Dan Reeves reached the Super Bowl — the biggest game in the National Football League — a record nine times as a player, assistant coach and head coach during his almost 40 years in professional football.
Off of the football field, he has put up another impressive number: 47.
That’s how many years Reeves has been married to his wife, Pam.
“Anybody that’s ever been married, anybody that’s ever raised a family knows how difficult it is,” the 67-year-old Reeves said. “It’s not easy. It’s probably more difficult for professional athletes. All of the distractions. It’s a difficult life. Marriage is a job and you’ve got to work at.”
Reeves, the former Atlanta Falcons head coach, was the featured speaker at Family Frameworks’ “Marriage Bowl V” fundraiser at Trevitt Hall Saturday night. The nonprofit group Family Frameworks aims to create healthy marriages and lower the divorce rate in Northwest Georgia. The group provides resources and events to help accomplish that goal.
Kathy Schleier, Family Frameworks executive director, said The Marriage Bowl is the group’s signature event and largest fundraiser. The 2009 event outside at Heritage Point Park drew about 40 attendees with former NFL player Buddy Curry as the guest speaker. Last year, Vince and Barbara Dooley were a big draw — he was a longtime University of Georgia football coach and athletics director — and brought more than 200 people to the indoor event.
Growing up in Americus, Reeves and his future wife were high school sweethearts. He was the All-American football player. She was the cheerleader.
“It started back in high school,” he said. “I played all three sports. My wife was a cheerleader. I tried to please her. I was dating her and wanted to make her proud. She was a big motivator for me because she had a lot of people that wanted to date her. There’s no question I was the only one.”
While Reeves went to play quarterback at the University of South Carolina, his girlfriend pursued an education at the University of Georgia. They dated for seven years. Then the summer after Reeves’ junior year, the two married.
After college, Reeves joined the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys. He played from 1965-1972, including in two Super Bowls.
“When I became a professional football player she helped keep me grounded,” Reeves said. “In marriage, you’ve got to be best friends. It’s not that we don’t have arguments, we are at each other’s throats from time to time, but we get over those things. There’s no question I wouldn’t be where I am today if it wasn’t for her. She’s a big part of my life. I’ve always wanted to make her proud.”
A knee injury ended Reeves’ playing career. He turned his focus to coaching.
Reeves steered the Denver Broncos to three Super Bowl appearances (all losses) in the 1980s. He followed that coaching job with six years at the helm of the New York Giants in the 1990s. After two sub-par years, Reeves left New York and headed south.
Since he was born in Rome and raised in Americus, coming home to coach the Falcons in 1997 was an exciting time. He spent seven years as Falcons head coach, including the memorable 1998 season in which the team went 14-2 and won the conference championship. The Falcons — known to their fans as “The Dirty Birds” — made it to Super Bowl XXXIII but were defeated by Denver.
“We tried to create a family-like atmosphere, and I think we accomplished that,” Reeves said. “We started to have success later in ’97 that carried over into ‘98.”
Most recently, Reeves has worked as a color analyst for NFL radio broadcasts. He’s since given that job up because of the required travel. This football season, he intends to follow his former coaches and friends from the comfort of his home in Atlanta.
For more information about Family Frameworks, call (706) 313-0023 or visit www.marriageisforever.org.
