They say "it takes a village", and that is especially true of the GR Christian Football Coaching Staff.  The coaches leading the charge for the Eagles make up a composite of different coaching and playing backgrounds, from the high school to the professional level.

Did you know....?

The combined experience of the coaching staff includes not only coaching and playing at the collegiate levels, but withaccolades such as winning Big Ten and other conference championships as well as a National Collegiate Championship. The GRC Football staff comes battles tested with years of experience on the sideline as coaches and on the field as players. 

95% of our coaches played college football 

This week we are showcasing two of our current Eagle Coaches, Ben Wickstrom and Rueben Riley. 

Ben Wickstrom

Ben Wickstrom joined the staff in 2018 as linebackers coach.

Personal: Ben is married to Jennifer Wickstrom, and together they have three children in Grand Rapids Christian Schools. Together as a family, they enjoy fishing, camping, boating, going to the beach, and anything in the beautiful outdoors of Michigan. 

Ben works as a commercial general contractor in the

Grand Rapids area, and is a registered professional engineer in the State of Michigan. Ben obtained his Civil Engineering degree from Michigan Technological University in 1998.

College/Coaching: Ben was a three-year starter at linebacker for the Michigan Tech Huskies, where he earned all-conference honorable mention recognition, outstanding team defensive player, and was voted team captain. 

Ben is passionate about leadership, strength of character, and persistence, which are some of the many life lessons learned through football and sports.

Rueben Riley

Rueben is serving in his 3rd year as Grand Rapids Christian's Offensive Line coach. Riley is also in his 3rd year as the Student-Life Coordinator at GRCMS. Riley is a Grand Rapids native who graduated from Creston High in 2002. Riley was a four-year starter and All-American at Creston under coach Sparky McEwen.

Riley received a full-scholarship to play football at the University of Michigan. Riley played in 35 games, made 28 starts and was named All-Big Ten in 2006. During Riley's years at Michigan the TEAM won (2) Big 10 Championships and made (3) Rose Bowl appearances under coach Lloyd Carr. Riley earned his B.A. in 2007.

Reuben has played professional football in the NFL for various teams and has coached at the high school level since 2012.

He and his wife Shanel have a daughter Brooklyn (7) and Harlem (6)