By Harry Minium
George Reihner was as involved as he could be in the lives of his four children. The former Penn State and Houston Oilers football star was there for every game, every recital, every birthday, every open house that his busy and accomplished life allowed.
He was a blue-collar guy and a hard-nosed player. Born and raised in Pittsburgh, son of a glass factory worker, he was a standout for the Nittany Lions who played in four bowl games and was a second-team All-American. He was the 38th player overall taken in the 1977 NFL draft and played four seasons in the pros before a back injury forced him to retire.
Retire? Hardly. After leaving the NFL, he went to law school – he actually started law school in Houston -- got his degree and became a prominent attorney in the Scranton, Pennsylvania area, where the Reihner family set down roots decades ago.
Kevin, his third-oldest child, is the offensive line coach at Old Dominion University. He recalls the day he told his Dad he wanted to play Division I football.
"He asked me if I was sure and when I said yes, he said come back and talk to me tomorrow," Kevin Reihner said.
When he did, George Reihner told his son to get his cleats and took him to a football field, where his Dad took him through a Penn State conditioning test that included a ton of wind sprints.
"I'll never forget lying on the ground, puking into that little drain vent between the track and football field, and my Dad with a stogie about halfway up the steps, still counting out laps," Kevin Reihner said.
"If you're not a sports person, you don't understand why that's such a positive memory."
Kevin Reihner went on to play at Stanford and was the first graduate transfer to play football at Penn State. He credits that day of conditioning supervised by his Dad, and many that followed, for his success in football.
Kevin Reihner's voice was full of emotion as he spoke about his Dad earlier this week. His father passed away suddenly and unexpectedly on March 11.
Because ODU is in spring practice – the annual spring game is Saturday at 11 a.m. at S.B. Ballard Stadium – he hasn't had much chance to spend with family. His Mom, Judith, is in Cincinnati with his oldest brother. Reihner will head to Pennsylvania next week for the funeral.
In the meantime, he loves to tell stories about a good father who worshipped his wife of 42 years and loved his children.
"My Dad was a throwback," Kevin Reihner said. "I mean, he hugged me and told me he loved me and all those things, but our bond through football was so special.
"To be honest, when practice is over, I kind of run to my phone and go to text him. It was just something we always did.
"When I would offer a kid, he would watch highlights and let me know what he thought to make sure I wasn't recruiting any softies. Football was just our thing and will remain our thing.
"I'm sure every first without him will be difficult. When we open at Wake Forest, I'm going to reach for my phone and go to call him."
And, he added: "I know he'll hear me."
It's already been a difficult year for Reihner. He and his fiancé, JoAnne Baird, moved to downtown Norfolk a year ago, just in time for the pandemic to shut everything down. They wanted to enjoy downtown living but the restaurants, museums and even parks were closed.
Then, the 2020 spring practice and the 2020 season were both cancelled and ODU's depth at all positions has been hurt by personnel losses.
Reihner may be coaching the most difficult position for the Monarchs. ODU has 12 offensive lineman, few with playing experience. Developing a good offensive line is a major key for any Football Bowl Subdivision program and the position is one of the most complicated to learn.
"If a defensive player gets two sacks a game, he's going to make all-conference," Reihner said. "But if an offensive lineman gives up two sacks, then we've got a problem."
George Reihner
Yet, it doesn't take long for you to figure out that Reihner is a positive guy, either when dealing with an O line that is young and developing or with the jarring loss of his Dad.
"I can't say enough for the resilience, their hard work ethic and attitude of these guys," he said. "I'm so thankful for how they've approached this crazy, crazy year we've been through."
When Jo and Kevin were going house crazy in their downtown apartment, they did a video of supposed drills for offensive linemen to do indoors, including a blocking drill with his dog (he gave up a sack), throwing a bag of laundry to Jo in the loft, snapping a ball into his dog's cage and pushing his SUV through the parking lot.
"Whew, that was good," he said, wiping invisible sweat from his brow after he pushed the car a few yards. Jo then opened the car door and said, "Can I turn the car off now?"
Cue the laugh track.
The video has been viewed more than 81,000 times on Twitter.
Reiner came to ODU after coaching at Fordham, Wake Forest, Delaware and Penn State. He was an offensive lineman for the Stanford Cardinal and Nittany Lions, just like his Dad.
He said he's never coached a more hard-working group than his 12 linemen.
Kevin Reihner and Jo Baird
"When I talk, I tell people, we are the few and the proud," he said, referring top the Marine Corps motto – and his older brother, George Jr., and sister, Janet, are graduates of West Point.
"We've got 12 guys and they've taken a lot of reps and have this unbelievable attitude. I mean, they get bounced around every day and have approached this as an opportunity to get better."
Kevin and Jo recently moved to Virginia Beach, near the Oceanfront, and said he was not halfway home after a scrimmage last Saturday when he began receiving texts from players who had already watched film.
"They have the right mindset," he said. "They don't make excuses. They just go out and work and they fight."
ODU likely will recruit an offensive lineman or two between now and summer practice, but said Reihner: "I will go to war with the guys we've got."
Head coach Ricky Rahne said he and defensive coordinator Blake Seiler had dinner with George Reihner while on a recruiting visit to Pennsylvania in the winter of 2019.
"He was very close to his father," Rahne said. "Obviously, it's a tough deal but he's handled it unbelievably well.
"We've tried to support him as much as possible. Our players have also supported him and I think that's really helped Kevin, the way they've reacted.
"This is something no one is really prepared for, but he's handled it as well as I can possibly imagine."
Kevin Reihner on George Reihner's shoulders
Reihner is just 28, an early age to lose a parent. He feels for his younger brother, Kyle, a 20-year-old lacrosse goalie for the University of Mount Union. If there is a bright side to the pandemic, it's that Kyle's freshman season last year got cut short and he was home for months.
"He got so much time with my Dad and got to play countless rounds of golf," he said. "I'm so thankful that they got that time together. Being the youngest, most of the time they spent together was when my dad was driving me around or going to games."
Reihner's mother will spend most of the summer with Kevin and Jo in Virginia Beach. Their dog, Jetty, is bonding with his father's dog, Monty.
"We're all trying to rally around my Mom," Reihner said. "I mean, she and my Dad were just settling into that empty nester life and they had so many great years ahead of them.
"My Mom and Dad were always there for us. It's time for us to be there for her."
Contact Minium: hminium@odu.edu
Minium: ODU Football Offensive Line Coach Kevin Reihner Grieving Over the Loss of His Father
