A celebration of life will be held for Coach Rees at 1 PM on Saturday, December 29 inside the Luhrs Performing Arts Center. There will be no viewing or visitation prior to the service. A reception will follow. His obituary can be viewed here.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Rocky and Patty Rees Football Scholarship Fund, c/o Shippensburg University Foundation, 1871 Old Main Dr., Shippensburg, PA 17257.
Shippensburg University is mourning the loss of longtime head football coach Rocky Rees, who passed away Thursday night after a short battle with cancer.
Shippensburg extends its sincerest condolences to his family and friends, and to the countless individuals he mentored and influenced in his many years associated with the university.
Rees is the all-time coaching wins leader in Shippensburg University football history, having triumphed 123 times with the Red Raiders. He coached SU for 21 seasons, from 1990-2010, and was an outstanding ambassador to the university and beloved member of the athletic department during his tenure.
Overall, Rees ranks eighth in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) history for the most wins by a coach while at a PSAC member school. He guided the Red Raiders to three NCAA Tournament appearances in his career, earning four PSAC Coach of the Year awards and three Regional Coach of the Year awards.
Rees joined Shippensburg in 1990 and laid a foundation for football success with offensive and defensive innovations. In 1991, his second season, SU went 10-3 and made its second NCAA Division II Football Championship appearance after it averaged just more than five wins during the previous eight seasons.
The 1999 season featured numerous school records for offense as the team finished 8-3. Records were set for total offense (4,951) and passing yards (3,071) as the potent tandem of quarterback Chris Gicking (2,832 passing yards) and receiver Jamie Ware (1,334 receiving yards) helped SU average 38.2 points through the first 10 games of the season.
From 2001-04, the Red Raiders set a then-school record for the highest win total for any four-year span in history with a record of 32-13. The culmination of that success was in 2004, when Rees led Shippensburg to a 10-2 record and a share of the PSAC Western Division championship for the first time since 1988.
The 2004 team was ranked first in the nation in kickoff returns, second in scoring defense, fifth in total defense and ninth in rushing offense. It also set a new school record for rushing yards in a season (3,112) while finishing second in points (392), touchdowns (52) and total offense (4,882). SU had 16 All-PSAC Western Division selections in 2004, including nine of the team's 11 starters on defense.
In 2009, Rees guided the Red Raiders to the program's first outright conference championship since 1981 with a victory in the "State Game" over California (Pa.). The Red Raiders scored at least 21 in all 12 games of the season, a feat that had never been achieved in 109 seasons of organized football at Shippensburg University.
Rees was a well-respected member of the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA), including a term as the organization's president from 1999 to 2000. He was elected to the AFCA Board of Trustees in 1992 and served as the chairman of the AFCA Meeting Rooms Committee from 1986 to 2002 and Chair of the Public Relations Committee from 2000 to 2006. Additionally, he was a long-standing member of the Ethics Committee.
At Shippensburg, Rees posted a record of 123-110-1 (.528). Overall, his career record as a collegiate head coach is 159-125-2, including five years at Susquehanna University (1985-89). He was a two-time MAC Coach of the Year with the Crusaders and is also a member of the Susquehanna Athletic Hall of Fame and South Central PA Hall of Fame.
Rees earned his undergraduate degree from West Chester University in 1971 and his master's degree in 1979. He is a member of the West Chester Killinger Foundation Football Hall of Fame, and still holds the Golden Rams' single-game record for rushing touchdowns (five). Rees was inducted in the Shippensburg University Athletic Hall of Fame in 2014.
He began his coaching career at Newark (Del.) High School, posting a 28-5-1 record and guiding the school to one state championship and two Blue Hen A Championships.
Following his final SU home game on Oct. 30, 2010, a brief ceremony was held on the field at Seth Grove Stadium in which the football office was formally named the Rocky Rees Football Suite. Rees was presented with a plaque and addressed the crowd.
His final game with the Red Raiders was a 41-17 road victory at Lock Haven on Nov. 13, 2010. "It's not where you start in life, it's where you finish," Rees said after the game. "I'm very proud of where (my players) finished. They're champions in my book."
A native of Morristown, N.J., Rees continued to live in Shippensburg after his retirement. His wife, Patricia, died in 1998 and is annually remembered with the Patricia Rees Scholarship. Rocky is survived by his daughter, Meghan.
"I am leaving the football office but I will never really leave Ship," Rees said at his 2010 retirement ceremony. "My wife Patti is buried here and my daughter Meghan is a graduate. Many of my fondest memories are linked to Shippensburg University and the people who make this a special place. It is my home. I will miss the close relationship I have with the coaches, players, trainers and team physicians, but it is time to turn the page in my life and read the next chapter."
If any former players, coaches, mentors, or colleagues wish to pass along their reflections, we will gladly post them to this story. Please e-mail sid@ship.edu for any comments you wish to provide, along with your name and attribution. We will post as available.
"Coach Rees loved meeting up with all his players at these football tailgates and he told some great football stories. I had the honor of sitting with Rocky at a game at Seth Grove Stadium last season in his favorite spot next to the press box and I will never forget it. A truly inspirational leader that impacted so many young men's lives including mine. I am proud to also call him a friend. We will miss you Rocky."
-- Howie Guarini, SU Kicker, '88-91
"I am honored to have played football for Coach Rees. I am thankful for the impact he had on my life, the lessons he taught me, and the way he showed me how true leadership entails serving those under your tutelage, compassion for those in need and caring for the community. I'm forever indebted to him for the way he lived his life, how he helped me evolve from a reckless adolescent to a (mostly) responsible young man and all that I learned from him—football being the least significant. As we mourn we do so while we celebrate Coach and repeat the phrase he shouted every day, no matter what the circumstance, "It's a great day to be a Red Raider." Praying for the Rees family and the entire Ship football community."
-- Beau Hoffman, class of 2011
"I'm very sad to learn that Coach Rocky Rees has passed away. He was always so gracious with his time, respectful and helpful to a young sports reporter breaking in the business. I met with him once a week during the football season for the Rocky Rees Report and always enjoyed our conversations. He was a great guy and an unbelievable coach. May his memory be a blessing."
-- Shawn Stepner, WMAR-TV Baltimore, former Sports Director at WHAG-TV (2004-07)
"I got a little teary-eyed when I saw the Facebook post on Coach Rocky Rees' passing. For many who knew him better than me, I'm sure they have amazing stories. I only knew him for a short time, but he made a bigger impact than perhaps he ever knew. In the spring of 1997, I was a walk-on to the Shippensburg University football team. Coach Mac and some of the coaches gave me the nickname "Drago" because frankly I needed a hair cut and my blond spike hair due got a little long. I was deep on the depth chart at linebacker, a position that I knew I was too slow to play. My size dictated at that level for me to be at linebacker.
As we made it through the spring game, I kept feeling this internal struggle. Being so involved with Shippensburg University Television (SUTV), and even hosting Sports Forum as a freshman, I felt a calling outside of football. This was tough as I never quit a sport that I committed to but felt as if my football days were coming to an end. Someone had told me that Coach Rees was a Christian man, like myself. I can't explain it, but one day he was just a few steps up ahead from me and literally no one was around.
I felt this immediate need to talk with coach and tell him about my personal, internal struggle. I openly talked about how I felt as if God might be closing a door in my life that I don't want to close. He took the time right there, asked me a couple of things, and didn't hesitate to pray with me in regards to my decision right there on those steps. That meant so much to me at that time. We connected through the next couple of years with me on the TV side of things. I made highlight tapes for the team that I was super proud of, etc. That was my Coach Rees story."
-- Ron Schott, Class of 2004. Publisher, Bowling Green Times, Louisiana Press-Journal, The Vandalia Leader
"Thanks for being the classy guy you were and for treating the training staff so well. You expected a lot of your team and I respected that so much."
-- Heather, Class of 1996
"My heart aches with the passing of Coach Rees. The purpose of our lives is to positively affect others using our God-given gifts. Coach Rees was a master of this. He was the finest football coach I have ever known. He did so much with so little at times because he built his program around molding young men into his image. My first two years at Ship, we struggled to 3-8 seasons. However, Coach Rees never changed his mindset. He lead by great character, faith, and example. He believed in what he did by laying the foundation of building the student-athlete, by winning in the classroom, in the community, and that would have carryover to winning on the football field. The next two seasons we finished with 6-4 and 7-4 records and competed for league championships."
" I will personally miss his big heart, his big smile, great sense of humor, and fishing prowess. I have fond memories of his "Life according to Rocky" speeches at our annual post-season banquet. Always laughter with a God given purpose. You have influenced so many lives and our world is a better place for it." James 1:12: "Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him."
- Chris Heilman
"I am honored to call Coach Rocky Rees a colleague but more importantly a friend. When you played Rocky`s teams you knew it was going to be a physical game for a full 60 minutes. His teams were always well prepared. Rocky was a true gentleman and a fierce competitor. My sympathy to his daughter Meghan, and all family members. Also my condolences to the entire Shippensburg University Football Family. Rest in Peace, my friend.
-- George Mihalik, former head football coach, Slippery Rock University
"I had several tough conversations with Coach Rees while I played football for SHIP. We didn't agree most of the time, but mostly because I saw things my own way as a young kid. Coach Rees tried to mold me into a better man but I was too stubborn at the time to listen to his wisdom. However I did hear it and the words resonated through my life and I later understood what he was trying to teach.
I left SHIP and football in October of my senior year to move back home to be with my newborn son and girlfriend. In our last meeting in his office I held back tears as I told him I was leaving. He warned me that it would be harder for me if I didn't finish school, that I probably wouldn't marry the girl, and I wouldn't be able to provide, or at least that's what I took away from the conversation. Like a father with a hard-headed son he tried to guide me into a good decision. However, I felt the need to be with my family so strongly I couldn't stay in Shippensburg, so I left.
I often thought of that conversation and how angry I was with Coach Rees and my perception of him underestimating my capability. In later years, I wanted to reach out to him and tell him I did alright, I married the girl, we have 3 kids now, my wife transferred and graduated from Temple, and I even have my own business although I never did finish school. More than telling him those things, I wanted to thank him.
I became who I am today because of coaches like Rocky Rees. Men who were patient and persistent with stubborn kids who needed second chances and stern guidance. Thank you Coach, for being firm in your convictions and pushing me and all of us to be better than we were the day before."
-- Jeff Ricci, SHIP 1993-1996, owner, Heritage Landscape Co.
"I am truly sorry to hear about the passing of Coach Rees. Since his arrival at Ship in 1990 he was one of biggest motivations in my life. The principles he instilled in me as a young student-athlete continue to resonate with me in my personal life. They are the same principles I pass down to my own child. He was bigger than football, as he was truly a developer of young men. Coach, you will be sadly missed, and thank you for everything you have done for ShipNation."
-- Leon "Flavor" Davis 1988-92
"My wife (fiance at the time) and I found out we were having a baby just before my sophomore year. I'll never forget how supportive Coach Rees and the rest of the staff was throughout the rest of my time at Ship. Coach Rees and his staff encouraged me to stick with school and football, knowing it would help in the long run. There are many people we leaned on during those years, but the football family was definitely a huge part of us getting through everything. We're now married, have three girls, own a home and have successful careers. Things would not have turned out this way if it weren't for the encouragement I received as a Red Raider. We used to see Coach around town in the years since college as he was always so happy to see our girls and hearing how things were going. Please pass on to the Rees family that Rocky made a positive difference and I sincerely appreciate everything."
-- James D'Annibale '06-'09
"I would challenge anyone to find a better, more disciplined coach than Rocky Rees. The number of high school boys that he turned in successful young men is second to none. When I was being recruited by other PSAC schools to play football, many would tell me things like they weren't here to babysit the kids….etc. What made me want to play for Coach Rees was that you knew he actually cared for the players who played for him. HE made you sign in before your 8 AM class so that you made school a priority. HE made you sign in with the training staff the day after a game to ensure you weren't hiding any injuries. HE demanded you were on-time to every player's meeting or breakfast. HE was the one who taught how to fight through mental toughness on days you really didn't feel like giving it your all. Rocky Rees helped me reach my full potential in life as a businessman, as a father, and as a husband. To this day, I am still conditioned to never be late for a work meeting, children's games/practices, or any other appointment. Rocky was a special person who made me a much better person. RIP Coach and thank you for everything!
-- former player fortunate to play four years under Coach Rees' leadership
"I have several pictures of the memories from our trip with Coach Rocky Rees to Green Bay to see the Packers play, Coach Rees made it a trip to remember. I will always cherish his friendship. A great coach and a great person, he will be greatly missed not only by family but all the players, coaches and staff which were fortunate enough to have worked with him."
-- Herb Bowers, Retired Director of Public Safety, Shippensburg University.
MAJ Michael E. Erlandson '00, (OF-3), GS, Deputy Chief of Staff - Operations, Resolute Support Mission - Afghanistan, sent Coach Rees the following e-mail last month before he was deployed to Afghanistan:
"Rocky, I'm leaving for a 9-month tour in Afghanistan today. I wanted to tell you how sorry I am right now for you. I know you are probably hearing that a lot these days. I also wanted to tell you how much you have shaped and influenced my life (along with thousands of other young men) since playing at Ship 20 years ago. Actually, it's been 22 years since I was a freshman...damn we're getting old! I really can't thank you enough for all of the time you put into developing me. The "life lessons" gained from those three-a-day work outs stuck with me...never give up...never. My freshmen year, I honestly thought you were trying to kill us with the number of workouts we put in during camp. In hindsight, it was probably the hardest thing I have ever done (and that includes Ranger School and 4 combat deployments). More importantly, your tough love...and kindness, was the thing that everyone around you, myself included, loved (and still loves). Even after football ended, you still took the time to stay in touch, keeping up with me, and my family. You spent time asking questions about my son Michael Jr. when he had cancer. That meant a lot. You are a true leader of men. I only hope that when it is all said and done, young men will look up to me the same way they look up to you. I am truly sorry that I can't make it up to see you. Please drop me a line and let me know how you're doing when you can. Thank you for everything you have done for me."
-- Mike Erlandson, 1996-2000
Rocky Rees, PSAC all-conference running back and MVP at West Chester State College, taken in 1970.
-- Submitted by Steve Heckler, retired SU Director of Sports Medicine
"Rocky Rees was one of the first coaches to welcome me to campus in my first year 1999. I learned very quickly how much he cared for me and our field hockey program. When we had a home game he would send his football team on a campus run and they would stop and cheer us on with Rocky as the leader cheering along with them. The first time we played Bloomsburg that year the football team was standing behind the fence at the end line and the Bloom coach made the officials stop the game and move them, they were cheering too loudly! Rocky and I had a good laugh over that one. As time went bye we BOTH had our 100th SHIP win on the same day, an event that we enjoyed together. In our retirement we would meet coming in or out of Weis Market, I will miss his big bear hugs in the parking lot. I'm sure he has found Strous (my former player and coach) in heaven and they are laughing together over Ship football and field hockey memories. RIP my friend."
--Bertie Landes, SU Field Hockey coach 1999-2016, NFHCA Hall of Fame and SU Athletics Hall of Fame
The following e-mail was sent to Coach Rees by Deirdre Kane, long-time women's basketball coach at West Chester and fellow APSCUF negotiation team member:
"Hi Rocky. Time for some reminiscing. Well, the first thing I want to know is, how the heck I ever got on that Coaches Negotiations Team in the first place?
After each contract, I tried to bow out gracefully, but some football coach, sort of a big guy I recall, bullied me into to staying for one more contract! When I was retiring and they asked me, "In retrospect Coach, what was your greatest victory?", the only thing I could think of was that Coaches Contract! Yes, the Darn thing overshadowed my whole career!
.You taught me that taking care of our fellow coaches was more important than any athletic contest. No game was as important as our colleagues being treated with respect and paid a fair wage. You made me look outside of the selfish microcosm that we, as coaches, often times allowed to swallow us. Realizing this gave me a sense of purpose even more so than coaching did. I also tried to pass this on to my players. I feel they were better for that knowledge, I know I was.
You made a difference is so many people's lives. So many good people stayed in coaching because of you. They in turn positively impacted the lives of thousands of student athletes. You done good Rock. Eternally grateful to you Rock... and I love you!"
