The talented Witherspoon family have held a pivotal role in Garfield football for the past four years. Starting with head coach Reggie Witherspoon Jr, his sons, Reggie Witherspoon III and Reylen Witherspoon have joined their father in shaping Garfield’s football team.
Reggie Witherspoon III:
Seattle Academy senior, Reggie Witherspoon III, has made his mark as Garfield’s lead wide receiver. Drawing inspiration from his father, Reggie III started playing football when he was six years old. “[My dad] went to college and played in the CFL for a bit, so I was kind of always around football,” Reggie III said.
Witherspoon’s family has been supportive of his football career since the start. “My family has a big influence on how I play. They have been a huge supporter of me ever since I was six years old,” Reggie III said, “just knowing that they are watching me at a game helps me play a little better because I want to do it for them.”
At Garfield, Reggie III is surrounded by his family, playing with his younger brother, Reylen, and his father and coach, Reggie Witherspoon Jr. “A lot of my family history is in Garfield,” Reggie III said. However, he doesn’t think his family treats him any differently on the football field. “If I make a mistake, [my dad] is yelling at me just like he will with anybody else. Honestly, he’ll yell at me even more cause he’s my dad,” Reggie III said. “When I see [Reylen] out there make a play, of course I’m going to go celebrate with him like every other teammate. That dynamic doesn’t really change that much on the field.”
Despite attending SAAS since sixth grade, Reggie III already knew he wanted to play for Garfield’s football team entering his freshman season. “I was already a ball boy for Garfield when my dad got the coaching job my seventh-grade year,” Reggie III said, “I knew all of the players that ended up playing for Garfield, so I was like, ‘I want to play for Garfield when I get to high school.’”
Reggie III has had no trouble fitting into the Garfield community. “I fit in pretty well knowing that I know a lot of people here outside of football,” Reggie III said. Even if SAAS had a football team, Reggie III would still prefer to play with his family at Garfield. “SAAS is more focused on academics,” Reggie III said, “they have decent school spirit, but nothing compared to Garfield. There’s nothing like gameday [at Garfield]. Looking up, I wouldn’t see that crowd at SAAS.”
In addition to football, Reggie III runs track and plays basketball in the offseason. “Track is my next biggest sport that I do. It’s different seasons so I’m able to balance it,” Reggie III said.
Now a high school senior, Reggie III has received offers from Portland State, Montana State, Arizona State, and his father’s alma mater, Eastern Washington, for football. “My plan is to play football at the next level, in college, and run track as well. Hopefully I’ll go to the NFL, that’s the dream. I just need to keep working and doing what I need to do to get there.” Witherspoon III said.
Reylen Witherspoon:
Reylen Witherspoon, Reggie III’s younger brother, is a sophomore at SAAS and the starting running back on Garfield’s varsity football team. He is the second youngest son of coach Reggie Witherspoon Jr. and has been part of the Garfield family since his dad started coaching at Garfield nine years ago. Reylen said he “chose SAAS [instead of Garfield] because [of]the education. I think [it] will set me up better for the future and colleges.” This could raise concerns about students going to a private school to get into college, then playing sports for a public school where students rely on athletics to have the same opportunities. Despite this his father says Reylen is campaigning to attend Garfield next year.
Reylen and Reggie III are familiar with the school and have grown up around the Garfield community. When their dad became the head coach in 2019, Reggie III was in his first season and Reylen helped on the sidelines as a ball boy, just like his brother had in the years before. Being included in the community is a big part of the football team. “Everyone here is super close and it’s like a brotherhood… with my friends at SAAS everyone is more separated,” Reylen said. The two brothers rely on each other on and off the field, pushing the other to their full potential. “He will get on me if he sees me being down on myself,” Reylen said about his brother. He acknowledges that next season will be very different without his brother leading him, and without rides to school everyday.
Reggie Witherspoon Jr:
Reggie Witherspoon Jr. (known as Coach Spoon to his players) is deeply rooted in Seattle high school football history. Reggie Jr. attended Rainier Beach High School and applied to be the head coach at his alma mater in 2016. When he did not get the job, the now former Garfield head coach, Joey Thomas, offered him a job as the freshman coach and varsity running back coach. Witherspoon has held the head coach position since 2019.
Having his sons play together and coaching them has always been a dream of his, but he once thought it was unattainable. He always planned for his sons to continue their high school careers at SAAS but knew he would need to find a school for them to play at since SAAS does not have a team. The initial idea was Beach, but when Reggie Jr. became the coach at Garfield he said it was a “no brainer” that they would play there. On the field however, the father-son relationship becomes almost nonexistent as football is the only focus on all three of their minds. “Oftentimes I forget those are my sons on the team,” said Reggie Jr. His goal is for his sons to live out their dreams but also help all the other young men on his team achieve theirs. “The legacy I want to leave at Garfield is for everyone to know I instilled character, discipline, and life skills.” He often leaves his team with the quote: “Do something now, it’s your future self that will thank you for it.”
Garfield will continue their season in the playoffs starting in November. “We are preparing our team for the playoffs one week at a time,” Reggie Jr said. “I am trying to lead my team a little better, get them to lock in because our goal is to get to the state championship,” Reylen said. So far this season the team is ranked second in the metro league with a 4-2 record.
