Breckenridge Texan

Gary Reasons uses his NFL career and Texas roots to encourage students to prepare, pursue their goals and strengthen their community.

Former NFL linebacker Gary Reasons believes football’s lessons extend well beyond the playing field, and preparation is one of the most important lessons.

“Preparation,” was Reasons’ one-word answer when asked by the Breckenridge Texan’s Tony Pilkington to narrow his philosophy down to one piece of advice to give a high school student out there on the football field. “Preparation is the key to anything that you do in life, in sports, because you know if you put the work in, you’re going to get the results out.”

Reasons talked to Pilkington Wednesday, Sept. 16, after speaking to Breckenridge High School and Junior High students and then to community members at a luncheon at the school.

During his presentation to local community members, Gary Reasons brought BHS Principal Laura Gibson, left, and BISD Superintendent Prairie Freeman up to the front for an interview about what makes Breckenridge special. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)

Reasons, who played for the New York Giants for eight years from 1984 to 1991, a team that won Super Bowl XXI and XXV, was in Breckenridge as part of his Texas Football Dream 2026 Community Tour. After his football career, Reasons moved on to a second career in sports broadcasting.

Since retiring from his television career, he has developed the Texas Football Dream program that is designed to make a lasting impression on students while building pride in their schools and communities.

He said he feels his background helps the student presentations have more impact. Reasons grew up in Crowley, Texas, where he played high school football and earned a college scholarship to Northwestern State University. He eventually became a three-time All-American before being drafted by the New York Giants, who won two Super Bowls when he played for the team.

“It certainly does ground it that somebody who walked kind of in their shoes … can basically make it to great heights,” he said. “I wasn’t expecting to make it to the National Football League, going from Crowley, Texas. I didn’t have that mindset, but I went to college, and I finally was getting recognized for the play that I was doing. It really then catapulted me. You know, as a three-time All-American, first ever, was pretty cool, and that kind of set things in motion.”

With the Texas Football Dream program, Reasons said, he’s aiming to align the community and have the students be prideful of their community and prideful of their school. He designed the program to draw on his experiences and involve the students to create a meaningful impact.

“You know, most students when they have somebody come to speak to them, they think it’s going to be a one-off kind of a thing, that they’re going to hear something that may or may not relate to them,” he said. “But when you make it experiential, when you do the things that I do with the students; it’s really impactful.”

Gary Reasons signs an autograph for Kim Fuller of Breckenridge. Fuller attended school in Crowley and, when she was a kid, watched Reasons play high school football. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)

Casey Pearce, Breckenridge ISD athletic director and head varsity football coach, agreed that Reasons’ background adds credibility to his message, particularly for students in a Texas high school football community. He said Reasons’ experiences help him connect the lessons of his football career with students and the community.

“It gives him some street cred to be able to say, ‘Look, I grew up in a small community, and then football gave me an opportunity to get an education, and that education allowed me to play a game that I love.’” Pearce said. “And all of a sudden, now he’s drafted as fourth-round pick of the Giants, and he falls in line with Bill Parcells and Bill Belichick as the defensive coordinator.

“And look at the success they had,” Pearce continued. “That whole team is a group to remember, and they were all different runs of life, you know, black, white, Hispanic, you know. That’s what a locker room is.”

Pearce said he thinks one of the most important things Reasons has to share with the students is the experience of working together to create something great.

“I just think he gave kids an opportunity to see a simple process about thinking about goals and trying to attain goals,” Pearce said. “And, you know, whether it’s sports or academic or just a hobby that they want to pursue, they have every right and every opportunity to do that. But it’s going to take a support crew around them to be able to attain their goals. And then…how they go about it. You know, the basic part behind all of it is it’s going to be hard work.”

During his lunch presentation to community members, Reasons brought Breckenridge High School Principal Laura Gibson and BISD Superintendent Prairie Freeman to the front and shifted from speaker to interviewer. He asked them about community pride, expectations, leadership and what makes Breckenridge special.

Freeman, whose mother and grandfather graduated from Breckenridge High School, said community pride and the area’s history help distinguish Breckenridge.

“Well, I can definitely say community pride (makes Breckenridge special). There’s a steep tradition here, lots of pride,” Freeman said. “And so, I think … that sets this community apart. … There are people here that love this community, and they show us through the school district that they want us to be leaders in that legacy.”

Gibson, a Breckenridge High School graduate, said school leaders try to model the expectations they have for students.

“I’m not asking anybody to do anything I’m not willing to do,” Gibson said. “The expectations that I have myself is what we try to hold up for our students in the classroom, out of the classroom… We want to uphold the legacy and continue with that tradition of excellence in our lives.”

Gary Reasons, left, and Charlie Parker, who announces Buckaroo sports on the local radio station, pose for a picture for Cindi Woodward, host of the Buckaroos Live Facebook page. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)

Freeman said the district’s focus is on helping students succeed.

“First of all, students, kids, and I love being with kids. That’s our ‘why’ — to positively impact kids every day,” Freeman said.

When Reasons asked what comes next for the district, Freeman described an approach that echoed Reasons’ own message about preparation and striving for excellence.

“I think to relentlessly pursue…excellence for us. We want to give our kids every opportunity to be successful, not only in our halls and in our city limits, but beyond, far beyond,” Freeman said. “And so, setting them up for success in every kind of way is our job here, and that is our focus. And we need to be relentlessly pursuing.”

Reasons told those at the community luncheon that small Texas towns play an important role in the state’s football culture and in bringing communities together.

“These small towns in Texas, they really are the heartbeat of what is really the culture of Texas High School’s Friday Night Lights and the football aura that it creates, and really a platform for communities to come together and be unified,” he said. “Football, I call it, is the invitation. Community is the destination.”

Reasons said his Texas Football Dream program has three goals: “strengthen the community, instill community pride, and, obviously, fuel aspiration.”

Gary Reasons, right, talks to former Buckaroos John Cotton, center, and Ron Payne Jr., left, who attended the luncheon on Wednesday. Cotton and Payne played for the state championship teams in the 1950s. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)

He pointed to Breckenridge’s football history, including its six state championships, as an example of how athletics can contribute to community identity. Two of the four surviving members of the Breckenridge State Championship teams from the 1950s, John Cotton and Ron Payne Jr., attended the luncheon.

“So, it’s a community pride thing, and community pride is really important because when you have that, when you have that connection, it’s really cool,” Reasons said.

During the presentation, Reasons used lessons from his NFL career to discuss preparation, expectations and teamwork. He recalled working under Bill Parcells and Bill Belichick and emphasized the importance of establishing standards and getting everyone aligned.

“Whether you’re going to be a Super Bowl head coach or running an organization or leading a high-quality team, there’s a lot that goes in common with those things, and it’s simply that you have to set the standard, establish the standard, communicate it, and understand what the level of expectations are, and everyone gets on the same page. That’s what alignment is. Alignment is really all those things bundled up and put, in put in there together,” he said.

He said the same principles apply beyond football.

“I talk a lot about alignment. Alignment is really the key of teams and communities. But if you’re aligned, you’re going to achieve success, and you’re going to achieve the things that you’re wanting to. And that’s really the key to anything.”

Pearce said the message applies to the broader Breckenridge community as well.

“You know, wins and losses don’t dictate what a community is about. It’s what the makeup of that community is, the people in it, character of the people in it, and how we take care of one another,” the coach said.

Reasons said his message has evolved beyond his football and broadcasting careers. He worked in sports broadcasting since 1994 but said community presentations such as Wednesday’s event have provided a different kind of satisfaction.

“I get a lot more enjoyment and satisfaction out of speaking with communities like Breckenridge, seeing the students up close, personal, and giving them the tools to work with potentially for the rest of their lives,” he said.

Before his community presentation in Breckenridge, Gary Reasons poses with some of his memorabilia from his football career, including his Super Bowl rings, College Football Hall of Fame ring, a replica of the Vince Lombardi trophy and a football he intercepted from Joe Montana. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)

Gary Reasons brought his Super Bowl rings and his College Football Hall of Fame ring to the presentation at Breckenridge High School on Wednesday, Sept. 16. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)

Cutline, top photo: Gary Reasons, left, speaks to a group of Breckenridge community members during his Texas Football Dream program, following his presentation to the high school and junior high students earlier. Casey Pearce, Breckenridge ISD athletic director and head varsity football coach, right, said Reasons’ experiences help him connect the lessons of his football career with students and the community. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)