About 100 military members based in the Baltimore area traded their usual routines for football drills this week, running the 40-yard dash, broad jump, and three-cone shuttle at the Baltimore Ravens' own training facility. The event, a USAA Salute to Service NFL boot camp, put Fort Meade service members through paces similar to what NFL coaches use to evaluate athletes at the Under Armour Performance Center in Owings Mills, Maryland.
USAA and the Ravens hosted the boot camp, according to WCBM, which reported that participants also competed in a receiving gauntlet and a quarterback arm challenge. A live leaderboard tracked scores throughout the competition, and military guests received an exclusive tour of the Ravens' training facility as part of the visit. Winning team members received tickets to the Ravens' annual Salute to Service game, the outlet noted.
A Nationwide Format With Local Stakes
The five-event format — 40-yard dash, broad jump, three-cone shuttle, receiving gauntlet, and quarterback arm challenge — isn't unique to Baltimore. USAA runs the same standardized Combine-style boot camp with NFL franchises around the country, according to Sports Illustrated, which noted similar events hosted by the Los Angeles Chargers and Washington Commanders. The digital tracking that powers the leaderboard lets service members from different branches compete against each other in real time, according to the Washington Commanders, who noted that participants form small multi-branch teams to earn tickets to Salute to Service games.
The event is part of a much larger financial commitment. USAA has been the NFL's official military appreciation sponsor since 2011, and the league's Salute to Service initiative has raised more than $75 million for military nonprofits including the Pat Tillman Foundation, USO, and Wounded Warrior Project, per CBS News. The league also donates $100 per point scored during designated Salute to Service games each November.
Why Fort Meade Matters to the Region
The service members who took part in the drills came from Fort Meade, a base that anchors Maryland's military economy in ways that go well beyond a single afternoon of football drills. Fort Meade generates $17.8 billion in annual economic activity in Maryland and supports more than 56,000 military and civilian personnel, making it the state's largest single employer, according to the Maryland Department of Commerce. The installation ranks as the Department of Defense's second-largest by population, housing more than 120 partner agencies including U.S. Cyber Command, the U.S. Space Force component, and the National Security Agency, per the U.S. Army Fort Meade Garrison. The 5,400-acre post hosts active-duty members across all six military branches.
The base has been in Hoodline's coverage recently for reasons unrelated to football: Fort Meade's first Black female commander stepped down earlier this month, a leadership change at the same garrison that supplied Wednesday's boot camp participants.
The Ravens' Long History With Military Outreach
The Ravens organization has cultivated ties to military appreciation efforts for well over a decade. Head coach John Harbaugh received the NFL's 2013 Salute to Service Award, presented by USAA, for his ongoing engagement with active-duty troops and military families, according to CBS News, joining a list of honorees recognized annually since the award began in 2011. More recently, linebacker Trenton Simpson has regularly led the team's military outreach efforts, drawing personal motivation from his father, Command Sgt. Maj. Timothy D. Simpson, who completed 17 overseas deployment tours as a U.S. Army Ranger, per the team's own materials.
Other NFL players have drawn similar recognition for military-focused service. Hoodline previously reported that Las Vegas Raiders linebacker Robert Spillane was nominated for the 2024 Salute to Service Award, part of a broader trend of NFL franchises spotlighting individual players for their military support work.
A Facility Built for the Long Haul
Wednesday's drills unfolded inside a facility that just underwent a major transformation and is about to undergo another. The Under Armour Performance Center completed an 80,000-square-foot expansion certified LEED Gold, adding a 150-seat auditorium and advanced audiovisual classroom space that let the Ravens consolidate team headquarters and daily football operations under one roof, according to Whiting-Turner, the project's builder.
That investment is about to grow further. Baltimore County and the Ravens announced in July a long-term agreement detailing up to $120 million in public-private investment to modernize and expand the facility, while extending the team's lease in Owings Mills for up to 40 additional years, according to PressBox. The plan includes $70 million from the Ravens themselves, plus $25 million each from Baltimore County and the Maryland Department of Commerce — a state-backed commitment that mirrors Maryland's separate $1.06 million federal grant, secured in October 2024, to launch the Resilient Maryland Defense Communities program supporting installations like Fort Meade and their surrounding communities.
