Nik Needham and Jaylinn Hawkins return to Buena Park for annual football camp

Nik Needham gives instructions at his annual youth football camp last June. (FILE PHOTO: Adam Kunin, For OC Sports Zone).

Former Buena Park High School football standouts Nik Needham and Jaylinn Hawkins, who have both played in the NFL, are having their Fifth Annual free Youth Football Camp at Buena Park High School on Saturday, June 20.

The camp will be held from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. for grades three through eight and 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. for grades nine through 12.

Those attending will receive a free camp T-shirt and lunch. There will be a live DJ and an autograph and photo session at the conclusion of each session.

“Nik is currently a free agent waiting to get picked up by a new team after spending last season with the New York Jets and Jaylinn just signed with the Baltimore Ravens,” said Nik Needham’s mother Shannon. “Both have been training really hard together with specialist coaches in Dallas.”

Both Nik Needham and Hawkins are graduates of Buena Park High School and have remained best friends. Needham previously played with the Jets, Miami and Cleveland and Hawkins was with Atlanta, the Los Angeles Chargers and New England Patriots.

More than 250 players attended the camp during the two sessions last year.

Many volunteers, former players and others helped organize and coach the camp, Adam Kunin noted in a story in OC Sports Zone last June.

“It warms my heart,” Shannon Needham said during last year’s camp. “I’m so proud of these guys. They truly love giving back, and they love working with the youth, so it’s great to set a great example of what you can achieve when you just keep working hard.”

Send summer sports news to timburt@ocsportszone.com