He was the team leader in tackles-for-loss (4.5 for 34 yards) and sacks (3.5 for 23) last season. He is one of the scholar-athletes on the Eastern Michigan University football squad. He is encouraging and respectable.
To his younger brother, he is a mentor, a big kid, playful and “a beast.” He stands 6-foot-1 and weighs in at 250 pounds. He is humorous. He is a hard worker. He is genuine.
He is Javon Michael Reese.
Javon is a native of Fort Wayne, Ind. where he grew up in a family of 17. His mother, Janet Reese, called 13 of the children her sparrows, representing birds that are social and aggressive when it comes to protecting their families.
For his youngest brother Richard, having a family that large made it easy to get lost in the crowd, but it was Javon who was there to keep him in the loop.
“I kind of felt like an outcast at times,” Richard said. “But Javon made me feel apart of everything and made sure that I was around to see the happiness of the family.”
On Oct. 3, 2006, Janet passed away suddenly after suffering a heart attack. This was a great loss for the Reese family, as well as, the Fort Wayne community. And more recently, Charlie Reese, Javon’s father, passed due to failing health three months ago. Javon played an integral part in keeping his younger siblings together.
“When mom passed away he kept me and (sister) Maqube together just like old times,” Richard said. “He didn’t show any emotion. He was just strong in the process, he was strong for us.”
The day after his mother’s wake, Richard and Javon had a varsity football game. After scoring his first touchdown since his mother’s death, Richard distinctly remembers a comment made by Javon that will forever be engraved in his mind.
“He said, ‘Good stuff, mom is watching you,’ then slammed his helmet into mine,” Richard said.
Reese graduated from Southside High School as one of the top 50 in his class. In his senior year, he recorded 37 tackles along with eight sacks in eight games before suffering a season-ending injury.
He decided to play football around the age of 7. His decision was based on the nature of the game and the lessons it can teach a person.
“Of all the sports this one had the most lessons,” Javon said. “You’re around a team, and there’s life in the sport; it’s fun.”
To this day those lessons and the team nature of the sport remain intriguing features for Reese.
“The hitting of course,” Javon said when asked why he loves football. “Camaraderie and the lessons from coaches and just being around positive people.”
When deciding on where he would further his education, EMU just felt like the right place to be.
“When I came on my visit EMU felt like home,” Reese said. “My home away from home.”
And he certainly fit right in to his new home.
Reese has put up strong performances in the classroom since his enrollment. He is a biology major and holds a 3.5 GPA. His efforts have not gone unnoticed as he has earned honorable mention on the All-MAC Conference academic team in 2009 and 2010. Teammate Brandon Slater said this diligence is a quality that also manifests itself on the field.
“He’s a hard worker,” Slater said. “You can tell he knows his plays because he spends a lot of time studying his playbook.”
Richard said, “His motivation, and his work ethic are amazing. The way he works on the field is the same way he works in the classroom. He’s always driven to be there and to help the team out.”
In his first season with the Eagles, Javon played in all 12 games and finished with a total of 14 tackles, 1.5 tackles-for-loss of 12 yards, as well as, a sack for 9 yards.
In his sophomore season Reese started in 10 of the 11 games, after missing one game due to injury. He finished second on the team in tackles-for-loss (9 for 38 yards). He was also 10th on the team with 41 tackles.
Reese has been at EMU since before Ron English was hired, and he likes the direction the team is going since that 2009 season.
“What Coach English has been installing in us for the past two years,” Javon said when asked about his favorite aspect of the team. “The foundation of the program; integrity first, trust, belief, embracing the process and poise.”
In his senior season, Reese played in all three of the team’s games. So far he has recorded a total of three tackles, including two tackles-for-loss. He has also had one sack for four yards.
When he’s not on the field tuning his skills, Reese can typically be found participating in what you might call the average college student activities.
“In everything I do, I put God first then of course watching TV, playing video games and other sport-related activities.” Reese said.
According to Slater, you might find him in the kitchen where his hidden talent can be found. Yes, with Reese it can be everything including the kitchen sink. Or he might be on the couch with Richard watching “Care Bears” paying special attention to his favorite, Cheer Bear.
Looking at his stats, you can see the impact Reese has on his football family. Watching a game you can see the way he stands out and lets his presence be known on the football field. But in Indiana his impact is even greater despite the fact he might not even know it.
“That dude has an extremely big heart,” Richard said. “He’s my hero. I saw everything that he did and it made me want to do more. The reason why I’m even in school is because of him. He’s just my hero.”
Be sure to check out the Youtube video of Reese.
