Six broken ribs and a punctured lung left Cam Gaddis facing reality: His football-playing days were numbered, if not already over.
The former Santa Rita High School and Pima College standout had just played the first game of his second season with the Tucson Sugar Skulls in 2021. Following the season-opening loss to the Green Bay Blizzard on the road, the defensive back sought advice from a doctor, who told Gaddis his injury couldβve turned fatal.
βHe actually told me heβs surprised I didnβt die, and thatβs when it hit me,β Gaddis said then.
Gaddis, who led the team in interceptions (3) in 2019, said the thought of not playing the sport he fell in love with in the eighth grade was βheartbreaking and depressing.β
βNever take anything for granted, because I thought I was never going to stop playing football,β Gaddis said. βI thought I was going to keep playing until I thought I was done playing. β¦ I felt like I was going to have a great season. The team was looking good and I was just excited to play.β
One year to the day since he suffered the injury, Gaddis will suit up for the Sugar Skulls again. He has signed with the club, and will be in uniform when Tucson (4-4) takes on the San Diego Strike Force (2-6) on Saturday.
βIβm going to be honest, I didnβt like the way I went out last year. My season was over the first game of the year. But when I got that call, I talked to my wife and she gave me that look like, βStrap them back up,ββ he said. βIβm excited to be out there and Iβm ready to play this weekend. It was an opportunity I couldnβt turn down.
βI didnβt think I was going to play football ever again. But to get that call is very exciting. Iβm blessed to have this opportunity to play again.β
Gaddis spent the past year training high school and youth football players in Tucson and with running his 7-on-7 team called Gaddis Gainz Elite.
βHeβs a Tucson guy. He loves everything about Tucson, and Tucson loves everything about him,β said Sugar Skulls coach and general manager Dixie Wooten.
Gaddis will try to help a defensive secondary that has been considered a weak spot for Tucson this season. The Sugar Skulls rank last in total defense, allowing 241.9 yards per game; they have just two interceptions.
Now? The recent additions of Gaddis and IFL veterans Mike Minter and Robert Rolle over the last few weeks have addressed the defensive problems for Tucson.
βIβm excited about our secondary. We got horses back there,β Wooten said. βWe were one piece away in the secondary, and Cam is that piece we need to come down and shut receivers out. Weβre getting all our pieces to the puzzle, and Cam is one of those pieces. His practices have been unreal and Iβm excited to see him play this week.β
In just one week of practice, Sugar Skulls quarterback Daquan Neal has already noticed a significant difference.
βCam is very smart. He brings a mentor-type role to the team. Everyone is glad to have him back. Having Cam back there is safety for us. β¦ Adding a veteran presence to the locker room is big for us,β Neal said.
Neal is back with the team following a tryout with the NFLβs Indianapolis Colts. The fully-loaded Sugar Skulls hope to avenge their 67-66 loss to San Diego. The Strike Force scored 30 fourth-quarter points to rally back from a 17-point deficit.
Wooten called the April 9 defeat at Tucson Arena βby far β¦ the worst loss I ever had in my coaching career.β
βI felt sick about it,β Wooten said. βIt was the worst. Itβs one of those losses that just sticks with you for a long time. Now we get a chance to play these guys in San Diego, so now itβs time to redeem ourselves. We want to come out and dominate these guys and put up a bunch of points and make sure we stop them as well. We want to go out and beat these guys by at least 30.β
With a win, Tucson can climb above .500 for the second time this season.
βOnce we get things clicking, and I think thatβll happen this week, weβre going to start running and we have our eyes set on the championship. β¦ At the end of the day, itβs up to us players to do what we want to do,β Gaddis said. βWe can go as far as we want to take it, and I feel like everyone in the locker room sees the potential.
βWe have the talent, itβs just up to us. β¦ We plan on playing in the championship this year.β
Extra points
Tucson is 1-3 on the road this season, losing to Frisco, Duke City and Northern Arizona. The Sugar Skullsβ only road victory this season was against the Vegas Knight Hawks in the season opener. Tucson is 2-0 all-time in San Diego.
The Sugar Skulls are third in the Western Conference standings behind the Arizona Rattlers and Northern Arizona Wranglers.
