By RayJaun Stelly, The Seattle Medium
5 Star Youth Football Coach Rob Reeves grew up in the era of always having things to do, such as sports, to clear their minds from whatever may be going on at home. Understanding what it is like to use sports as an outlet, Reeves uses that inspiration to help kids find their outlet or escape, teaching them how to play the game of football in an environment that’s peaceful for two hours out of their day.
Raised in Texas, Reeves began playing football at the age of 8 and from that moment he’s been involved with the sport until today. Playing for his high school, Reeves went on to redshirt at Texas Tech University. Although it was short lived, he’d go on to start a new life journey when he left the state of Texas and moved here to Seattle, Washington.
Arriving in Seattle in 1994, Reeves began his coaching career in 1998 when he became the head coach of his son’s team at 5 Star – a heralded program that attracts over 100 kids per year. Reeves, who fully embraced coaching at the time, would later take over and run the 5 Star program from 2004 – 2019. Founded in 1931, the 5 Star program has a mission of promoting and focusing on safety, sportsmanship, and having a fun football experience, which aligns with Reeves’ personal mission and morals when it comes to helping the youth.
“I love kids, growing up I had somebody in my ear always giving me good advice, so I wanted to be a part of the culture of helping kids,” said Reeves. ‘It is about teaching these kids life skills and how to respect each other.”
“Winning and losing doesn’t matter to me, it is about if you have a good time and if you learn something at the same time,” continued Reeves. “I’m trying to make sure kids don’t become a product of whichever environment they come from by making the two hours we have them as positive and as peaceful as possible.”
Playing in the Greater Eastside Junior Football Association (GEJFA) while serving as the president of 5-Star, Reeves sought out to seek change when it came to the youth football in the summer of 2015. Feeling as if they didn’t have a voice and equity at the table with GEJFA, Reeves and his staff decided to take the knowledge they had learned and apply it to developing a league of their own.
In 2015, Reeves along with a number of high-profile teams in the area establish Northwest Premier Junior Football and Cheer, with the purpose of facilitating youth football teams who placed significant value on better serving families in the community. This impactful move deemed 5-Star as a founding member of the league which has grown to include nine franchises and three affiliate programs as well.
According to Reeves, the league provides more access, options, and exposure to experiences developing scholar-athletes into becoming people who will impact communities positively.
“We could’ve got into other leagues where our skin color wasn’t tolerated, but we decided to make our own,” said Reeves. “Providing [our kids with] the opportunity to gain experience in an environment that’s whole to play the game they like.”
In the process of running a successful youth team and league, it’s impossible to overlook the fact that Reeves has 10 years of coaching experience at the Division III level with a program named the Puget Sound Bulldogs. Although this year will be postponed due to funding, the organization provides a second-chance opportunity for student-athletes who didn’t have the grades or encountered other personal issues that hindered them from being able to participate at top colleges/universities right after high school.
With over 24 years of service under his belt, Reeves is widely known for his contribution to the growth and sustainability of the sport in the area. From the 5-Star program to coaching college athletes all in the mist of running a junior football league at the same time, life began catching up to Reeves, and in 2019 he made the decision to take a two-year hiatus from the game he loved so much.
“The original plan was to retire from all this once my son went to high school, but I couldn’t get nobody to take it over and I couldn’t give up on the kids,” said Reeves. “So, I took the two years off because I couldn’t get myself up to do the things that needed to be done.”
Now, at 60 years old, his two-year absence has come to an end. Reeves has resumed his position as athletic director of Northwest Premier Junior Football and Cheer and helping the league provide an opportunity for youth to excel in a nurturing environment.
While many people might be overly concerned with wins, losses and being in the limelight, Reeves purpose in life is much different because he truly understands that “if we do not give these kids something to do they’ll be exposed to things they do not need to see or be doing at their specific age group.”
Priding himself on being consistent and trustworthy with what he’s done and continues to do for the community and youth football simultaneously, Rob Reeves will continue to instill into kids to “live your life with integrity, do what you say and say what you do, learn who you are first, respect yourself and everything else will take care of itself.”
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