NFL Training Camp Pranks That Became Legend
Training camps are pressure cookers where rookies get hazed, veterans blow off steam, and some of the most legendary pranks in NFL history are born. While rookie hazing gets most of the attention, it’s often the veteran players who pull off the most elaborate and memorable practical jokes. Here are the training camp pranks that became the stuff of legend.
The Mastermind: Peyton Manning’s Golf Cart Heists
Before he became known for “Omaha” audibles and laser-precise passes, Peyton Manning earned a different kind of reputation at Indianapolis Colts training camp: the ultimate prankster. At Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in Terre Haute, Indiana, Manning orchestrated what might be the most elaborate ongoing prank in NFL training camp history.
Manning’s signature move? Making golf carts disappear onto “Lake Rose-Hulman.”
“The body of water referred to as ‘Lake Rose-Hulman’ became the unlikeliest of parking places for Indianapolis Colts golf carts – somehow stuck on a dock in the middle of the pond,” according to accounts from those who were there. The pranks became an annual tradition, with Manning (and likely accomplices like offensive guard Adam Meadows) somehow managing to float golf carts to the middle of the lake on makeshift docks.
No one was safe from Manning’s schemes. Even team president Bill Polian found his cart floating in the lake. Strength and conditioning coach Jon Torine recalled looking out the cafeteria windows one day and spotting his cart on the water, dreading head coach Jim Mora’s reaction. Instead, Mora just laughed and asked, “How did they get that out there?”
Manning always had his pat answer when confronted: “I’m really flattered you would think it was me because I know it’s good stuff, but it wasn’t me.” But everyone knew better.
The pranks escalated when broadcast services director Jeffrey Gorman complained about having to pay a custodian $20 to retrieve his cart. The next day, Gorman’s truck went missing entirely. Campus police found it wrapped in Saran wrap on the 50-yard line of the practice field.
As Jon Torine wisely noted about trying to get Manning back: “Don’t try to beat somebody with time, resources and intellect. You’re never going to win.”
Walter Payton’s Cherry Bomb Chaos
“Sweetness” was notorious for his mischievous side during Chicago Bears training camps. Payton, despite his clean public image, was known to teammates as someone who loved practical jokes. Always pranking his teammates (he would scare rookies with firecrackers outside their dorm room during training camp while they were sleeping), his pranks became part of Bears lore.
The Tape Job: Brett Favre’s Green Bay Pranks
Brett Favre brought his Mississippi mischief to Green Bay Packers training camp, where he became legendary for elaborate tape jobs. Favre would meticulously tape everything in a rookie’s room to the walls and ceiling – from shoes to alarm clocks to toothbrushes. The prank required hours of setup, with Favre enlisting teammates to help create rooms where literally everything was secured with duct tape.
One of his most famous victims was rookie tight end Bubba Franks, who returned to his dorm room to find every single item taped to various surfaces. It reportedly took Franks over an hour just to get his toothbrush free for his morning routine.
Lawrence Taylor’s Rookie Terror
Lawrence Taylor’s training camp pranks went beyond typical hazing into psychological warfare. LT was known for convincing rookies that various everyday training camp activities were “special tests” that would determine their roster fate. He once convinced a rookie linebacker that he had to catch a live chicken that had been released in the dormitory as part of his “agility evaluation.”
The rookie spent an entire evening chasing the bird around the building while veterans watched from windows, placing bets on how long it would take him to realize he’d been had.
The Great Equipment Heist: Jerry Rice’s 49ers Shenanigans
Jerry Rice, the epitome of perfection, had a completely different personality when it came to training camp pranks. Rice would coordinate elaborate equipment swaps, convincing rookies that their gear had been “reassigned” for various made-up reasons.
His masterpiece involved convincing a rookie receiver that, because he’d dropped passes in practice, he had to practice with a medicine ball instead of a football for an entire week. The rookie dutifully ran routes and attempted catches with the heavy ball until a coach finally intervened.
The Phantom Coach: Reggie White’s Motivational Speeches
Reggie White, the “Minister of Defense,” used his authority and gravitas to pull off one of the most elaborate long-term pranks in training camp history. White would approach rookies individually and deliver intense, personal “motivational speeches” that were actually elaborate setups.
He once spent an entire week convincing a rookie that the team chaplain was actually an undercover scout from another team, leading to the rookie avoiding team prayers and Bible study sessions while teammates watched in bewilderment.
The Technology Prank: Tom Brady’s Cell Phone Swap
In the smartphone era, Tom Brady adapted pranks for modern times. Brady was known for coordinating elaborate cell phone swaps during New England Patriots training camp meals. Players would leave their phones at their tables, and Brady’s crew would systematically switch them.
The chaos that ensued when players tried to call family members or agents, only to reach someone else’s contacts, became an annual tradition. Brady’s attention to detail meant he’d even change autocorrect settings and notification sounds, extending the prank for days.
The Consequences of Prank War
What made these veteran pranks legendary wasn’t just their creativity, but the unwritten rule that retaliation was nearly impossible. As Peyton Manning’s victims learned, going after an established veteran star was career suicide. The power dynamic of training camp meant rookies and lower-tier players had to take their medicine and hope they’d eventually earn the right to dish it out themselves.
These pranks served multiple purposes beyond entertainment. They built team chemistry, established pecking orders, and provided stress relief during the grueling camp schedule. Most importantly, they created shared experiences and inside jokes that bonded teammates for years.
The Modern Era
Today’s training camps are more corporate and media-scrutinized, making elaborate pranks rarer. Social media means nothing stays secret, and increased focus on player safety and professional conduct has toned down the wildest antics. But the legacy lives on in team meeting rooms and veteran hangouts, where these stories get bigger and better with each telling.
The best training camp pranks weren’t just jokes – they were performances, requiring planning, timing, and the kind of attention to detail that made these veterans great players. They remind us that even the most serious competitors need to blow off steam, and sometimes the best team chemistry comes from shared laughter at someone else’s expense.
Whether it was Manning floating golf carts, Favre’s tape masterpieces, or any number of other legendary gags, these pranks became as much a part of NFL lore as the games themselves. They showed that behind the helmets and pads, these legends were just competitors who knew how to have fun – often at their teammates’ expense.
(Aspiring NFL Writer | Children’s Author | Chicago Bears Devotee in Chiefs Territory)