Life with Reilly

Every now and again a coach comes along who, with a soft voice and humility, is able to inspire players to be greater than they thought they ever could be. Reilly Richey was such a coach. He displayed a quiet confidence and a gentleness of spirit that endeared him to everyone he met. The things that people saw in Reilly—the courtesy, respectfulness, love, and humor—reflected Christ in him. When they looked at Reilly, they saw a man who was all about Christ.

Each summer, Reilly would take me to a conference for coaches and their spouses sponsored by Professional Athletes’ Outreach. At the end of the “Coaches’ Time Out Conference,” we filled out a sheet that had the prompt, “As a result of the PAO Conference, I plan to…”

Reilly’s goals were:

- Increase my integrity in all areas of my life
- Protect and respect my wife more
- Keep God first, even during football season
- Do checks on my stewardship of all things. Am I controlling? Worrying? Bragging? Criticizing?
- Be a servant to others
- Coach for significance

Reilly did a great job of living up to the goals he set for himself. Although he was a tremendous competitor, he was never shy about proclaiming that his priorities were God, family, and lastly, football. In spite of the fact that he taught and coached in a public school, Reilly faithfully gathered his team on the twenty-yard line and prayed before the start of every game, at halftime, and at the end of the game, win or lose.