This program is lead by a guy named John Ribbing. John
is about as boring of a guy that you'd ever find.
He wasn't a particularly good football player either, often
saying that he had more fumbles than first downs as a
running back at Utica High School in the 1980's. (With slightly
more success playing flag football in the Marines)
But those who can do, and those who can't (like John) coach.
John is the father of 4 - 2 boys and 2 girls. John has coached
his two sons in basketball, football and roller hockey.
Along the way he has seen good coaches and bad.
His philosophy as a coach has always been that the best
thing about being on a team was making friends with your
teammates. And the worst thing a youth coach can do is make
it so that a young man (or lady) is treated in such a way
that because of the coach, they no longer want to play
the sport.
In 2006 John coached a flag football team that had both of
his sons and a young man named Terry from
Detroit/City Mission.
When the other boys involved at City Mission found out that
Terry was playing, they asked, not so subtlely, if they could
play on the team too.
In 2007 John started the first league for kids in the Brightmoor area of Detroit with City
Mission. In spring of 2008 he operated a league in Central Detroit with Central Detroit
Christian.
In the fall of 2007, City Mission gave John their prestigious Champion for the Children
award.
