current ASU football management intern
"If for nothing else, Camp Tontozona is about ASU Football tradition. There is a sense of pride and accomplishment leaving camp, knowing you and your teammates put yourself through physical and mental anguish to get ready for the season. Camp Tontozona was more physically and mentally demanding than any of my 5 NFL camps. It's a badge of honor for all former Sun Devil Football players, and you hate every second of the day you are there, but everyone of my former teammates recall all the good times we experienced at camp. Now as a father and fan myself, my son Nick and I love making the trip up the hill to watch practice. Its importance to Sun Devil Football cannot be overstated." - Brett Wallerstedt, ASU linebacker (1989-92), two-time All-Pac-10, NFL Linebacker (1993-97)
About Camp Tontozona
Set within the cool mountain country near Payson, Ariz., the camp borders the Tonto National Forest, which provides the first two syllables of Tontozona. The state of Arizona offers the last pair.
Mountains skirt the camp with water, contributing much of the beauty to the area with clear-running Tonto Creek just a moment's walk from the practice field. As a matter of fact, the bubbling springs on the camp property are a popular place for a cold drink or a refreshing natural whirlpool after practice. But the creek is even more popular after drills. Three man-sized waterfalls and clear-bottom swimming holes serve as refreshers to the Sun Devils.
Wildlife is another prominent specialty of Tontozona; deer roaming the surrounding country and hawks circling the morning and evening skies are not uncommon sights.
Just minutes away by car are other attractions such as Zane Grey's cabin, the site that inspired many of the famous author's Western novels, the spectacular Mogollon Rim and its breathtaking view, and countryside that provides a haven for campers, horseback riders, hikers and picnickers.
Tontozona provided the Sun Devils with a unique setting for concentration and preparation for the new season ahead. New Head Coach Todd Graham would like to provide future Sun Devils with the same experience, beginning with the 2012 season.
Return to Camp T Donors
As of August 14, 2012
Chad Ackerley
Becky Adams
Alan Adelson
Joseph Adler
James Agee
Mike Aguirre
Allen Alexander
Ryan Alexander
Eric Allen
Mark & Dianne Allen
Paul & Linda Allen
Toni & William Allen
Ty Allen
Jennifer Alvarez
Philip Alvarez
Tyler Alves
Vince Amoia/American Chiropractic Center
Ryan & Angela Andersen
David Anderson
Rockne Anderson
Rachelle & James Arama
Nick Arroyo
Ken Ash
Mark Attico
Bruce & Sarah Avery
Reginald Bacon
Rodney Ball
Bill Balogh
Krista Banke
Jeffrey Barlow
Debbie Barnes
Sam & Isabel Barnes
Tim Barnes
Christopher Barone
Richard & Patricia Barr
Virginia Bartes
Daniel Beach
James Beard
Jeremy Beard
Geoffrey Beatty
Harris Berger
Jeremy Besse
Kris Birkeland
John Bistany
Amanda Blagg
Don Bocchi
Jonathan Boeing
Nathan Boeing
Russell Bonsall
Emil Borg
Joseph Bosse
Stephanie Bowers
Alan Bowman
Jean Boyd
Mark Brand
Daria & Jerry Branstetter
Gary Brennan
Robert Breunig
Jeff Bromwich
Jonathan & Stephanie Brooks
Barry Brown
Byron Brown
Clint Brown
David J Brown
David & Audra Brown
Douglas Brown
Ted Brownell
Daniel Bryce
Travis Bugbee
Natalie Burgess
Randall & Jessica Burgess
Rudolph Burgoz
Fredrick Burk
Connor Butler
Geoff & Janeen Butler
James Butler
Cactus Sports/Troy Scoma
Joe Cajic
Kyle Caldwell
Darnell Calhoun
Daniel Callahan
Mike Campbell
Tom Campbell
Andrew Carey
Andrew Carleton
Chip Carmer
William & Jean Carreno
Jack Carter
Jonathan & Ali Carter
Mike Carter
James Catlett
John Cauthen
Christopher & Dawn Celtruda
Patricia Chambers
Dave Chapin
James Charnesky
Mark Christensen
Matthew & Tina Clarkson
Tim Clegg
Bryan Colby
Colling Media
Michael Colombo
Compass Business Advisors
Steve Condos
Nico Coney
William Corbridge
Garrett Corry
Randy Cosseboom
Greg Coulter
Jeff & Evelyn Cowie
Mike Crabtree
Matt Crawford
Pete Crow
Bill Cullen
Paul Cullen
Lonnie R & Jennifer Cunico
Craig Cunningham
William J Cunningham
Homayoon Daie
James Daniels Jr
Tim Daugherty
Walt Davis
Alex Day
Daniel Day
David Day
Eric Day
Kyle & Brook Day
Bryan DeGregoris
Bradley Denny
Nick Deutsch
Eddie Devall
Robert Dhondrup
Christopher Dickerson
Carla L Dillon
Steve Dinkins
John Dino
Jeffrey & Anne Dollarhide
Don & Charlie's/Don Carson
Gary Doran
Don Dotts
M L Downie
Kevin Doyle
Marilyn Duerbeck
Mark Dusick
Marc Echeveste
Marilee Edel
Edward Edling
Timothy Ehrhardt
Ashlye Eiss
Mel Ekstrand
James Emery
Jim Enriquez
Andres Espinosa
Michael Etheridge
David Evans
John & Susan Ewing
Martin Fabritz
Chris Falconer
Bill Faust
Kevin Felix
Patrice Feulner
Jeremy Figueroa
Dean & Leslie Finkenberg
Ted FioRito Jr
Ted FioRito
Wallace C Fisher
Eric Flax
Stephen Flood Jr
Armando Flores
Michael Forrest
Douglas & Debra Fradkin
Janice M & Gregg Franklin
Tom Fritzemeyer
Troy Fuller
Douglas Fyfe
Bill Gaines
Martin Ganz
Ernesto Garcia
Hilario Garcia
Pete C Garcia
Wayne Gautreau
Travis E Gimse
Sidney A Glenn Sr
Dave Godber
Paul Goin
David Gomez
Perry Gooch
Nick Good
Kenneth Goodacre
Steven Grady
Emmette Graham
Todd Graham
Jessie Granado
Brandon Granillo
Joseph Granio
Eddie Grant
Glenn Gray
Tina Gray
Tyler Green
Karl Gruse
Efren Guevara
Erik Gurley
Dale W & Jo Guthrie
Joel Halfwassen
Kyle Hall
Carlos Hammer
Parker Hancock
Don Hansen
John Haro
Rocky Harris
Paul Harter
Mark Hasenyager
Patrick Hassett
James Hatcher
Scott & Jennifer Havens
Mark Hayes
Joseph Healey
Tim Healey
Chris Hedges
Daniel Herbaugh
Manuel Herrada
Katie Herriot
Max Hewlett
Rebecca Hill
Kurtis Hingston
Scott Hintze
Libby Holland
Michael Hornyan
Brett Horvath
Jack Hostetler
Kurt Houser
Fred Howard
Chris Hughes
John-David J & Judson Hughes
Industrysource/David Campbell
TJ & Jill Isaacs
Winnifred Jackson
John Jacobs
Edward Jahnke
Kyle & Tara Jenkins
Thomas Jenkins
Shaun & Jessica Jensen
Joseph Jerde
Chad & Emily Johnson
Donald & Linda Johnson
Gary Johnson
Paul Johnson
Steve Johnson
Dan Jones
Levi Jones
Ryan & Danae Jones
Robert Jordan
John Joseph
Brandon Juber
A Michelle & Craig Kavanaugh
John Kelchner
Ryan Kelley
William Kent
David Kinard
Tyler Kinnerup
Greg & Tiffany Knoell
Mathew Knoell
Gary Knudson
Michael & Chandra Kohler
Tony Komadina
Brian Kopf
Bonita Kopp
Paul Korpalski
Jeff Krobot
Mike Krofchik
Cy Lake
Keith Lambeth
Byrl Lane
Christopher Lane
Trent Lane
Shane Larson
Louise Laughlin
Spike Lawrence
Brian & Kristen Lee
Kyle P & Cyemonette Lee
Gregory Leff
Jessica Leitch
James Lemon
Jason Lenderman
Brandon Leoff
Jean Leonard
Robert Leonard
Jack & Gloria Lepird
Nancy Lesko
Phil Lille
Sean Lille
David & Connie Lindstrom
Pierre Lindvall
Don Lineburg
Ryan Linnen
William Lira
Zachary Lisi
Richard & Jessica Locke
Lorenzo Lockett
Cory Lopez
Miguel Lopez
Dan Lucas
Guy Ludwig
Dave Lyons
Patrick Lytle
Bryan Machol
Eric Maines
Dave Maltby
Lee Maniatis
Evan Mann
James & Cheryl Manning
Chinyelu Martin
Enrique & Valerie Martinez
Mike Martinez
Mike Masciangelo
Michael Mast
Gregory Mastin
Susan Mathena
Bill Maule
Joyce McBurney
Jason & Jill McCarthy
Foster Mccarty
Mark McCarty
Joe McCawley
Randall & Marianne McDaniel
Paul McDonald
Colin & Breanna McEwan
Kelly McLain
Ryan McMahon
George Mcneil
Tim McSunas
Deborah Medlock & Michael Grunert
Eveyette Mendoza
Isidro & Estrella Mendoza
Laura Mendoza
Eric Menkhus
John Merten
Ryan Mertz
Chad Merwin
Ross Meyer
Matthew Michalowski
Ronald J. & Jennifer Micucci
Scott Miller
Tim Miller
Aaron Mills
Kevin Miniefield
Edward Molina
Jason Moore
Pamela Moore
Tom Moore
Michael Murphy
Lee Mykytyn
Bryan Neddoff
Chris Nelson
Justin & Bronwyn Nielson
Scott & Melissa Nietzel
Adam Nikolic
Robert Nolan
James Norling Jr
Michael Norris
Glen Nurkka
Charles OBrien
Sean & Amy O'Hara
Dean Okimoto
Craig Ostrander
Aaron Ostrovsky
Pedro Ovalle
Terry Pandel
Krystal Paquette
Rebecca Parke
Wesley Parmenter
Michael & Tracey Parrillo
Sean Pate
John Harris Patterson
Arthur Pearce II
Mary Pearce
Rob Petersen
Zachary Petersen
Ryan Petty
Donald Pierson
Steve Placek
Stephen & Sloane Ponder
MIchael Poskanzer
Justin Prestegard
Jeffrey Preston
Stacey Price
Jocelyn Prieto
Pro Sports Consulting
Andrew Pulis
Zachary Pulis
Anthony Pyrz Jr
Timothy Rafael
Gary Ralston
Martin Ramirez
Paul Ramos
Jim Rathkey
Tom Reeve
Rob & Denise Reyes
Mark & Mark Reynolds
Richard Johnson
William L. Riddle III
RKR Appraisals/Robert Richards
Brant Roberts
Levi Roberts
Ricardo Robles
Karen Roeblee
Eli Rohlf
Zack Romero
Juan Roque
Brad Ross
Tom Rothery
Jeffrey Rucker
Scott Rudesill
Frank Rudolph
Tim & Robin Ruecker
Miguel Ruiz
John Ruston
Michael & Megan Scates
Kelli Sampson
Sheila Sanders
Debra & Scott Santerre
Rick Santilli
Susan & Dan Schmidt
Thomas Schmidt
Jay Schneider
Gary Schrack
Scottsdale Quarterback Club
Larry Shank
Ritch Shank
David Shelton
Ryan Short
Ty Shuman
Vince Silvaer
George Simpson
Todd Skouson
George Slessman
Smith Financial Services/Wayne & Kathryn Smith
Cecil Smith
Chad K. & Lindsay Smith
Craig Smith
Dennis Smith
Keith Smith
Mark E Smith
Matthew Smith
Reagan Smith
Scotty Smith
Shane Smith
Mikhail Sookoor
Deborah Souza
Douglas Stanford
Erik Stanke
Leland Stanley
Rollin Stark
David Stewart
Joshua & Lauren Stine
Joseph Stivala
Jason Storr
Stephen Storry
Robert & Iris Strang
Michael Stults
Tyler Sublette
Chad Sullivan
Sun Devil Custom Lawn Maintenance
John Susie
Jason Swanson
Kenneth Swanson
Lee Swanson
Robert Sweeney
Jeremiah Szepanski
Gerald Szostak
Troy Tannenholz
Bob Tarwater
Steve Taylor
Sean Thomas
Greg Thorpe
Charles Tichy
Mark Tingstad
Brooke Todare
Gary & Diane Tooker
Calvin Touchin
Dave Tucker
Steve Turkovich
Ramakrishnan Vaidyanathan
Scott Vanderpool
Jeff Van Raaphorst
John Vandevier
Daniel Varner
Adam Veeh
Jason Verdugo
Matthew Villanueva
Derek Vincent
Bob & Tiffany Vossoughi
Tudor Waddell
William Waldron
Josh Waltman
Larry Warren
Brooks & NA Washburn
Scott Watkins
Jim Watson
Watts Gwilliam & Company
Mark Weber
Thomas Welnick Jr
Kirk Wendorf
Mark Wenker
Bob Wesley
Larry West
Thomas Wheeler
White Mountain Sun Devil Club & Alumni Chapter
Ryan Whitesell
William Whiteside
Mickey & Lorana Whiting
Reagan & Misty Wichman
Theo Wigent
Matthew Wilcox
Joshua Williams
Julie Williams
Jon Willoughby
Roger Wilson
Bryan Winfrey
Erik Wirtanen
Jonathan Wirth
David Wolfe
Steve Young
Randy Ziegler
Karon Zimpfer
Directions to Camp T
1. Take 202 (east from Phoenix) to 101 North.
2. Exit on McDowell Road.
3. Turn right onto McDowell and head east to the Beeline Highway (Highway 87). A sign will be noted: "To Payson, Arizona."
4. Proceed north-northeast on Highway 87 to Payson. Continue through the small city of Payson and at the northeast end of Payson take Highway 260 which will be on the right.
5. Follow Highway 260 to Kohl's Ranch, which is approximately 17 miles north-east of Payson.
6. After crossing the Tonto Creek bridge, the turn into Camp Tontozona is one mile past the fire station turnoff on the right side of the road. A private parking lot is approximately 300 yards from the gate.
Visiting Camp T
During the nearly 50 years Sun Devil Football hosted preseason workouts at Camp Tontozona, countless fans of the maroon & gold had a tradition of their own, driving up for the annual scrimmage and enjoying the beautiful scenery of the Tonto National Forest.
Sun Devil Football invites you to restore those traditions as well and join us this summer. Should the fundraising goal be reached, the Sun Devil Club will have a barbeque and golf outing in conjunction with the team's visit to Camp. For more information on these events, please contact Cori Hewitson in the Sun Devil Club at 480/727-7700. For valuable travel information, please visit the City of Payson website. http://www.paysonrimcountry.com/
