A year ago, NFL greats Ronnie Lott and Tim Brown were last-minute guests at the Southwest Elite 7-on-7 Showcase at Shiloh Christian.
The star power for the 7-on-7 football tournament could be even larger in July.
Along with the usual crop of big-time college football recruits, the tournament will welcome Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow, ESPN analyst Herm Edwards and Walmart President Bill Simon.
There’s also a chance that several members of A&E’s hit show “Duck Dynasty” could be in attendance to watch one of their own run routes and catch passes over defensive backs.
“Nobody else is doing this in the country. Nobody is doing all these events,” said Shiloh Christian offensive line coach Haden Gilder, who serves as tournament director for the Southwest Elite 7-on-7 Showcase.
At A Glance
Southwest Elite 7-on-7 Showcase
When: July 11-13
Where: Shiloh Christian
What: Thirty-two teams from 14 states are scheduled to compete in a 7-on-7 tournament. Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow, ESPN NFL analyst Herm Edwards and Walmart President Bill Simon are expected to be guest speakers. For more information, go to www.elite7on7.com.
“I mean they’re playing 7-on-7 all over, but they’re not doing this.”
Gilder said 32 teams from 14 states are scheduled to take part in the 7-on-7 tournament, which has grown in four years into a high-profile event capable of attracting big-name guest speakers.
Games begin July 12, and later that day the around 800 players in town for the tournament will be invited to hear Tebow speak at a rally at the Northwest Arkansas Convention Center in Springdale.
Gilder said a Walmart Executive Vice President, who knows Tebow, invited the former New York Jets quarterback to speak at the Southwest Elite 7-on-7 Showcase.
“He loved the idea,” Gilder said. “We didn’t get a solid commitment just because of Tim’s up-and-down (situation) and where is he going to be and that kind of stuff.
“But he really liked the mission of what we’re doing. We’re not just playing football. We’re trying to teach some character, and we’re trying to influence some kids in a positive way.”
Gilder said the convention center can hold up to 3,000 for Tebow’s speech, and the public can buy tickets to attend the rally for $20 on the tournament’s website. But another former Jet will speak at the tournament as well.
Edwards, who’s now an ESPN NFL analyst after stints as the coach of the Jets and Kansas City Chiefs, will join Simon on a panel at a Champions of Leadership breakfast on July 13.
Meanwhile, a player from a famous family will compete in the 7-on-7 tournament along with Bolivar (Mo.) High quarterback Rafe Peavey, who’ s committed to Arkansas.
Reed Robertson, the son of Jase Robertson from “Duck Dynasty,” is a senior wide receiver at Ouachita Christian in West Monroe, La. The Eagles are among the teams scheduled to compete at Shiloh Christian’s 7-on-7 tournament.
When asked if any of the “Duck Dynasty” cast members would be in attendance, Gilder laughed and said, “Maybe.”
And in another sign of how much the Southwest Elite 7-on-7 Showcase has grown, a team from Hoover, Ala., will make the trip to Northwest Arkansas to compete. Hoover hosts the National Select 7-on-7 Championships, the nation’s most prestigious 7-on-7 tournament.
The Hoover tournament is also set for July.
“Right now, we’re still a qualifier for Hoover, but that’s what we want. We want to get those big-name teams, and we want the talent,” Gilder said. “But we still think we’re a little bit different from Hoover because of all the events we have surrounding the tournament.
“At Hoover, you go play football and you see the best football you possibly can. But for us, Tim Tebow is speaking.”