Day 2: Alabama A&M Preseason Football Camp

NORMAL – On day two of the Alabama A&M football preseason camp the temperatures reached 97 degrees with a heat index of 103. That still didn’t stop the five-time Eastern Division champions from hitting the field.

“Practice went well today because the guys came back in shape,” said head coach Anthony Jones. “The better shape the team comes in the better they pay attention to those little things we have started to work on.”

One of the main things that have propelled the Bulldogs into five championship contests during Jones tenure is the way the team comes into camp already in shape. This year 39 players qualified for the annual Iron Dog list.

The Iron Dogs are a creation of strength and conditioning coach James Hester when he started in 2002. Players are awarded points by competing in the conditioning drills which take place in the first day of camp.

They include 110 yard runs, bench press test, dips, vertical jumps and sit-ups. Two players graded a perfect 100 percent on the test due to their work over the summer. Defensive linemen Chris Hall and Preston Nelson scored the rare total score that most players only dream of.

“This is the most we have had on the Iron Dog list since the 2006 season when we won the SWAC championship,” said Hester. “Hall and Nelson worked out all summer and it showed during our Iron Dog test.

In 2006 44 players made the writing on the wall as your name is added to the list which is categorize by position in George Hobson fieldhouse. In 2002, Hester’s first season, only 10 players accomplished the feat and last year 30 names were added to a list that included some of A&M’s most prominent football players.

Some of those include Robert Mathis, Johnny Baldwin, Al Donaldson, Anquez Jackson, Corey Hart and Ulysses Banks to name a few.

All coaches would love to have their players return to camp in shape in order to ease the transition into the regular season. If history repeats itself than just like the maroon & White fell in 2005 they returned to Legion field and captured the conference title the very next year. Get your season tickets now fans to find out.

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