April 19, 2012
Quote From Payson Mayor Kenny Evans:
"There is a mystical and magical place just minutes east of Payson where legends were born and dreams came true. For nearly half a century it spawned a winning tradition that reached near mythological proportions.
"Through the years, the financial impact was important to Payson and the surrounding Rim Country. Having ASU hold Summer Football Camp in the cool pines was deeply appreciated not only because of the economic bump received from the many sports fans that would come to the Rim Country, but just as importantly, because of the many who would return to buy homes or businesses in Arizona's mile-high, "Cool Mountain Town"©.
"For many of us, more important than any financial impact was that Camp Tontozona created a link between our state's university and the rural communities that too often felt estranged from the metropolitan centers. Even though it is only just over an hour from the valley, Camp Tontozona put a world-class athletic program in touch with our little piece of rural Arizona and more importantly, gave all of rural Arizona a claim to cheer for a winning program. Fantasy or folklore; Coach Kush created a winner which should be embraced and supported."
Former Sun Devil Player Quotes
"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)