REGGIE RIVERS BIOGRAPHY

PERSONAL

Reggie is a native of Dayton, Ohio. He was born into an Air Force family as the fourth of five children. During his youth, he lived in Ohio, England, Florida and Greece before his family settled in the San Antonio area. He spent the remainder of his adolescence in Central Texas. Reggie has been in Denver since 1991.

Reggie and his wife, Stephanie, are also proud parents of Malik, their 6-year-old son.

FOOTBALL

As a senior at Randolph High School in San Antonio, Reggie rushed for 1,200 yards and earned a full athletic scholarship to Southwest Texas State University.

At the collegiate level, he amassed 2,500 career yards and was named to four All-American teams. He signed with the Denver Broncos as a rookie free agent in 1991.

Reggie was with the Broncos for six years, and at the end of his first season was named to Pro Football Weekly’s All-Rookie Team as a special teams player.

In 1993, his teammates selected him as Special Teams Player of the Year.

EDUCATION/JOURNALISM

Reggie landed his first newspaper job when he was a senior in high school (1985), working for the now-defunct San Antonio Light as an obituary writer. In 1986, he enrolled at Southwest Texas State University (SWT) as a newspaper journalism major.

During his college tenure, Reggie served internships with the Austin American-Statesman newspaper in Texas and Newsday on Long Island. In 1987, Reggie was selected by the Texas Daily Newspaper Association as the Outstanding Editorial Summer Intern in Texas. In 1989, Reggie was one of 12 students selected nationally to attend the Graduate Enhancement Program in Communications at Ohio University.

Reggie graduated from SWT in 1991 with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism. He was selected by the SWT Alumni Association as the Lyndon Baines Johnson Outstanding Senior Student, and was also chosen to deliver the student salutation at graduation.

After moving to Colorado to try out for the Denver Broncos, Reggie was hired by the Rocky Mountain News to write a weekly sports column. The column was initially scheduled to be a four-week affair during his rookie training camp, but it turned into an eight-year relationship with the News.

Between 1993 and 1997 Reggie was a guest host on several Denver television and radio shows including Broncos Beat and Sports Extra on KCNC Channel 4, The Orange Zone and Reggie’s Kids on KUSA Channel 9 and a weekly radio segment called Rolling with Rivers on KOA-AM (850 radio). From 1997 to 1999 Reggie hosted an evening call-in talk show on 850 KOA radio. From 1999 to 2002 Reggie hosted a daily afternoon drive time show on KHOW 630-AM radio.

REGGIE'S BOOKS

"The Vance: The Beginning & The End," (1994) the as-told to autobiography of former Broncos wide receiver Vance Johnson.

"Power Shift," (2000) a novel about an escalating feud between a sports columnist and an NFL receiver.

"4th & Fixed," (2004) a novel about a crime family fixing NFL games.

"My Wife's Boyfriend & Our Feud with the Highlands Ranch Homeowners Association," (2006) a comedy about a marriage that is falling apart in the suburbs, while the couple battles with their overbearing HOA board.

"The Colony," (2009) an allegory about foreign policy told through two colonies of ants.

CURRENTLY

Reggie recently earned a Masters Degree in Global Studies from the University of Denver, and his novel "The Colony" was his thesis for that degree. Reggie travels throughout the country promoting and selling his books, and he is an in-demand keynote speaker, emcee, auctioneer and presenter.

CHARITIES

Reggie has supported numerous charitable organizations including D.A.R.E, the ACLU, Multiple Sclerosis Society, Muscular Dystrophy Association, Colorado Center for the Book, United Way, Kiwanis, Rotary, American Red Cross, Partners Inc., The Children’s Hospital of Denver, Punts with a Purpose, Rocky Mountain Adoption Exchange, Big Brothers/ Big Sisters, American Heart Association, Food Bank of the Rockies, the Hospice of Saint John and many more.

AWARDS

• 1987 H.M. Fentress Award – given by Texas Daily Newspaper Association as the Outstanding Journalism Intern in Texas
• 1990 Kodak All-American, AP All-American, Sports Network All-American and UPI All-American football player at Southwest Texas State University
• 1990 Scholar Athlete of the Year – Southland Conference
• 1991 Lyndon Baines Johnson Outstanding Senior Student at Southwest Texas State University.
• 1992 Broncos Community Action Player Award in recognition of volunteer service throughout Colorado.
• 1992 Bob Martin Award, given annually to the Broncos player who is most cooperative with the media.
• 1993 Broncos Edge Shave Gel NFL Man of the year in recognition of superior athletic and civic performance.
• 1995 NFL Unsung Hero Award in recognition of volunteer efforts.
  1996 Broncos True Value Hardware NFL Man of the Year in recognition of athletic and civic performance.
• 1996 Young Coloradoan of the Year – Cherry Creek Jaycees.
• 1996 Byron “Whizzer” White Humanitarian Award, given annually by the NFL Player’s Association in recognition of outstanding volunteer service.
• 2000 Radio Journalist of the Year – Colorado Association of Black Journalists.
• 2001 Larry Tajiri Memorial Media Award – Colorado ACLU
• 2004 Food for the Heart Community Award – The Food Bank of the Rockies Guild.
• 2005 President’s Award – Colorado Library Association.

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