By Kiara Doyal, The Seattle Medium
Curtis Wells Jr., in his first year as head football coach at Garfield High School, aims to continue the hard work and dedication instilled in the football program by former coaches Joey Thomas and Reggie Witherspoon Jr.
After years of having talent that didn’t quite live up to its potential, Thomas and Witherspoon, who succeeded Thomas as head coach after he took a coaching position at the college level, turned the Garfield football program back into one of the top programs in the region.
“Joey Thomas, I have to give a lot of credit to him. He helped put together something that I am still reaping the benefits from, like the structure, the commitment, the hard work, and the dedication he put into the program,” says Wells. “I feel that Coach Witherspoon kept that going from what Coach Thomas did, and that is what we are trying to do too, to continue to teach these young men the importance of structure, commitment, drive, accountability, and integrity.”
Despite this being his first year as head coach at Garfield, Wells, a proud Garfield alum, is no stranger to the Bulldog football program.
“I was blessed to coach with different coaches. Two of the coaches whom I really admired were Coach Sparse, who passed away, and Coach Joey Thomas, who now coaches at the University of Nevada,” says Wells. “I’m a Bulldog through and through.”
“I always wanted to go to Garfield because my parents went here, my brother went here, and both my daughter and son went here,” added Wells. “This field has been in my life since I was seven years old. The CD is my home, it is what I love, and Garfield is my school.”
Reggie Witherspoon III, one of Witherspoon’s sons, recently spoke to the current Bulldog team about the importance of brotherhood and playing for one another.
“It was cool to have Reggie Jr. come out here and talk to the team about the importance of brotherhood,” says Wells.
A native of Seattle, Wells’ athletic résumé includes playing little league football in Seattle, competing in multiple sports as a student at Garfield, and a stint in football at both the University of Washington and in the Canadian Football League (CFL).
“I started off playing little league football for CAYA, which is now the CD Panthers, and then went on to play football and run track at Garfield,” says Wells. “I walked on at the University of Washington for football and was there for three years.”
“After I left football, I went into youth ministry, and I became a youth pastor for several years,” he added.
Wells says that it is an honor for him to be the new head coach at Garfield. For him, this is a full-circle moment and an opportunity that he truly cherishes.
“I am honored to be able to speak into these young people’s lives,” says Wells. “I get to impact their lives, so I don’t take it for granted, because everything I say to them could impact them for the rest of their lives. I remember some of the things my coaches said to me that either helped me or hindered me, so I have to be careful and understand that everything I do and say to them could be a blessing or a burden.”
“I look at this opportunity to really pour into these kids’ lives, to help them become productive citizens, to have wins not just on the football field, but wins in the classroom, wins in their homes, in their communities, and in their neighborhoods,” he added.
With a small senior class, Wells will have to mold, rely on, and groom a young Garfield team while navigating his way through one of the strongest leagues in the state — the Metro League. While Wells is eager for them to build a strong sense of brotherhood and grow not only as individuals but as a team as the season progresses, he acknowledges that the team has a lot to overcome because they are still playing with heavy hearts after the shooting death of their teammate Amarr Murphy-Paine last spring. Murphy-Paine would have been a senior on this year’s team.
“We have been hit really hard with the loss of our fellow brother Amarr Murphy-Paine, so I am looking to see us become a family this year,” says Wells. “Also, I want to say that I can do none of this coaching and building of brotherhood without my coaches. I have seven coaches who came on and stuck with me through the tragedy of Amarr, and honestly, if you don’t have a good coaching staff, it doesn’t matter who you are at the head coaching position, so I am truly blessed with these guys.”
