Rick Gilliam was born on July 7, 1977 to Margie and Rick Gilliam.  Early in his life, Rick was exposed to the family values that would shape him into the person that he would become.   Instilled in Rick at a very young age was the value of hard work and how everything always comes back to family.  As a young man, Rick began excelling in numerous sports.  Wrestling was the first sport that Rick began, and it was clear that he had a bright future on the mats.  Baseball was also a sport that Rick participated in early in his life.  When Rick started playing football in seventh grade, it was clear that he stood out among his peers as an outstanding player.

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​Rick’s successes continued into high school at Big Spring where he was a four- year starter at heavyweight in wrestling, a three-year starter on the football team, and played baseball through his Junior year for the Bulldogs.  On the wrestling mat and football field is where Rick excelled the most.  Rick piled up numerous honors and awards on the gridiron, with possibly the most honorable being selected to participate in the Big 33 All-Star classic.  To this day, Rick is the only Bulldog ever selected to participate in this game.  In wrestling, he was a 100 match winner, a two time sectional champ, finished fifth at states his junior year and won the 1996 PIAA State Championship.  Rick was selected to participate in the prestigious Dapper Dan Wrestling Classic in Pittsburgh following his incredible senior year.

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Following high school, Rick took his football skills to West Virginia University as the first and only Bulldog to ever sign a Division I football scholarship.  West Virginia was a school that seemed to be a perfect fit for Rick.  It had the small town atmosphere similar to Newville, but had a major college with an excellent football team.  At WVU, Rick continued his successful ways.  He was a two-year starter, showing his versatility by starting at both guard and center.  Once again, Rick piled up numerous awards and honors in his time at WVU.  He was selected as the Mountaineers Outstanding Lineman during his senior season, a season in which he was also on the Outland Trophy Watch List for a majority of the year.   The Outland Trophy is given to the best interior lineman in the country.  Rick was also one of only two athletes in his class to earn four varsity letters.  After his senior year, Rick dabbled with professional football at various levels, most notably a stint with the Chicago Bears.  However, he soon realized that his heart was back in Cumberland County and he returned to the people who loved him most.

 

Upon returning home, Rick went back to the school that he loved to help inspire numerous athletes in football and wrestling.  Rick was a demanding yet loved coach who always got the best out of his players.  He knew how hard he worked to be successful and he expected nothing less of his players.  One of Rick’s shining moments as a coach was when he helped to guide the Bulldogs to the 2003 Mid Penn Colonial Division Championship in football.

 

While the athletic achievements of Rick Gilliam are impressive and numerous, they are not what family and friends will remember most.  Rick was one of the most kind and thoughtful people that one could ever hope to meet.  The manner in which Rick balanced his athletic achievements with his huge group of family and friends was the most amazing thing about this wonderful man.  It did not matter how successful Rick became, he always had time for his family and friends.  No matter who you were, Rick had the ability to make you feel important and he showed you that he really cared and loved you.  The love that Rick showed to Kendra in their three plus years of marriage was special.  Anyone who was around knew that these two were truly made for each other.  When their beautiful daughter Mya was born, it was evident that Rick was as happy as he could possibly be, right here in his hometown with the people he loved the most.  These two wonderful people that came into Rick’s life during his final years seemed to complete him and make him truly happy.