Rea inducted into MRA Hall of Fame

Madison-Ridgeland Academy inducted the late Sam Rea, a Philadelphia native, into its Athletic Hall of Fame last week.

Rea, a standout running back who wore #26, was a team favorite and took his talents to Delta State University where he excelled on special teams over his career there. 

He was tragically killed in a farm accident in 1992 at age 29. His son, CJ, was only three months old at the time and never got to know his father but has learned of his legend and love for life from family and his dad’s friends.

CJ and his grandfather, Jimmy Rea, were on hand to accept the award.

“He still holds a lot of records at MRA,” CJ Rea said. “My daddy never met a stranger and didn’t have an enemy in the world. I’ve been on this earth for 26 years and I’ve met random people in random places and I’ve never heard one single bad thing from anybody. He was a remarkable man. I feel like I know him so well because of the stories and memories all his friends have told me. I still hear stories and I love it.”

Rea was honored to introduce his late father to the crowd.

“I talked about his teammates and I told them we are here to celebrate my daddy’s accomplishments and the cliché, there is no ‘I’ in team in reference to my daddy and his commitment to his Patriot teammates,” Rea said. 

“His accomplishments on the gridiron were great but he left a good impression on everyone he met. He died when he was 29 and my grandmother always said, ‘he lived 80 years in those 29.’ He was a salt of the earth person and people were the most important thing to him.”

In his acceptance speech for his father, Rea pointed out that “all these accomplishments are worthy of being celebrated but in the end, there’s only one that’s important. I encouraged everyone to go home and read The Gospels and try to live a little more like Jesus.”

A plaque commemorating Sam Rea at the MRA football field includes a quote from his former coach, the now late Jack Carlisle.

“Sam’s exploits on the football field are Legendary in the minds of all who knew him. It is only fitting that his creed for life be included here: ONE WORLD – ONE CHANCE.”

During the banquet, MRA established the Distinguished Alumnus Award this year to honor MRA graduates whose commitment to their profession, community, and service to others sets them apart.

The 2024 Hall of Fame inductees were Suzy Kelty Bradly and Valerie Webb Henry – both from the class of 1982 — and Rea of the 1987 class.