He's one happy (football) camper

BOLINGBROOK -- Phil Acton is called many names by many people.

Some of the names are more colorful than others. Some are of the more affectionate variety.

Husband. Father. Grandfather.

The boys participating in Bolingbrook High School's annual summer football activities still call him coach.

The title fits Acton, at age 70, in the august moments of his football days, just as professor emeritus rings in reverent praise of that once esteemed faculty member. He wrote the playbook on Bolingbrook football during a stint that included 22 straight winning seasons. He led the Raiders to a second-place finish in the 5A state playoffs in 1993 and a berth in the 7A semifinals in his final season, 2001, before announcing his retirement.

Today, he serves as a "coach" without being burdened by the year-round workload of his past. He runs the Raiders' weekly Tuesday night 7-on-7 passing camp because he enjoys the opportunity to meet and greet old friends on the sidelines, make new acquaintances and swap football war stories.

On June 23, right on schedule, he launched the Bolingbrook camp for the 30th straight year.

"When I retired, the first thing John said to me was, 'You'll still run the summer stuff for me, right?' " Acton recalled of the conversation he had with his Bolingbrook football successor, current Raiders coach John Ivlow.

"I said, 'Why not?' " Acton said. "I've been doing this for 30 years now. It started with Bill Zimmer (the ex-Lockport coach) and I working together back in 1980. In that first year, we went one night at his place and one night at mine.

"It's grown every year, to the point where it is now. We have 48 teams and I had to turn down 15 or 16 others."

Bolingbrook's summer football camp actually is now three camps in one. Fourteen to 20 teams match up in 7-on-7 competitions on Tuesday nights running through July 21, the list topped by perennial powers like Naperville North and Downers Grove South. Local entries include Bolingbrook, Lemont, Lockport, Morris, Plainfield Central, Plainfield East, Plainfield South and Romeoville.

Then, on Wednesday, July 15, a field of 25-30 teams will participate in the 20th annual Lineman's Challenge. The challenge pits teams of five offensive or defensive linemen or inside linebackers in a competition that spans seven events. The events range from a battle of 180-pound bench press repetitions to a group tug-o-war.

"Oh, that's a riot," Acton said. "It gets real loud in the field house. Everybody's hooting and hollering and having a good time."

The challenge was added to the mix after a brainstorming session between Acton and some of his colleagues.

"We wanted to come up with an idea to give the linemen something to do that was competitive," he said.

On Saturday, July 18, another 48 teams will participate in the Raider Passing Jamboree, an all-day affair that begins at 9 a.m. and runs on 10 fields, each one 40 yards long and 50 yards wide. The field of competition includes Cedar Rapids Washington, an Iowa school with an Illinois connection.

"Their coach (Tony Lombardi) used to be at Hinsdale Central," Acton said. "He always brought his Hinsdale Central teams down to play in our jamboree. So, when he went to Cedar Rapids, one of the first things he did was call and ask if he could bring his new team. I said, 'I don't see why not.' "

Acton calls on his old players to help him on occasion. Ex-Raider Marcus Smith works nowadays at Nike's headquarters in Eugene, Ore., and assists in the company's sponsorship of the Bolingbrook summer football activities.

During Acton's off-season -- the winter months -- he and his wife travel and visit with their children and grandchildren, friends and relatives. The two had lunch with ex-Raider standout and current Chargers linebacker coach Greg Williams in March in San Diego. Williams isn't the only ex-Bolingbrook standout Acton watches on TV these days. Anthony Herron is going to work for the Big Ten Network.

"We had a bunch of great kids go through our program," Acton said.

Those kids played ball for a man who still is called "Coach" today.