LORMAN &045;&045; It was a raindrop past noon Saturday.

The majority of bleachers at Jack Spinks Stadium on Alcorn State University’s camps harbored puddles of an annoying, but harmless downpour.

The ones that didn’t were covered by glum adults watching their adolescent children slip, slide across Dwight Fisher Field.

In a snap, the atmosphere went from a grueling root canal to a welcomed spring picnic, thanks largely to the arrival of a campus police department vehicle at the stadium’s northwest corner.

From the silver Ford Crown Victoria’s passenger-side door stepped the main attraction: His Airness.

Steve McNair dawdled around the parking lot adjacent to the field as his brother Fred, wife Mechelle, oldest son Tyler, 5, and five-month-old Trenton, and the remaining members of his entourage stepped out of their respective vehicles.

&uot;Air II&uot; McNair, the National Football League’s reigning co-most valuable player and quarterback of the Tennessee Titans, hadn’t returned to the field where he introduced himself to the nation, but it didn’t seem to matter to this loyal legion.

For the first time in the history of the Steve McNair Camp, Alcorn served as host to close to 400 youngsters, a battalion of coaches and some 100 others &045;&045; parents and fans.

Camp Director Don Weatherall estimated that approximately 300 children showed up for the one-day free session, which saw the aspiring players shuttled between a 7-on-7 station and seven other garrisons on mucky Fisher field.

Another 100 &045;&045; including seven current Natchez High players &045;&045; signed up for the &uot;Elite Fleet,&uot; a weekend tutorial that wraps up today, focusing on the importance of life lessons both on and off the field.

Afterward, McNair told a gathering of campers inside the Davey Whitney Recreational Complex that the average NFLer’s career lasted three years.

&uot;That’s why it’s important to get you education, your degree,&uot; he said. &uot;If I hadn’t gotten an education and I get hurt and my career is over, what do I fall back on?

&uot;The only right way is to get an education. Dedicate yourselves now to obeying, discipline yourselves as kids. There will come a time when people try to drag you down, but be a man and say no.&uot;

Weatherall, who has worked for McNair’s agent, Hattiesburg-based Bus Cook, for nine years, said the camp’s goal is to expose young players to new drills and examinations.

NHS incoming junior right tackle Romardo Thomas, who was one of another Bulldog seven to participate in the Saturday-only venue, said he came in hopes of polishing his skills.

&uot;I came up here to learn some key blocking skills, like run blocking, that will help us win some games at Natchez High,&uot; Thomas said. &uot;I also got help with work on my 40 speed.&uot;

The Fleet included groups from around the state and country, including several from Texas. Weekend campers were tested on their fundamentals, skills and agility, and had sessions with members of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and NCAA officials, who counseled them on the importance of grades and recruiting guidelines.

&uot;You have to make adjustments, you have to set a pattern for yourself, guidelines for what’s right and what’s wrong,&uot; said McNair, who finished third during the 1994 Heisman Trophy balloting. &uot;Watch out who you talk to. Decisions lead to consequences. That’s all a part of becoming successful in the National Football League.&uot;

The camp had been held the past five years at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, but when the school’s dean informed Weatherall the campus could no longer house overnight camps due to infrastructure problems, McNair recommended his alma mater.

&uot;(McNair’s) a good inspiration,&uot; said former Natchez High and soon-to-be Mississippi State defensive lineman Anthony Strauder, who was serving as a counselor for the day camp. &uot;Like he said, you’ve got to set goals and have dreams. It lets me know what’s possible if I keep working hard.&uot;

Incoming junior Bulldog defensive lineman Kilpatrick Wilson, who admires McNair’s ability to go from a small school, such as Alcorn, to the league’s MVP, said he attended the camp to get better acquainted with the basics.

McNair recently held a similar camp at the Titans’ home in Nashville, Tenn., and raised $35,000 for his foundation.

&uot;I hope the things these kids get out (of the camp) are not only me helping them out,&uot; McNair said, &uot;but these coaches improving their abilities.&uot;