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15

Dec, 2020

2020 Hall of Fame Inductee - Mike Riley

We call your attention once more to announce our second Hall of Fame recipient. It should come as no surprise that Mike Riley has been voted in to the Victor Jr. Blue Devils Hall of Fame!

This time we’re not giving him the option. That’s right- he has actually been chosen for this honor before, but is so humble and hard-working he said no thank you. Sorry, Mike. This time it would be on us if we didn’t recognize and publicly appreciate the incredible contributions you have made to the Jr. Blue Devils, to our town and to the youth football program in the greater Rochester area.

You cannot think of the Jr. Blue Devils without also thinking of Mike Riley. The two have become synonymous since his family moved to Victor. He started as an assistant coach on his son Jameson’s team and quickly joined the board as treasurer. From there, Mike worked to transition into the position of President and it’s there he has stayed for years now. Yes, he continued to lead this program even after his son aged out and moved on to modified.

Mike is the definition of nose to the grindstone, lead by example. He is the first one to the field and the last to leave. Many of us over the years actually assumed he was a paid employee! He constantly and consistently searched out ways to make the game as safe as possible for the kids and advocated for Victor in the RYFC league, serving that league from its inception. He helped establish and grow the flag program. He developed and laid the foundation for an exceptionally strong alliance between the high school and youth teams for both football and cheer.

Mike made things easier on the rest of us. He developed the scholarship program so that no child in Victor has to miss out on youth football because of financial concerns. He streamlined the end of year celebrations and set up a vendor so parents can watch their players on the field instead of working the concession stand. Mike put the right people in the right place to lead things with positivity, support and, most of all, keep the focus on the kids.

In addition to all Mike has given to the youth football program, we would be remiss if we did not also mention his wife Cindy. Cindy is not only the woman behind the man, she is also the President of the Victor PTA. It is virtually impossible to tally the contributions this one family has made to our Blue Devils community.

As we were looking for some words of wisdom to describe Mike we came across one that isn’t even sports related. Henry David Thoreau once wrote, “Success usually comes to those who are too busy to look for it.” What a perfect description of Mike. And if you don’t believe us- just look at the photos of him. In every one he is conferencing with a coach, organizing fun for the kids, standing on the sidelines in support and NEVER asking for any recognition or fanfare. In fact, finding photos of Mike was kind of like searching for a unicorn.

When Mike Riley joined the Victor Jr. Blue Devils we all benefited from his magic. Please join us in giving him a (virtual) thunderous round of applause. Again, we would much prefer to recognize him in person and show him our gratitude… and we hope to as soon as possible! For now, please extend an e-mail, text, phone call or in person thank you. It’s the least we can do to return all we have been given.

Thank you, Hall of Famer… Mike Riley!

Victor Jr Blue Devils

P.O. Box 415 Victor NY 14564
Victor, New York 14564
Email : [email protected]

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Home of the Victor Jr Blue Devils

News Detail

15

Dec, 2020

2020 Hall of Fame Inductee - Mike Riley

Victor Jr Blue Devils