Former Pro Bowl WR Andre Reed shines as Pop Warner coach

Former NFL wide-receiver Andre Reed is lending his legendary talent and knowledge of the game to the Torrey Pines Pop Warner football league.

Reed, who moved to San Diego in 2002, played 16 seasons in the NFL, 15 with the Buffalo Bills (1985-1999), and one with the Washington Redskins. An All-Pro wide receiver, Reed, coached by Marv Levy, played in four Super Bowls, was selected seven times for the Pro Bowl, and ranks sixth in NFL history with a total of 951 career receptions.

Now retired, Reed is staying active in the game, though his responsibilities have shifted.

In August, Reed began his first year as a coach for the Jr. Midget Falcons (ages 10-13 division) in Torrey Pines Pop Warner, a nonprofit football league serving kids ages 5-15 from Carmel Valley, Del Mar, Solana Beach, and Rancho Santa Fe. With games on Saturday, the league runs from August to November. To date, the Falcons are 2-0, with wins over Poway and Rancho Penasquitos.

Reed’s 13-year-old son, also named Andre, plays on the Falcons. (Reed also has a 15-year-old daughter, Auburn, a sophomore at Torrey Pines High School).

“I grew up with Pop Warner,” said Reed, who played in his hometown of Allentown, Penn., before attending Kutztown University of Pennsylvania and then entering the NFL draft in 1985. “I know how important Pop Warner is.”

As exciting as the games are, Reed said coaching Pop Warner allows him to play an important role in molding positive attitudes and outlooks for his young generation of gridiron competitors.

In addition to running plays and learning the fundamentals of the sport, Reed said children playing Pop Warner get the auxiliary benefits of learning respect, teamwork, discipline, hard work, and perseverance, all qualities that will help them as they mature into adulthood.

“You can teach X’s and O’s, but let’s face it, you’re teaching them life skills,” said Reed. “Sports mold them, and help them become adults.”

Though he said all his players are aware of his status as a former NFL star, Reed said he doesn’t advertise it, and his participation with the team is to help the kids, not himself.

“I’m just a coach,” he said. “I’m just trying to teach the kids about the game.”

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Surrounding himself with the game hasn’t reignited Reed’s itch to get back on the field.

“I’ve turned every stone over,” he said. “I was blessed to excel and play with a lot of great players. I was fortunate to learn a lot from football, and I’m teaching that to the kids.”

Reed said he’s focusing his energies on teaching his young players a strong running game. But his main objective is to simply enjoy the game.

“They’ve got to have fun doing it,” he said. “They’ve got to have a passion.”

“It’s great to have an NFL player like Andre as part of our league,” said John Hickman, Torrey Pines Pop Warner president. “Kids look up to him and he brings so much to the team. These kids are getting instruction like the pros and major colleges get.”

Hickman noted that Rick Mirer, a former NFL quarterback for the Seattle Seahawks, and Duane Bickett, a former linebacker for the Indianapolis Colts, also coach teams in the Torrey Pines league.

“It’s such a great resource,” said Hickman about having the former pros involved in the league. “These kids may not remember how many wins or losses they had, but they’ll remember they had Andre and Rick and Duane as coaches.”

Paul Gange, whose 12-year-old son, Christian, plays on the Falcons, can attest to the positive impact Reed has had on the Falcons.

“[Reed] obviously brings a level of credibility that you can’t bring unless you’ve been there,” Gange said. “He’s walked in their cleats, and they listen to him.”

What’s been so beneficial to the players, said Gange, is the perspective and positive attitude Reed brings to the field each week.

“Andre plays the role of the motivator, he talks about his experiences,” said Gange. “He understands the kids are playing a game, it’s not the end all. You’d maybe expect something

different from a guy who played 16 years in the league, and is a heartbeat away from the Hall of Fame, but he’s not like that. He talks about how important school is, and being a good teammate. It’s refreshing.”

Matt Liebowitz writes for the Rancho Sante Fe Review, where this story was first published.

Tags: buffalo bills, coaching, Football, Indianapolis Colts, NFL, pop warner, SDNN, seattle seahawks, Torrey Pines, washington redskins

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